The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

How To Finish Wood Floors

"Gloss" or that "brilliant gleam" is created by the reflection of light rays. The smoother the surface, the greater the reflection; the greater the reflection, the greater the gloss. Furthermore, smooth floors are far easier to clean and to keep clean. To prepare old wood floors for correct finishing, all previous finishes must be completely removed, and the surface must be bare, clean, smooth, dust-free and dry. Power sanding is by far the most widely used method of removing old finishes and is generally considered the most practical and effective, although paint and varnish removers are sometimes used.

Proper Sanding a "Must"

When using the sanding method, don't try to "save" time by sanding too fast or by ignoring any steps which might seem unnecessary. Try to remember that success or failure of the final job depends on how well you accomplish the sanding operation, and that 5 or 10 minutes apparently "saved" by skipping just one step might completely nullify all of the time, effort and money invested in the job.

To illustrate the relationship of a properly-sanded surface to the success of the finished job, tests were conducted by the laboratories of Pierce & Stevens, Inc., using exact amounts of the same clear finish, applied in exactly the same manner to two oak panels, both sanded with the same power machine, but using different grades of paper . . . one panel with "coarse," the other panel with "fine." When the finish was dry, readings of both panels were taken using a Gardner 60° Gloss Meter. The smoother-sanded ("fine") panel registered a gloss over 3 times greater than that of the other ("coarse") panel! This amazing comparison is readily apparent in the photographs shown on page 5. Note the gloss meter readings (100 for "fine" and 33 for "coarse") and the marked difference in the reflections cast by the name cards placed on each panel under the same lighting conditions.