How to Finish Reclaimed Pine Flooring

Reclaimed pine flooring is prized for its character and old-fashioned look. But it also is a relatively soft wood, which means that you can damage it unintentionally during the refinishing process. This is why it's important to do as little as possible to the old pine flooring after you lay it. By lightly screening the floor and applying polyurethane over the top of it, you can protect it without altering or damaging the surface.

Hammer
Centerpunch
Rented floor buffer (rotating)
Fine-abrasion flooring screen
Vacuum cleaner
Tack cloths
Polyurethane
Paint brush
Extra-fine sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Use your hammer and centerpunch to knock down any raised nail heads on the floor surface.
- 2
  Load your rotating floor buffer with its fine-abrasion flooring screen. Turn on the buffer and immediately start moving it over the floor, in the direction of the floorboards. Move it forward and back, working your way across the whole floor. The screen should dull the surface and remove any existing gloss, but shouldn't dig into the wood itself.
- 3
  Vacuum the floor to take up the dust. Wipe over the whole surface by hand with tack cloths to take up any remaining dust.
- 4
  Brush on the first layer of polyurethane with a paintbrush, starting at the furthest point from the entrance. Apply the polyurethane in a smooth, even coat, with the direction of the floorboards. Coat the entire floor.
- 5
  Let the polyurethane dry for six hours. Sand it lightly with extra-fine sandpaper, dulling the surface. Wipe down the surface with your tack cloths.
- 6
  Brush on a second layer of polyurethane in the same manner as you did the first. Let it set, buff it with extra-fine sandpaper, wipe it down with tack cloths and apply a third layer of polyurethane. Let the third layer dry for 24 hours.

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