Refinishing Cherry Hardwood Floors

If your home has a cherry hardwood floor, occasional maintenance and regular care should ensure that it maintains its beauty for decades. Like any hardwood floor, though, years of neglect or extremely heavy use will damage cherry similarly to softer woods such as pine. To salvage your cherry hardwood floor, you need to follow a careful process of refinishing. The following steps will outline the process for refinishing the cherry hardwood floor in your house.

First, vacuum and clean your floor. This will ensure that the refinishing process does not ingrain dirt or debris into the refinished floor. Once the floor is clean, rent a sander and load it with 40-grit sandpaper. Use this sander to sand the floors with the grain, in the direction of the boards. Be cautious to avoid using the sander too close to the edges of the floor, as it can damage walls and baseboards.

Once the main surface of the floor has been sanded, use an edger with 40-grit sandpaper to sand the edges of the floor. If you wish, you can remove the baseboards to reach the edges of the floorboards more closely. Repeat the entire sanding process with 60 grit and then 80 grit sandpaper. In between each sanding, vacuum the floor again to remove any stray sawdust that may accumulate and inhibit even sanding.

With a hammer covered in felt, gently reset any stray nails in your cherry hardwood floor. Vacuum the floor again and identify any holes or gaps in the floor that will need to be filled with wood filler. Use a spatula to fill these gaps with wood filler and allow it to dry.

Once again, sand the floors with the main floor sander and the edger, this time using 100-grit sandpaper. From this point, avoid all unnecessary contact with the floor. Especially be sure to any moisture or dirt from coming in contact with the cherry hardwood floor. Use a buffer to sand the floor with 150-grit and then 180-grit sandpaper, vacuuming between each sanding.

Apply cherry stain to the floor with a rag, ensuring an even coat across the entire floor. Rub off any excess stain and allow it to dry completely. Apply a hardwood floor sealer, such as a sealing wax or tung oil to the entire cherry hardwood floor. Apply up to three coats, allowing the floor to dry completely between coats.