Hardwood floors can be a beautiful asset to your home. They lend a sense of elegance to any room. Just like anything else, however, your hardwood floors require maintenance, and there will come a time when you should consider refinishing hardwood floors. Luckily, hardwood floor refinishing is not impossibly difficult. With a bit of effort and patience, your floors will be good as new again.

Refinishing hardwood floors is only a two-step process, involving sanding the floor smooth and staining it. Sanding clears away built up dirt, dust, and wears down any surface scratches or scuffs, creating a smooth surface. After the floor has been sanded, the stain corrects the rustic look with a smooth polish.

If you are refinishing your hardwood floors, you should see if they need to be redone at all. You may want to try a test in an inconspicuous place on your floor. Drop a drop or two of water on the floor and observe. If the water is quickly absorbed by the flooring, it's time to refinish. If it isn't absorbed at all, or absorbs slowly, you can wait a while before redoing the floor's surface.

When you inspect the floor, make sure it doesn't need any repairs. Problems to inspect for include warped or squeaking floor boards, badly stained wood, and other permanent damage. If any of these issues are present, you should repair them before refinishing the floor.

If you have found that your flooring could use a face lift but isn't in need of other repairs, you can start your project. To get started, take everything out of the room, cover up vents and other openings such as light fixtures and vents. There will be a large amount of dust once you begin sanding and to sand a floor is a messy job.

A powerful drum sander is the tool to use for your initial sanding. To avoid accidental damage to the wood, keep the drum sander continuously in motion. If it stays in one place, too much wood is lost and your floor is uneven. Move steadily. Don't rush. To get in corners and other tight spots, use an edge sander.

When the sanding is completed, clean all dust and debris from the area. You are now prepared to stain the floor. There are several options to choose from when selecting your stain. Water-based and oil-based stains are available, and these with a wide variety of appearances. Select whichever best suits your particular floor, and be careful to follow all instructions. Pay extra attention to how many coats you are to use, and how long it must be left to dry.

Once you have learned how to refinish hardwood floors, you will never need to hire a professional. The process of refinishing hardwood floors is time consuming, but it is worthwhile when your dull and dingy floor is gleaming and shiny. When the stain is dry, congratulations! You have just refinished your floor yourself. Let your beautiful new floor assure you that it was well worth the effort.