Home and Garden
|
|
Hardwood Floor Refinishing - For The Faint of Heart
   
|
Decking Kit
Your Life is Easier with a Decking Kit
To enhance your home and your outdoor living experience you have decided to add a deck. You know the size and shape, but you' re not sure of your expertise with a power a saw. The .....
Are your beautiful hardwood floors not so beautiful anymore? Maybe they just need a refinishing job. It can be a daunting task, but here are some ideas to make it a little easier.Your Life is Easier with a Decking Kit
To enhance your home and your outdoor living experience you have decided to add a deck. You know the size and shape, but you' re not sure of your expertise with a power a saw. The .....
If your hardwood floors are in dire need of
refinishing, get a few estimates from professionals.
You may be surprised at the figures. Youll want to
sit down when they tell you it will cost you $1200 to
have your living room redone. You could carpet over it
for less, but doesnt carpeting over beautiful hardwood
floors seem, well, wrong?
Contrary to what you may have heard, the finish doesnt
take days and days to dry. Its quite simple actually.
Go to your favorite local home improvement store,
Lowes, Menards, Home Depot or other. Rent a sander.
Youll need a drum sander, a belt sander or both. They
will explain to you how to use the machine and tell you
what kind of sand paper to purchase. They will also
tell you what kind of stain and finish to get. Make
sure you also pick up some dust masks because you will
have saw dust everywhere.
The sanders are very easy to use. Theyre a bit on the
loud side. The key is to keep it moving at all times.
Do not stop or you will get a divot in your wood.
Think of it like a clothes iron. You need to keep it
moving or you will burn your clothes. Same deal with
the sander. It creates a lot of heat and you will
burn or dent your floors if you hesitate in one place
too long.
Garden Furniture - A Touch Of Exuberance To Your Landscape
Garden furniture is in vogue. These add d'r and liveliness to the landscape of your house. Depending upon your taste and surrounding of your house you can select your garden furniture.
Outdoor furniture can be .....
You will feel like a Zamboni driver smoothing out yourGarden furniture is in vogue. These add d'r and liveliness to the landscape of your house. Depending upon your taste and surrounding of your house you can select your garden furniture.
Outdoor furniture can be .....
surface. Word of caution, you do need to maintain
control of the machine at all times. It is self
propelled, like a lawn mower or a basset hound on a
leash. When you power it up, hold on to the machine
tightly. Dont be afraid of it and after a few passes,
youll start to even have fun.
First you need to remove the old finish, basecoat,
color, and top coat. You may opt to forgo the color
(stain) and just use the nature color of the wood. You
will still need to apply a finish to it.
There are basically two types of floor finishes: one is
oil-based and the other is water-based polyurethane.
Oil-based is available in a satin, semi-gloss or gloss
finish. Satin works well on floors because it hides
small flaws and lets the natural beauty of the wood
show without a bright shine. Oil-based also produces a
warm amber look that gives you the traditional glow of
wood floors. Water-based polyurethane dries clear and
resists yellowing. Water-based also dries quicker.
Make sure you let each coat thoroughly dry before
applying the next; same as you would nail polish. Give
your floor at least 24-36 hours before moving furniture
back on it. It will continue to harden in the first
couple of weeks.
Dont be overwhelmed. Instead of looking at
refinishing your hardwood floors as a humungous job,
look at it as giving your room a manicure, one step at
a time. Youll also save yourself as much as $1,000
by doing it yourself.