DIY ways to refinish wood floors in your rental property

Hardwood floors are a huge selling point in any property: they’re a desired feature, make a rental property look sophisticated, and bring light to any room. However, it’s important to remember that wood floors need attention every few years. Between tenant moves, the potential presence of pets, and usual wear and tear, wood floors start looking a little beat up after some time—but that’s no reason to fret! If you’re a property manager, you’ll be happy to learn that there are a few DIY ways to care for wood floors that can easily address surface scratches without the need of sanding or hard labor!

If you’re planning on working on your rental property’s wood floor, be sure to do so between tenants, it’ll make life easier for all of you. How can you finish your floors without using a sander?

• Use a store-bought chemical abrasion kit
• Buff and recoat floors with polyurethane
• Use a revitalizer

Before we go into the details, here are a few basics you’ll want to do before getting your hands dirty.

• Determine what kind of hardwood floors you have, as this will have an impact on what method you choose to use.
• Check to see if your floors have been waxed or if they have any sort of polish residue. Having wax/polish will prevent whatever finish you choose to use from bonding to the floor, which means you want to make sure there isn’t any residue interfering. Find a spot with the least amount of wear (a tight corner will work) and drop some mineral spirits as a test. After a few minutes, wipe it with a clean white rag and look at what comes out. If the rag wipes clean, then you’re good to go, but if there’s any brown or shiny residue, it means you have wax or polish to deal with (which means you will likely need to use s sander).
• The saying in carpentry goes, “measure twice, cut once.” Take a similar approach with wood floors, and be sure to always test an area before doing anything, it’ll add time to the process, yes, but it’ll help you avoid undesired consequences in the long run.
• Make sure the rental property is completely empty and that all wood floors are accessible.
• Consult with an expert. Even if you plan to do the work yourself, it won’t hurt to run your project by an expert who can make sure you don’t do any irreversible damage to your rental property.

#1 Store-bought Chemical Abrasion Kit

These at-home DIY kits can be found in almost any hardware store. Though many kits may advertise their offering differently, they all tend to work in the same way: a chemical solution works to etch wood floors so that new finish will bond. Instructions will vary by product, of course, so you’ll want to follow their directions carefully, but read on for how these kits generally work.

1. PREP: If you haven’t already, clear the room of all furniture, including any curtains that touch the floor, built-in shelves that are low to the ground, and remove all doors from their hinges—it may seem like more trouble than its worth, but those doors will get in the way of you covering every spot evenly. Clean the floors with a vacuum and damp cloth (no chemicals, just water), and take care to clean the entire room to prevent any dust or grime particles from landing into your wet finish. Also, be sure to plug all heating vents and ducts with towels and turn all ventilation systems and fans off. 
2. APPLY: Using the materials provided in the kit, apply the liquid abrasive and scrub the floor. Do this one small section at a time, and use a fair amount of pressure to roughen the floor’s surface as you apply: don’t wipe, scrub firmly. Wipe off any excess as you go, before starting on a new area. When the whole floor is done, give it 30 minutes to dry completely. 
3. CLEAN: Dampen a mop and clean the floors of any remaining residue. Mop in small sections, and wait another 30 minutes for the floors to dry.
4. DETAIL: For deeper scratches, use a small paintbrush or cotton swab to apply matching stain, blot it with a rag and use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process. Once dry, add a very thin coat of finish from the kit, feathering out around the edges, and dry again with the hairdryer.
5. COAT: Using shoe covers and with the help of a few friends, plan out the finishing route so nobody gets stuck in a corner. Have one helper spread the finish over the floors while you follow behind using the applicator. Be sure to use the applicator to catch any drips or puddles and to ensure even coating. Inspect your work: usually, one coat is enough to restore floors in your rental property, but a second coat may come in handy if you have more than just a handful of deep scratches.
6. DRY: Each kit will have specific instructions for how much dry time is needed, follow those guidelines. Typically, furniture can be moved in after 24 hours, but you’ll want to wait two weeks before allowing tenants to move in.
   

#2 Buffing & Recoating

This is similar to a chemical abrasion kit, except instead of using a liquid solution you use a buffer. Buffing can be messier and may look like sanding, but it isn’t. You’re roughing up the existing finish on the surface to fix surface marks and scratches. Again, you will receive full instructions with your buffer rental, but these guidelines will help.

1. RENT: Schedule your buffer rental from any large hardware store, and be sure to ask the clerk for any tips regarding use of the tool so you avoid any issues.
2. CLEAN: Like described above, get the area clean. While doing so, take note and mark any areas with deeper, bigger scratches with painter’s tape so you can tend to them later.
3. FOCUS: Return to the problem areas you marked while cleaning. For deeper scratches, you can use the method described above (applying stain with a small brush) or you can use mineral spirits to darken the spot slightly.
   Buffers are large pieces of equipment, which means they won’t get into any corners. For those, you’ll want to scratch them up by hand (wear gloves!) with a sheet of sanding screen. 
4. SEAL: It’s going to be a dusty project, so be sure to close your ducts and seal off the working area, cover all connected doorways, and don’t forget to wear a dust mask. Then, open windows and place fans in them to help expel dust and particles.
5. BUFF: Then, you’ll want to put a sanding screen under the buffer, no need to attach the screen as the weight of the buffer will be enough to hold it down. Be aware, sanding screens last around 10-15 minutes, so check on them often, and replace them as needed. Buff each area once or twice only, you don’t want to eat through the wood!
6. CLEAN AGAIN: Vacuum the room and wipe the floors to get rid of as much dust as possible. You want to eliminate as many particles as possible from settling into the wet finish.
7. FINISH: Tape the baseboards to protect them from the finish, and then get started! There are a variety of different finish options to go with, but polyurethane is probably going to be the best one. Talk to the home improvement store clerk for tips on what’s best for your project. 

#3 Revitalizer Gloss

If your rental property just needs a little TLC, and not a total makeover, then a revitalizer may be the way to go. It’s less expensive, takes less effort, and works well to restore wood floors by filling in scratches and giving it a glossy finish. Better yet, it’s a great solution for protecting your floors from everyday wear. You always want to follow product instructions, but let’s go over the basic procedure:

1. CLEAN: As always, clean the room thoroughly, following the same process outlined for using a chemical abrasion kit. 
2. APPLY: Be sure to follow all packaging instructions and apply the revitalizer. Don’t worry, though the revitalizer is a milky white color, it will dry clear!
3. SPREAD: Tape your baseboards and then use a mop to evenly spread the solution over the floors. Be sure to get into all those nooks and crannies! Keep checking your work, and be sure not to leave any puddles. 
4. DRY: Let the material dry for a full 24 hours before moving any furniture back in. Until then, you can walk over the surface wearing socks after about one hour of drying time. 

Sometimes, the sand-free approach isn’t possible for all properties. This may be because you have a wax-finished floor or there are other chemicals present that won’t allow a new finish from bonding. This means you’ll want to sand the floors of your rental property for a fresh start. Consult a professional to see if this is the route you’ll need to take, while a property manager can certainly take on this project, it’s not for everyone.

Keeping a rental property looking fresh and new takes time and effort. Not all property managers have the time to balance home improvement and maintenance projects, along with all other property management responsibilities like finances, safety procedures, customer service, and so much more. That’s why hiring a property management company to take your rental property to the next level is always a good idea. At Metro REIG, we pride ourselves in managing the tenant and property, and everything in between with ease. Don’t do it alone, set up a free consultation with us, and let us help you make the most out of your rental property.