How to Buff Out Stains on a Hardwood Floor
- 1). Remove all furnishings from the area to be sanded. Pay attention to areas where the stains are, as these will need extra attention during the sanding process.
- 2). Set up the rotor machine at the furthest end of the room. The idea is to work your way out of the room without walking on the freshly sanded floor. Even if doing a small area, plan on buffing the area twice with two different grits of sand screens. The first will be the more coarse (60-, 80- or 100-grit); the second will be the fine grit (120- to 150-grit). Note: the higher the grit number the finer the sanding action.
- 3). Run the machine slowly left to right, with the grain of the wood. Overlap often. Make several passes over each area. Make note where the stains and marks you are trying to remove are.
- 4). Sweep and vacuum the floor to remove the resulting dust.
- 5). Wipe down the entire floor with a rag dipped in mineral spirits. This will collect the fine pieces of dust and debris.
- 6). Inspect the floor for remaining spots and stains. Repeat the above sanding procedure in these areas. If necessary, use a hand sander to buff these areas. Re-clean the dust from the floor with a broom or vacuum, followed by a wiping-down with mineral spirits.
- 7). Sand the floor with the fine sanding screen to remove the swirls and scratches from the coarse sanding screen. Sweep, vacuum, and clean the floor with mineral spirits.
- 8). Apply a fresh coat of floor finish using an approved finish applicator. If all the floor finish was removed during the sanding, then apply a second coat. Consult the manufacturer's instructions for time to wait between coats.
