Hardwood floors -- light refinish

[Jay-T]

I have hardwood floors in a house that I will be renting out. The floors are in fairly good shape, but they should at least be "lightly refinished". By that I mean that I think that doing something like a light steel wool cleaning and then applying a coat or two of polyurethane will work. I don't think they need any sanding, and I think sanding would take too much off. They don't have to end up being perfect, just cleaned up and a protective coating of polyurethane put on top.

My question is about the steel wool or other similar cleaning/buffing. How do people do this and/or what do they use? Is it okay to use one of those rotary type floor cleaning machines with a steel wool pad or other type of pad for the cleaning part? Is there something else that may be better or easier such as those square type orbital or vibration machines that places like Home Depot rent out that are usually next to the belt style floor sanders?

[Jay-T]

Good point. I am planning on getting a couple of estimates. And, while doing that, I hope to get more of an idea of what the options are and how they would do it. If they say it's just a quick clean-em-up and apply polyurethane, I may end up just doing it myself.

[Jay-T]

I agree. If a pro can come in and knock it out for a reasonable price, I may just do that.

I hadn't even thought about the pole sander idea. For some of the rooms, they need very little in terms of clean up, so I may be able to just do a quick light sanding with a pole sander and the recoat with polyurethane.

[aemeijers]

Nobody else said it, so I will- get some of the crud stripper from Bruce, or another name brand, and clean the floors first, with the rotary buffer and the appropriate pad covers. A lot of what you are seeing as damage may just be crudded up wax or consumer-grade floor polish applied by previous occupant. Same place you rent the buffer should have the stuff in gallon cans, and the pads to apply it with. I've seen really nasty looking floors come back well enough that they only needed minor spot sanding and touchup.

-- aem sends...