Stripping Hardwood Floors- The Best Methods to Use

The 1970s brought with it the carpet craze, and caused many people to run out and replace their old and worn hardwood floors by covering them up. At this time, laminate and similar flooring products were also very popular, once again leaving the dingy and worn hardwood floors to be covered up by a hot new style of flooring.

As such, many people might not realize it but many of the homes that were built before 1970 already have original hardwood floors hiding under the carpets. Tearing up carpets can reveal worn and tired floors, but they can be made brand new again by stripping hardwood floors and refinishing them.

The value of homes with real hardwood floors is very high. Many people enjoy the laminate products and easy-install hardwood flooring products that are available today, but they will never replace the look and feel of true hardwood floors that add that warmth and classic look to any home.

Whether you’re renovating your own home or simply looking for a way to add value to an investment, stripping the floors and refinishing them can be much more lucrative and aesthetically appealing than just slapping down carpet or other types of flooring over top.

There are two main types of stripping that you can do: chemical stripping and manual stripping. Using a sanding machine, manual stripping allows you to sand down the floors and get all of the old finishes off.

You will need to hand sand or use a small power sander to reach all of the nooks and crannies that the larger machine can’t reach, but it’s still a quick and harmless process. Just make sure that you sand evenly around the room so that you don’t get dips and gouges in your finished result.

If you choose to go with chemically stripping hardwood floors, you’ll need to ensure that you have proper ventilation and a good knowledge of how to use the chemicals to reduce dangers and risks to yourself.

Seeing as how these chemicals can eat years of finish off of a floor, it’s no surprise that they can do damage to your skin and body if you get them on you or breathe in the fumes excessively. No matter which method you choose to use, you need to be very careful and methodical about your approach, so that you get the best results and don’t cause any damage to the floors or yourself in the process.