Removing Old Varnish From Hardwood Floors

The easiest way to get dried paint off of hardwood floors.

Removing old varnish from hardwood floors.

A wood varnish can protect wood floors while also providing an attractive natural shine. Knowing how to clean old hardwood floors that still have a coat of finish is the easy part. Prop up the front of the refrigerator with 2x4 blocks and remove the finish underneath with a paint scraper. In some cases though you may want to remove an old varnish to apply a new varnish or refinish your wood.

You can also use a chemical to etch the existing finish then apply new finish. When removing wood stain with chemical stripper wear protective gloves safety goggles and old clothes with long sleeves to protect your skin. Unfinished wood or floors with worn down finish are a very different story and require another approach. It is especially important to remove the old finish before timber floors are sanded the old finish will probably clog up the abrasive and so require repeated replacement or before applying a new type of finish.

Ensure proper ventilation in the room you ll be working inside. Dip a rag. Open up windows and get a fan going in the area to keep it well ventilated this odorless paint thinner is another option. Soak a small part of a rag with the thinner and rub it on the paint.

Ok no really if none of the above methods work to remove paint spills and you know the paint is oil based it s time to try paint thinner. Take great care as the thinner can easily remove the finish. It is often necessary to remove old finishes varnish wax oil polish etc from timber floors. Though labor intensive sandpaper is capable of removing nearly any wood finish.

It can be used to refinish hardwood floors or it can be used to remove varnish from much smaller surfaces a. How to remove oil based paint from wood floors with paint thinner. If removing stain from wood floors use painter s tape along the seams where the walls meet the floor. Paint and varnish oil wax and polishes.

The best way to refinish wood floors without sanding is to scuff the floor with a buffer and sanding screen then apply two coats of new finish. You need to use special techniques for cleaning heavily soiled hardwood floors without a finish. The use of thinner should be the last resort in removing paint from the stained wood floor. Change the disks on the random orbit sander to 60 grit abrasive and sand entire floor.

Removing old finishes from wooden floors. Once the paint has dried you have to either scrape it or dissolve it. Change the 60 grit disks to 80 grit and sand the floor one final time.