DIY Weekend at The Corson Cottage

Here is a little sneak peak of what's been going on at The Corson Cottage.

We have been working on refinishing our hardwood floors.

Our Office

Lucy had to be the first to check out the finished look of course.

Our Maser Bedroom

Ewww! 

Here is quick look at the condition some of our floors were in before the refinishing project.

Here is the How to Guide.

1. You need to remove all of the old finish from the floors.

We used a drum sander for this step that we rented from Home Depot.

Be sure to get one with a bag to collect the dust and keep it moving constantly as not to create grooves in the floor.  You will also need an edge sander to get close to the wall and corners.

(We started this step about a month ago.  Little bigger project than we anticipated.)

It is really messy. 

I recommend lots of plastic to block off the area you are working on from the rest of your home.

2. You will need to get quit a bit of sandpaper for the machine.

(36, 60, 80, 120 grits) 

Use the smallest grit first and work up to the highest towards the end.

It will take several passes.

Tip: This is where the cost can begin to add up!

Check into this cost before beginning if you are on a tight budget.

3. Be sure to run the sander with the grain of the wood.

Do not go against the grain.  Use a shop vac to pick up loose dust as you go as not to pick it up on the sand paper.  The paper will last longer this way.  It is helpful to have one person run the sander and one for clean up along the way.

4. You will need to repeat this with each grit of sand paper and until floors are clear of all old stain and down to the original hard wood.

5. Once the floors are completed you are ready to add a stain if you choose or a clear coat of poly.

We chose the clear coat of poly.  It saved us a bit on time and budget.

6. We added the poly using a long handle attached to a pad. 

You add the poly then let it dry for about 3 hours and repeat this step 3 times.

On the third coat let it dry for 24 hours before walking on it and up to 3 days before placing furniture back on it.  (Honestly, we cheated a bit on the furniture and so far so good.)

So that's what up around here. 

Getting closer to the fun stuff, decorating!

Summer Sunday Drives will return next weekend for anyone who's interested.

It's been crazy busy here.

Carrie