Refinished my oak floors over a weekend and the difference is wild

My living room floors were looking rough after 10 years of dogs and kids. I finally sanded them down with a rental drum sander from Home Depot on a Saturday morning. Put down three coats of water-based polyurethane over the next two days and let it cure for a full week before moving furniture back. The before was this scratched up amber mess and now it looks like a brand new install from a flooring showroom. Total cost was around $200 for the sander rental, sandpaper, and polyurethane. Has anyone else tried refinishing their own hardwood floors and what finish did you use?

2 comments

2 Comments

sagesingh5d ago

I did nearly the same thing with my oak floors last spring and it was a game changer. I went with a water based poly as well because the drying time is way better than oil based for a weekend project. Make sure you run a tack cloth over the boards between coats to catch any dust nibs that settle on the wet finish. Did you go with a satin or gloss sheen on yours?

angelaellis5d ago

Did you get orange peel texture from the roller or was it smooth?