Easy Way to Stain Unsanded Hardwood Floor
Hardwood floors come in a wide array of different colors and tones. Some of the stains used can be very dark and not everyone who buys a house likes that deep and dark color. Are you interested in going with a lighter tone of stain? Is it even possible to stain hardwood floors lighter?
Hardwood floors can be stained lighter by sanding off the top finish coat as well as the existing stain until the floor is down to raw wood. Reapply the stain color of choice to the hardwood floor and finish off with a seal coat such as an oil or water based polyurethane.
Staining wood is one of my favorite parts of any woodworking project I undertake. There is something special about watching the wood grain pop out differently with each tone of stain applied. Making a hardwood floor lighter is no different. What does that process look like? Can it even be done?
It most certainly can! The process for lightening the stain on a hardwood floor is the same as if you were refinishing it. So what does that process look like?
1. Prepare your tools and work area
Much like painting, the amount of preparation work that is done prior to starting a project will make the finished product look that much better. Staining a hardwood floor is no different.
Take a few moments to go through all of the tools that you will be using to make sure they are in good working order. Check safety guides and protective parts to make sure they are all functioning correctly. We want to make sure the tools won't end up causing more harm than good. Especially for you! Check to make sure any belt-driven tools have good condition belts in them as well.
If you are using tools with blades, make sure they are sharp enough to cut efficiently. You may have heard the saying before that a dull blade requires force to cut whereas a sharp blade will do the work for you. Using a dull blade is dangerous as you run the risk of slipping and hurting yourself. The concept of sharpness applies to saw blades as well. Much more work is needed to cut wood when it is dull.
Battery-powered tools will also require that the batteries of course be charged. Start doing that at least an hour before it is time to start working with them. This way you can ensure they are all topped off and ready to go.
Safety glasses, respirators and masks, knee pads, and hearing protection should all be checked to make sure they are in great shape and ready to save you from mishaps. I have a good list of recommended tools here if you are interested in seeing what I used as well as some detailed reviews.
Next, you will want to make sure the area you are going to be working in is clear of furniture, debris, and anything else that will get in the way. Moving those items out of the room will make the job a lot easier as you won't have to step on or over them or constantly be moving them to work on the floor. This also includes removing any vent covers and stuffing some towels in them to prevent debris from falling down into them.
We will also want to remove the baseboard trim around the room. The purpose for this is the to make sure we get stain and finish all the way to the wall. This will help protect the whole floor. If these spots are unstained and unfinished it will leave a spot for moisture to get in and cause rot.
Hanging some plastic or sheets on the door frames as well as the vents in the room will help to keep all the wood dust in that room. If you have access to an air-purifying system, especially one that is on the industrial level, that will also help. It seems no matter how hard I try some of that dust will escape and end up on items in adjoining rooms. At least we limit the amount with some covers.
Finally, we'll want to sweep, dust, and vacuum the area to make sure every last bit and piece of debris is removed. This serves two purposes. It saves time not having to clean up as you go first and foremost. Secondly, you'll be using a lot of sandpaper in the next step. Debris on the floor typically shreds sandpaper making the project more expensive for your pocketbook.
2. Sand off the old finish and stain
Our next step consists of sanding off the current finish and stain that exists on the raw hardwood floor. In fact, you are going all the way down to the raw hardwood so that we can apply any color and tone that you like.
Armed with all of your safety gear and work-ready tools, let's get to work. To sand all the way down to the raw wood with a palm sander can be done. This process will just be incredibly slow and painful. I advise renting a drum sander. Most can be rented for a reasonable price. For us, it was $20 USD per half day. I rented it for the whole day as I was doing an entire house. We had not moved anything in yet so it made it a lot easier to move through the whole house pretty fast.
The goal is to get all the way down to the raw wood to expose the pores so they can take the stain you have chosen. This process might take many passes to get it to the point where all the original finish and old stain are gone. As an example, one of the rooms upstairs in my house required 5 passes to get all the old glue, finish and stain off the floor. I was really glad I had rented the unit for the entire day.
Once you are done with the initial bigger sanding project of getting all the old stain and finish off, it's time to go over it once more with a few levels of fine grit sandpaper. The objective this time is to make the hardwood floor surface as smooth as it can be.
Back in 1976 or 1982, depending on who you ask, Festool, who was known as Festo at the time, introduced the world to the orbital sander. For this part of the project, an orbital floor sander works great. You can cover a great deal of area in a short time. Since you are going to want to make passes with different grits ranging from 120 grit to 360 grit, I would recommend renting this as well if you can. If not, an orbital hand sander will work just as well for the tough to reach spots as it will on the whole floor. It will just take a little more time.
Once you have sanded the project area these final times to make the wood smooth to the touch, it's time to move on to the next step.
3. Clean up the dust and debris
After all that sanding, there is sure to be a mountain of sanding dust everywhere in this area. We now need to go through and clean this all up. The last thing we want is for the work are to have any dust and debris on it when we start to stain. The stain will streak, smear and generally look awful.
Grab a brush-less vacuum such as a portable shop vacuum. Go ahead and make a pass over the entire work area at least once. At this time, the greatest mass of dust should be cleaned up.
The next cleaning pass should be done with a trusty broom and dustpan to get the next layer of dust that was left from the vacuum. The slower you sweep, the less dust will be kicked up. Pro-tip: Try not to completely follow through with your sweeping motion as the last part tends to kick up a lot of dust. Our goal is to keep it on the floor as much as possible for easier cleanup.
Finally, after the vacuuming and sweeping are done, we'll want to take a slightly damp cloth and wipe the whole work area down. This should take care of any last remaining dust that was left on the floor. Be sure the cloth is not saturated so it doesn't drain water down into the seams and cracks. This can lead to rot later. Moisture also makes it very difficult for the finish to cure properly as it can't adhere to the wet surface as well.
Now that all the tedious work is done, we just wait a little bit for the floor to dry. Then we move on to the next step.
4. Work area preparation phase 2
This is the step before we start adding stain to the hardwood floor to make it lighter. With that in mind, we need to prepare our work area once more so that we can work with the stain without having to worry about getting it on anything other than the floor.
If you have ever painted the walls in a room with windows, you are probably familiar with the process of applying tape to the window frames to keep the paint off of them. This same concept applies to anything in the room that you do not want to end up with stain on it.
Most of the hardware like furniture and vent covers were removed in the first preparation phase. This leaves the walls. There are two lines of thinking on this topic and it is important that I detail both so you can ponder and decide which avenue works best for you.
Option 1: No tape
You could attempt to do this without using tape to protect the walls and anything else that might need to not have a stain or finish on it. After all, the trim work should cover the bottom part where you might accidentally apply stain or finish on the wall anyway. What we are trying to avoid is getting any of our products on the parts of the wall that will be visible.
This process involves utilizing some form of thin shielding board that you move with you as you go. You place it against the wall and floor and apply the stain and finish to the hardwood floor.
The goal is to get any accidental over wiping on the shield board instead of the wall. This tool can be any length that you are comfortable with. The one I used was only 1 ft. long.
Something to keep in mind: Be sure the medium you are using for a shield is made of something that is non-absorbent. Something made of plastic will work best. Cardboard tends to absorb the stain and finish and you may end up spreading it on the walls in visible spots with what becomes a giant paint brush.
Option 2: Apply tape and paper
This is the safest option. This option is also the most time-consuming. This method enables you to focus on getting stain and finish on the floor without having to worry about what else it might get on.
Like painting, you can apply tape and paper to anything that you feel is worth protecting. I'm thinking of fireplace brick, doors and other permanent fixtures that can not be removed but are exposed to the potential to get these products on them as you apply.
When I worked on the floors in my house, I did not utilize this method. I would have if I had the opportunity. I was unfortunately very crunched for time to get the project done so we could move in. Our lease was just about up and I didn't want to end up having to pay for another full month on an empty apartment.
The silver lining was that there were no items in any of the rooms I really needed to worry about except the doors. I did do a really fast tape job on those with some masking tape just so I could move faster with no fear of ruining them.
The choice is yours! Take a few moments to contemplate before moving on the next step.
5. Apply stain to the hardwood floor
My favorite step out of all the steps involved with this project is this one. I absolutely love the way hardwood grain pops when stain is applied to it. The wood looks like it gets more inviting and takes on a newly invigorated life once it has some tone added.
This step involves a bit of manual labor. If you have some friends to help, that will make it far less painful. The cardinal painting rule applies here as well. Don't stain yourself into a corner. Work your way farthest from the exit, toward it. Be sure to wear some gloves. I like the disposable hospital and doctor's office type.
Carefully read the instructions on the back of the container to make sure you understand the application instructions clearly. Then, just pop the can lid off, slowly stir if necessary and grab a soft rag and start working that stain into the wood.
The best method I have found during this process is to keep half of the rag dry and only use one section for stain application. This way, if some of it ends up in a puddle you can wipe that off quickly. Start with a piece of scrap wood if you have one. If not, try to find a place that will be covered by furniture. A closet works great for this as well if available. We want to make sure the stain that was chosen is going to be the color tone we are looking for.
Dip part of the rag into the stain a little bit at a time until you get a feel for how much is a good quantity while applying. We want to spread it around evenly, and in a circular motion like you are waxing a vehicle.
Once you are done, be sure to put the cover back on the stain and if necessary, wait the allotted time as indicated in the instructions. The stain I used required about two hours to completely dry. This worked great because it gave me a moment to look at it and decide if I liked that particular shade of stain. If I didn't, I had the option to apply more to darken it a little.
6. Apply finish to the floor
Now we have reached my second favorite step in this process. It's time to apply the finish to the hardwood floor. There are a few different options when choosing the type of finish you can use for this step. I recommend an oil-based polyurethane.
What's my reason you might be asking? The short version is, oil-based poly is the most durable and longest lasting. It provides, in my eyes, the same shine you get from most any other product. I prefer the finish that can take a little bit of rough use because I don't always have time to take my shoes off when I come in. I am also very careful to make sure there are felt pads on the bottom of any piece of furniture that gets used and moved frequently. The chairs around my dining table are the front-runner in this category.
The only catch to this version of polyurethane is that the fumes are quite potent. Be sure to have a very well ventilated area before using this or any type of finish. Water-based polyurethane isn't nearly as pungent. However, it is also not nearly as durable and industry pros indicate that it should be reapplied every 2-3 years.
Be extra sure to read the back of the container for your finish to find out what the application guidelines are as well as the time needed for dry time between each coat. "Each coat?", you might be saying. Yes, we will be applying many. Each of the manufacturers may be different but generally at least 3 coats will be needed. I did 4 or 5 in high traffic areas of the floor. I just felt better with the extra protection. This included the main hallway, the living room and the dining room. My office also got a few extra coats because of office chair rollers.
Most finishes, including polyurethane can be applied using a soft cloth bottomed applicator on a handle or stick. I used what felt like a sheep wool applicator for my project. It worked great at spreading the polyurethane evenly.
When you are working on this part, it will almost feel like you are applying clear paint to the floor. The motion you use is the same as if you were using a paint roller. In fact, you can in some cases if the instructions on the container allow it.
Just like the stain, you'll want to work your way toward the exit from the opposite end of the room. We don't want to finish in the corner with no room to escape.
Apply your first coat of finish. Stand back and take a look at all the hard work you did and smile. It looks pretty good doesn't it? It will look even better after the next couple of coats. That is when the shine really starts to show up. Sit back, take a break and marvel at your awesomeness while you wait the recommended time for that coat to dry. Then just repeat this process until you have completed your project.
Final Thoughts to your project of staining hardwood lighter
Congratulations! This is a pretty hefty project to tackle yourself and you did it! Be sure to take at least a moment or two to just stare in wonder at how nice that floor looks. All of your hard work paid off and you will have something to be proud of for years to come.
Bring some friends over and show it off. Take some pictures of the project after completion so you have something to look at before all the furniture gets moved back in.
I hope this guide has been very helpful for you. I wish you the best of luck as you tackle this project. Happy flooring day!
Source: https://flooringday.com/6-simple-steps-to-stain-hardwood-floors-lighter/
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