Refinishing Hardwood Floors
 

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If old hardwood floors are like fine furniture, shouldn't they be refinished the same way?

A hardwood floor should only be sanded as part of a new installation. The main reason is that sanding will destroy most of the character that a good old floor has spent decades developing. More from your Guide below

 
 
Other reasons include that sanding thins the flooring and it creates a lot of dust. The dust is not only unpleasant, it also means that you're faced with the very difficult task of getting it up to an extent sufficient to ensure that it will not become part of the new finish. Besides, floor sanding machines are very tricky to use well, and the edging is always impossible to get right without literally scraping some wood away. The good news is that there is a relatively easy and very inexpensive alternative that will preserve much of the character while renewing the floor's protection.

Start by making any needed repairs. That includes adding new, unfinished wood, if that's what it takes. Work with your suppliers to match the species grade and, if possible, the age of the repair flooring to the existing floor. (Hint: If you remove some of the original flooring that still has a good finish, you should probably save it for color-matching later.) Sand the repair area, if needed, lightly and by hand. Then vacuum the room with a shop-vac.

Next, wash the old, finished parts of the floor with plain water, or with a mild solution of TSP (Trisodium Phosphate - it's sold in paint departments for washing walls before repainting) using a VERY dry mop. Try very hard to not get any part of the new wood wet at all. If you need to stop mopping a few inches away from each edge of the repaired areas, that's fine. Let the floor dry for a day or so. Then go over the old portions with a wax remover (Bruce makes an excellent one). After the floor has dried for another couple of days, look it over carefully. If there are areas that still look really off-color, you can treat them, gently and sparingly, with white vinegar or bleach or oxalic acid or whatever, depending on the apparent cause of the stain.

Here's what you will need. A paint store is often the best place to find everything:

Lacquer Thinner - a pint for a small room or a quart for a larger area - you can always buy more.
Denatured Alcohol - the same amount as the lacquer thinner.
An empty, screw-top, corrosion-resistant can that will hold both of the items above - i.e., a quart can if you're buying pints or a half-gallon can if you're buying quarts.
An good oil finish to match the existing color or to change it subtly, if you have made repairs or you have existing areas where the finish has been totally worn away.
Some chemical-resistant refinishing pads. They look like the scratchy side of scrubber sponges. 3M makes a good one.
A floor polishing stick. It's basically a mop handle with a clamp plate on the end to hold the pads.
A chemical-resistant pan (glass is best - think Pyrex baking dish) that the pad easily fits into.