How to Refinish Old Uneven Douglas Fir Floors

Douglas fir is a North American softwood that has an orange yellow to light brown hue. It's suitable for homeowners who dislike dark wood flooring and want to keep their indoor spaces airy and bright. Because this wood is highly resinous, staining can be difficult and it can also darken in sunlight. If your Douglas fir floors have taken on years of abuse, there's no reason you can't spruce them up with some basic refinishing.

Vacuum cleaner
Spray-on wood cleaner
Mop
Upright sander
100-grit sandpaper
220-grit sandpaper
360-grit sandpaper
Paint roller pan
Clear or tinted polyurethane
500-grit sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Push a vacuum cleaner across the surface of the floor. Spray a specialty wood cleaner over the entire surface area of the floor. Mop down the floor and allow it to air dry.
- 2
  Fasten a piece of 100-grit sandpaper to the bottom of an upright sander. Push the sander slowly across the floor, following the grain of the wood. Repeat with 220-grit sandpaper
  and then 360-grit sandpaper. Vacuum the dust from sanding.
- 3
  Examine your floors. If there is no discoloration, use a clear polyurethane finish. If there is some discoloration, consider using a tinted polyurethane. Pour the polyurethane finish of your choice into a paint roller pan. Dip a paint roller in the finish and cover the floors with a light coat. Give it 24 hours to dry.
- 4
  Attach a piece of 500-grit sandpaper to the bottom a sander and run it over the finish. Push a vacuum cleaner across the floor and suck up the dust from sanding. Apply two more coats of polyurethane, allowing 24 hours of drying time between them.

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