How to Bring Back the Shine to Prefinished Wood Floors

Prefinished wood floors are laid with the finish already installed onto the boards at the factory. This makes for easy installation but not necessarily an easy refinishing project after the floor becomes dull and flat years later. Fully sanding into prefinished floors is usually a bad idea, because you can't be sure how deep the hardwood layer on the top of those floors goes. Screening the floor is a gentler process that allows you to replace the shine without sanding into the wood.

Floor buffer
Floor screens (medium and fine abrasion)
Vacuum
Tack cloths
Polyurethane floor gloss
Paintbrush
Fine sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Load the floor buffer with a medium-abrasion floor screen. Start the buffer and immediately move it forward over the floor, with the direction of the floorboards. Dull the entire surface.
- 2
  Run a vacuum cleaner over the floor to take up the dust.
- 3
  Repeat the process, this time using a fine-abrasion floor screen. Get the whole surface flat, smooth and dull.
- 4
  Vacuum well. Wipe down the floor with tack cloths to take up any residual dust.
- 5
  Apply the first layer of polyurethane floor gloss, using a paintbrush and starting at the far corner of the room from the door. Brush it on in a light, thin coat, with the direction of the floorboards. Don't let bubbles form. Do the whole floor.
- 6
  Let the gloss set six hours. Sand lightly with fine sandpaper, by hand, using quick light strokes to dull the surface.
- 7
  Vacuum up the dust. Wipe down the floor with tack cloths.
- 8
  Apply a second coat of polyurethane floor gloss in the same way as the first. Let it dry. Hand-sand it. Go over it with the vacuum and tack cloths.
- 9
  Apply a third layer of polyurethane floor gloss. Let it dry for 24 hours.

How to Bring Back the Shine on Linoleum Flooring

How to Apply Stain to New Wood Floors

Floor Repairs