Clean Wood Floors Before Staining

Refinishing hardwood floors is the right solution.

Clean wood floors before staining.

It includes everything you need to create a fresh semi glossy polyurethane finish without changing your floor s color. The technique of wetting the wood down before staining is called popping the grain. This floor was sanded correctly but was aggressively mopped with water against the grain probably in an attempt to remove all the dust. Tack cloth is a cheesecloth like piece of fabric that s coated in a layer of sticky adhesive.

If deep cleaning didn t restore your wood floor s glow you could give it a fresh new finish without sanding or staining using one of the following products. If the stain is on the surface your floor probably has a hard finish such as urethane. Rust oleum transformations wood and laminate floor renewal kit. Lastly before you stain it s a good idea to use tack cloths to clean every last bit of dust off the prepped wood surface.

You need to remove the finish to bleach these black stains out of the wood and the best way to do that is to sand the affected area by hand with 120 grit. Whether you ve just installed a wood floor or added some fresh trim to your windows or doorways or even built a craft or furniture piece from scratch you may find yourself in a situation where the unfinished wood needs cleaning but you want to use something that won t affect the wood stain you plan to use in the near future. The wood grain is so open that in one coat you should be able to get the look you want. But often that s the wrong solution.

All wood floors are protected by a clear coating that eventually becomes scratched scuffed and dull. This is a vivid illustration of how important it is that the texture of your wood floor be absolutely uniform and consistent before you apply your stain. If the finish stain has penetrated through to the wood the floor probably has a soft oiled finish common in older homes whose floors have not been refinished and resealed. What it does is open the pores of the wood to allow it to take the stain evenly and deeply.

Consider your flooring s finish before trying to remove a stain from wood floors. Unless all traces of sawdust and sanding dust are first removed any finish you apply whether it is a coat of paint or stain plus topcoat is doomed to be imperfect although the finest dusts are virtually invisible to the eye if they are left on wood surfaces when you apply paint stain or varnish the surface will turn out muddy in color and rough to the touch. Because different floor finishes have unique care requirements the best way to clean hardwood floors will depend on the type of finish rather than the wood species e g cherry maple oak. The most troublesome hardwood floor stains are those that affect the wood itself.