the show stopper (our bathroom, part three)

our finished floor!

(for general steps, see below)

I was given very specific instructions about how to refinish the floor:

• use a nail set to sink the nails into the floor so it doesn’t catch on the sandpaper
• sand with 100 grit sandpaper
• sand with 180 grit sandpaper
• sand once more, nice and smooth with 320 grit sandpaper
• thoroughly clean up the dust – I used a palm sander that didn’t have one of those bags to collect the sawdust so the room was quite a mess.  I was able to contain it though by keeping the bathroom door closed and laying a towel in front of the gap under the door.  To clean up first I used a shop vac, then I wiped the whole room down with a slightly damp cloth (ceiling, walls, floor, etc), and I finished up by wiping the floor twice more using mineral oil on a rag.

• treat with pre-stain wood conditioner – I wasn’t sure if this was something we should do, but I figured for the price it’s probably a good idea.  We tested it on a board and it really does allow the stain to penetrate more evenly.
• apply two (or more) coats of stain using a rag
• thoroughly wipe down floor again – twice more with mineral oil on a rag
• apply five coats of poly-urethane for floors using an applicator from the hardware store – I love the applicator, it made things happen much faster.  I know five coats sounds like a lot but there are some things to keep in mind: 1 – It’s a bathroom so we really want to protect the wood floor from water.  2 – I believe that the more coats I put on the longer the floor will last without needing to be refinished.  And besides, I figure we’ve got this big can, might as well use it.
• sand lightly using 320 grit sandpaper
• apply final coat of poly-urethane

still very wet from a fresh coat of poly-urethane

• follow all product labels regarding use, safety, and drying times

You can see more about our bathroom saga here:

https://www.jennifersquires.ca/blog/2009/03/30/our-bathroom-project-part-one/

https://www.jennifersquires.ca/blog/2009/04/06/look-what-i-found-our-bathroom-part-two/