The sun peeking through your windows can brighten your room as well as benefit your health, thanks to vitamin D. However, the very same UV rays can also have negative repercussions, especially on your hardwood floors.
Hardwood floors can take a heavy toll from the sunlight, resulting in them losing their charm and sheen and ultimately appearing faded or unattractive. Fading is one of the most common hardwood floor problems homeowners often have to deal with.
But the good thing is that with the help of the right equipment, solutions, and a little effort, you can revitalise your sun-faded floors and achieve a sense of accomplishment you’ll be proud of. So read this blog to learn practical steps to repair sun-faded hardwood flooring and bring the surface back to life.
Seven Steps To Revitalising Your Sun-Faded Hardwood Floors
Inspect The Entire Floor
First of all, all you need to do is inspect your hardwood floor thoroughly. As you know, different types of hardwood flooring have varying appearances in terms of colour and texture. However, one thing they all have in common is the accumulation of stains or scratches, no matter how exceptional they may be.
Inspecting the hardwood floors lets you know the presence of any stains or rigid scratches on the flooring. If you come across any, make sure to clean them with suitable ingredients to prepare the floor for more effective cleaning.
Gather Your Tools
Once you’ve inspected the floors, next, start gathering all vital supplies needed to repair your faded hardwood. While gathering the supplies, ensure you cover all items in order to prevent disruptions in the cleaning process. Here’s a list of all items required.
- A mop
- A vacuum cleaner
- Sanding equipmentÂ
- Fine and medium-grit sandpaper
- A suitable wood stainÂ
- A sealant
- PaintbrushesÂ
- RagsÂ
- Goggles and glovesÂ
Prepare The Area
To repair sun-faded hardwood flooring, you need to make sure the floor is completely clean. For that, start by relocating any heavy furniture to different rooms.
While doing so, try lifting them (with the help of a friend or family member) rather than dragging them, as this might cause scratches on your hardwood floors.
Next, inspect the floor carefully again and lift unwanted items from the floor, such as small pieces of jewellery, papers, pens, etc, in case you find any.
Mop And Vacuum The Floor
Once the floor is ready, it’s time to mop and vacuum it. But before that, there’s something you need to know. Sun exposure can dry out the floor’s finish, making it more prone to attracting dirt and grime. This grime, in turn, can interfere with the application of stains, sealants, or refinishing products.
Hence, precisely, for the very same reason, it is essential to mop and vacuum the floor to cover the maximum unwanted contaminants from the floor and ensure more effective results without any hindrances. So, grab your mop and start mopping the floor, covering every single area.
Then, bring your vacuum cleaner and start vacuuming. While vacuuming, make sure you attach a hardwood floor attachment to the equipment instead of a beater bar.
Vacuuming the floors with a beater bar can create unsightly scratch marks on the wood, further exacerbating the problem, so to protect your hardwood floor, ensure you avoid using ordinary vacuum attachments.
Start Sanding The Hardwood
As you are done with mopping and vacuuming the floors, bring your sanding equipment to the process. Sanding exposes raw wood. This is a good idea to assess the floor for any repairs like filling cracks or gouges before staining and sealing.
However, before you begin, ensure choosing the right sanding equipment to sand the floor more effectively and prevent negative outcomes. Depending on the condition of your floor, it’s best to begin with 60-grit sandpaper and go to 120-grit as it begins to smooth out.
When sanding the floors, always sand in the direction of the wood grain for a smooth finish and avoid applying too much pressure while maintaining a consistent motion.
Furthermore, keep in mind that sanding equipment may not be able to reach the corners, so use a hand sanding block in these regions, following the same sanding direction as the grain.
Apply A Suitable Wood Stain
After sanding the floor, you’ll notice the wood completely exposed beneath. This exposed wood is likely lighter in colour than the originally finished floor, so it is essential to stain the wood to help restore colour to the wood.
Choose a stain that matches the original shade and apply it over the floor accordingly, so that you can achieve a uniform and aesthetically pleasing appearance. Otherwise, opting for a different colour may give your room a little odd or unattractive appearance.
Don’t Forget To Seal The Floors
Staining the wood can add colour, but it doesn’t offer significant protection to the wood, especially from stains, moisture, and everyday wear and tear. Therefore, lastly, apply a protective sealant to the floor to protect it from unwanted damage in the future.
Sealant, moreover, enhances the natural beauty of the wood by highlighting the grain and adding depth. This can be particularly desirable after staining, where the sealant complements the newly restored colour.
Summing Words!
The UV rays of the sun can severely discolour your pristine hardwood flooring. Though their appearance might make you think of replacing them, there is no need to do so.
With the right sanding equipment and solutions and a methodical approach to revitalising your floor, you can repair sun-faded hardwood flooring like a pro and protect it for many years.
But despite that, if you find it too difficult to restore your sun-faded floor on your own or are worried about negative outcomes ( because you’ve never done it before), you can always rely on professionals like Sanding Wood Floors.
With the help of their highly-trained and well-experienced experts, they can help you revivify your hardwood floors using some of the best and top-quality sanding equipment and other tools so that you can enjoy your floors for years to come.
