Restoring your old floorboards to their former glory can be costly, especially if you choose to employ professionals to take care of the job for you. However, with the right tools, it is possible to revive your floors yourself at a much cheaper price.
How Much Does it Cost to Restore Floorboards?
The average cost of floor restoration will vary depending on the rate opted for by your chosen labourer. One thing we do know is that restoring your old floorboards is sure to be significantly cheaper if you choose to take on the task yourself. Using high-quality equipment, hired from trusted providers, will not only reduce costs but will also put your mind at ease, knowing that the task is being completed to the highest of standards. At PSM, we’re pleased to provide our customers with a wide range of professional floor care equipment for hire, so you can restore your original floorboards with minimal effort. Here, we offer an expert guide on how to restore your floorboards, leading you through the entire process. Ready to finally lift up that ancient rug and revive those retro floorboards? Great, let’s get started.
Now, if you’re lucky enough to be starting with a blank canvas, you can skip straight ahead to step 1. However, if you’re currently standing on a fluffy carpet thinking - ‘where on earth do I begin?’ Listen up:
The first step for you will be to get your hands on an electric floor stripper. You can then lift up the carpet quickly and efficiently, so you can join in with the rest of us as swiftly as possible. At PSM, we’re pleased to offer our clients a range of electric floor strippers to make light work of lifting old, dated carpets. Get in touch with one of our knowledgeable team members to kick-start the process of restoring your old floorboards today. Regardless of the state of the floors you’re working with, it’s important to always kit yourself out with the right PPE before starting any DIY project. This includes a dust mask and protective glasses.
How to Restore Floorboards
Prep Your Floor
As hard as it can be to resist, before you start whipping out a fancy array of power tools, it’s important to make sure that your floors are safe to begin work on. Remove all furniture, rugs and wall hangings from the room you’re working in to avoid making it look like the last time your house set eyes on a duster was 1905. Then, cover your windows and doors with plastic sheets to protect them during the sanding process. Use a powerful vacuum to remove any dust or dirt currently on the floorboards. You certainly don’t want yesterday's movie night crumbs trapped in your newly refurbished floorboards forever. Lastly, take the time to look around for any nails poking out and hammer them down to avoid causing damage later down the line.
Sand the Floorboards
The first piece of professional equipment you’re going to need to get your hands on if you’re looking to restore your old floorboards is a sander. Start by going along the floorboards lengthways, sanding against the grain so you’re left with a level, glossy finish. Once you’ve successfully completed the middle of the floor with your regular sander, switch to an edging sander to smooth and recover the outer floorboards.
At PSM, we stock a range of regular and edging sanders for hire, all at affordable prices. If you’re looking to restore original floorboards and want to find the best equipment for the job, we can help. Get in touch with one of our friendly team members today.
Use an Orbital Sander
In order to achieve a completely flat, even surface, it’s important to finish up this part of the job by going over your floors with an orbital sander. At PSM, our orbital floor sander is powerful and versatile, able to work on a variety of types of wood flooring. Find out more about what we offer by giving us a call today.
Polish and Scrub
Immediately after the previous step, it’s important to vacuum your newly refurbished floorboards to eradicate any dust you may have produced while sanding. The next step to restoring old floorboards is to regain their shiny appearance by treating them to a good old polish and scrub. Designed to produce a uniform scratch pattern across your newly sanded floors, polishing the surface of your floorboards will ensure the surface is completely smooth. This crucial step will also minimise the visibility of any sanding marks that may have formed during the process. Once you’ve finished the process of restoring your original floorboards and are happy with the result, it’s important that you wait 24 hours before moving your belongings back into the room.
So, now you’re clued up on how to restore floorboards in the most appropriate manner, why not give it a go for yourself? At PSM, we supply only the best cleaning and floor care equipment for hire, so you can give a new lease of life to your floors without it costing the earth.
If you’d like to find out more about what we can offer you, please get in touch. Call us on 02088 505 658 and speak to one of our friendly team members today.