Restoring the Floors in Your Home

Restoring the floors in your home are sometimes easier than you may think. If you plan on renovating your home you probably feel tired already. Yes, it’s an enormous task. But knowledge will make it go faster and easier. If floors are part of the plan use these tips to get you going.

1. Fast Ways to Restore Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors look amazing but they can show marks easily. Perhaps you have an old floor that was painted over. How do you return it to its original luster?

It’s not as difficult as you think:

• Vacuum and wash the floor so there’s no dust and grime.
• Remove all objects such as nails along the walls.
• Sand down the floor with a sanding machine. Remember to do the corners by hand if the machine can’t reach everywhere. An alternative to sanding is a chemical stripper. Make sure you have ventilation if you’re using this. The area must also be dry before you continue.
• Investigate the area for any holes. These must be filled with wood paste.
• Now you can clean the area and apply the new coat of stain.

After a day or two, your room will be ready for use.

2. Can You Restore the Carpets?

Yes, a new carpet is an ideal option. But your budget may not allow for it. Here’s the good news. You can restore your current carpet. Contrary to what you believe many carpet problems are treatable:

• Greasy stains can be treated with:
  • Vinegar
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Baking soda
• Cold—NOT hot—water and vinegar work for many stains even food. Apply and leave for a while. Soak the liquid up with a towel.

This is how you pre-treat your carpet.

Now you’re ready to clean it. A steam cleaner does wonders for carpets. It removes dirt and revives the fibers.

Restoration is about odors too. Make sure the room smells as good as it looks. Sprinkle baking soda all over the floor. This can be vacuumed after a few hours. This absorbs bad smells leaving the room fresh.

3. Practical Tips for Parquet

It’s sad that most modern homes don’t have parquet floors anymore. This is one of my favorite features in old homes. Their disappearance from the scene limits our knowledge of how to look after them.

Regular maintenance is necessary. But eventually, you’ll have to deal with the many scratch marks. You can do it yourself. Make sure the whole area is clean. You don’t want dust to ruin some of the restoration steps.

Loose Tiles

• Identify loose tiles. These have to be reattached. Are your blocks nailed down or held in place with Bitumen glue?
• Scrape old glue from both the floor and the tiles. If tiles are damaged try sourcing the same wood from lumber yards or hardware stores.
• Use glue or nails as the original installers did.

When the glue is dry you’re ready to restore the whole area.

Sanding

Sand down the floor with a roughly textured sanding pad. Repeat the process with a finer pad. Remove all the dust so it’s not caught up in the sealing process.

Finishing

Parquet floors must be sealed and tinted. You can purchase these products separately or find a sealer with a tint. Try the tint in a small area first so you know it aligns with what you want aesthetically. After 48 hours your classic floor is ready to be used again.

4. New Life for Vinyl

Vinyl is famous for its durability. But durability doesn’t always include aesthetics. Old vinyl can lose shine while it bears the brunt of scuffs and scrapes. Flooring merchants may advise you to refrain from using polish or wax. This can make the floor too slippery and cause dirt to stick to the floor.

Yes, flooring experts can reapply a protective layer. Or you can use some tricks of your own:

• Apply a new finish yourself. Strip off the old layer first with chemical strippers. Now use a mop to apply a new coat. Wait up to three days before using the area again.
• Oil brings out the shine in vinyl floors. But of course, you don’t want a slippery floor. Add some fragrant oils to your water when you wash the floor. Rubbing the floor with soft clean cloths also revives the shine.

5. A Few Practical Tips

Plan for Long Term

What do you want to use the renovated space for? When you’re tending to the floors it’s the ideal time to consider floor adjustments:

• Advances in technology may require new cabling for electronics. Can you put this under your floors? This is a neater option than along the walls.
• Can you optimize your space usage? Knock down a wall if you want to join two rooms together. Do it before you restore your floor so all the work gets done at one time.

DIY Musts

Most restoration projects cause dust that will travel all over your home. Do you have enough patience to deal with this? Limit your troubles by hanging plastic sheeting in all doorways.

Make it Easy

I tend to forget basic logical steps when I’m excited about a project. Don’t do the same. These tips will help your project run smoothly:

• Cut excess or discarded flooring into small pieces. Do this while you work so you don’t have to revisit a step in the process. Now they can fit in your trash instead of cluttering your home or pavement.
• A sanding or cutting machine can be expensive but it’s worth the time you’ll save. We avoid home projects when they’re tedious. Make it easier and you’ll have more energy for the next project.
• Keep a bit of the wood shavings and dust. Use it to fill up small holes in hardwood floors made of screws or other objects. The sealant will keep the particles in place.

All you need is momentum. Get one project right and you’ll be energized for the next one. Limit your troubles and prevent unnecessary expenses. With floors, this is essential since they can get damaged easily. This is why when restoring your floors, you must do it right from the start. Now you know how to do it.