hardwood floors get a make over

wed 01.11.12: we began work on the hardwood floors in the office and kid's room. the beautiful, natural hardwood floors needed a little face lift. we rented a drum sander from our local home depot for $44 for 4 hours. we were fortunate enough to get away with using one belt per grit (80 and 220) for two rooms that were approximately 100 sq ft each. we sanded the corners and edges of the floors with the corner cat finish sander the mister has in his toolbox.

thu 01.12.12: we vacuumed the rooms of wood dust and applied mineral spirit, followed by TSP to assure the surface was clean and free of any dust and particles.

sat 01.14.12: i learned A LOT from the clerks in the paint dept about staining wood. did you know the same color stain can have a different affect on wood that is cut from the same tree, but in different areas of the tree (e.g. trunk and branch)?? it's like wine pairing! anyway, back to the house... the mister wasn't satisfied with our sanding work and redid all the edges and a few spots on the center floor with a lot of help from his buddy, D. re-sanded, re-clean, then filled in cracks, gaps, holes, etc with wood filler... now, it's time to stain! we decided on minwax oil-based stain in ebony. it takes about 4 hours in between coats, so after we applied the first coat, we wrapped up the day on this task.

sun 01.15.12: the mister applied a second coat of stain to each room. roughly 4 hours later, we applied the first of many coats of polyurethane. my eyes were burning! this stuff is lethal! the caution label actually states this product can cause brain and nerve damage if exposed for long periods. it takes 8 hours to dry in between coats, so we called it a day, packed up and left.

mon 01.16.12: the mister applied another layer of polyurethane. it's recommended to apply at least 4-5 coats, more for high traffic areas. we'll probably have to return to the house each night this week, after work, to apply more coats.

sanding materials list:
drum sander
1 sandpaper belt in 80 grit
1 sandpaper belt in 220 grit
ryobi corner cat finish sander
1 packet of sandpaper for edger in 80 grit
1 packet of sandpaper for edger in 220 grit

approximate cost: $75

cleaning materials list:
mineral spirit
TSP
old t-shirts

approximate cost: $20

filling and staining materials list:
minwax high performance wood filler
2 quarts of minwax oil-based wood finish in ebony
old t-shirts
1 gallon of parks pro finisher in clear semigloss
2 10" lambskin pads w/block

approximate cost: $94

grand total: $189