An easy way to fill in microscratches and shine wood floors is to polish your floors after mopping. After dusting and spray mopping, use a designated microfiber mop pad to apply polish to wood floors to add shine. Bona floor polish is easy to use and adds a protection and shine with every application.
Buffing a hardwood floor with a buffer is an easy and efficient way to restore its shine without sanding. Make sure that all areas are dry before you begin buffing. Put on the appropriate protective gear and attach the buffing pad to the buffer. It's important to give each area equal attention for a uniform shine.
Make hardwood floors look new by buffing. This is almost similar to refinishing. The difference is that refinishing involves clearing the thin wood layer to apply a fresh coat of paint and sealant, and buffing rids, light scratches, and any other material that dulls your floors.
Mix a one-to-one ratio of water and vinegar, dampen a cloth, and rub off the hazy buildups. Rinse with another cloth dampened with clear water and dry the floor immediately with a third rag. Washing coupled with wear and tear can eventually make the hardwood floor look old and cloudy.
Since vinegar is an acid, it will actually break down the finish on the surface of your floor, and over time it will reduce the shine, and leave a dull appearance. Using vinegar and water to clean floors can also lead to an excessive amount of water on the floor, which can cause swelling and discoloration.
'Recoating is a great way to restore the look of your hardwood without a full sand down. It's the process of adding a new topcoat of finish to an existing wood floor finish,' explains Brett Miller, vice president, Technical Standards, Training, and Certification at the National Wood Flooring Association.
Olive oil naturally hydrates and polishes wood floors without leaving behind the dirt-attracting film common with store-bought products. It can clean and polish your floor at the same time or allow you to quickly buff dull areas back to a stunning sheen.
Don't use vinegar or baking soda.
Many DIY home cleaning solutions involve the use of vinegar or baking soda, but these are, in fact, the worst things you can apply to your wood floors. They actually damage and dull the polyurethane, which can irreparably ruin them.
Hardwood Floors look dull because you just move dirt around.
If you do not sweep, vacuum or dust mop your floors before using a wet mop, you are just pushing dirt around. By adding water or other liquid to the existing dirt, you make a muddy solution that builds up on the floor surface.
Flooring experts estimate that hardwood floors can be sanded for refinishing up to 10 times, depending on the thoroughness of the sanding and the level of wear and tear on the floor. Situations differ, but you may not be able to refinish your hardwood floor more than 10 times.
To buff out a small scratch in your floor polish by hand, rub brass wool over the damage until the scratch or ding has been leveled out and you can't see it anymore. Then, re-polish the area by applying hardwood floor wax with a terrycloth towel and rubbing it into the area.
Applying a revitalizer gloss is the simplest and cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors. This approach works best on floors that only have surface-level scratches and other minor wear and tear issues. You can get the job done without the need for equipment rentals or hard-to-find materials.
Sanding wood floors & refinishing yourself will definitely save money, and even an inexperienced homeowner can likely do a better job than the lowest bidding handyperson who quotes on it. Once you understand the basics, a quality final result on your wood floor is more about patience than anything else.
A dry Pure Tung oil finish will provide a deep rich color to wood floors. It does not, however, provide a gloss or even semi-gloss finish. To make a semi gloss surface you would need to wax the surface or buff when the floor is dry. Any type of finishing oil can go over Pure Tung Oil at a later date.
WOCA Hardwax Oil – Often used by professionals, this high-quality hardwearing oil is more expensive, but it provides a more effective result. Bona Hardwax oil – One of the most popular waxes available. Bona dries quickly, is easy to apply, and provides excellent coverage.
Vinegar and Ammonia: Cleaning products that have a base of vinegar or ammonia eat away at the dirt on your floor - and also the floor's finish itself. Overtime, the acid will wear down your hardwood, leaving you with splotchy patches that are difficult to revive.