Suitable to polyurethane over scratched floors?

Drhoda

Just purchased a rental house with hardwood floors that have a lot of scratches and some minor discolorations here and there. I really didn't want to pay a bunch of money to have them sanded and refinished because renters will just scratch them up again. I also did not want to carpet over them because renters are so hard on carpet too.

I was thinking about just cleaning and buffing them and then adding a coat of clear poly and strategically add area rugs and such. I figured the poly would add some shine and diminish the dull look and still be suitable for a rental especially once you add fruniture.

Anyone with rental or hardwood floor expertise have any advice or suggestions?

oh'mike

Clean the floors --remove any wax--then rent a floor buffer with a light sanding screen---this will offer you a clean ,wax free surface that will take a coat or two of Poly---

I'm not a hardwood finisher---we have a few here the will correct me if I'm wrong---Mike----

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Drhoda

Is buffing with a light sanding screen better better than buffing with steel wool or about the same result?

Awoodfloorguy

Here is a how to that I wrote for this site. It will help you with recoating the floors. For finish I would suggest Bona Traffic HD.

How to Recoat (Sandless Refinish) Hardwood Floors

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ToolSeeker

Guys since it's a rental couldn't he just get a wax pencil the right color, or close, cover the scratches, light sand, and put a coat of floor finish on it.

oh'mike

Wax pencil will cause the poly to bead up --wax is the enemy of recoating.---

Clean ---that is key----

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cleveman

Rhodes link is a good one.

I'm not sure you can remove wax. If it is possible, please explain how.

Awoodfloorguy

I don't have a whole lot of experience removing just the wax. We normally sand it off. But I am pretty sure you could get it done by wet buffing with mineral spirits and some maroon buffing pads. Although, I can't say for sure. Bona prep is such a good bonding agent that a new coat of finish would probably stick to it either way, but I cant say for sure.

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cleveman

Obviously if there is a way to do it, then it won't be necessary to remove the existing finish and this would be a real time saver.

In the meantime, NEVER WAX A FLOOR AND BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHICH CLEANERS ARE USED.

ToolSeeker

Floor stripper, can get at big box store.

Drhoda

Here are pics of the floor. I haven't cleaned them or anything yet. Think a light buffing, coat of poly and area rugs wll make them presentable?

BTW, I'm also planning to paint the paneling.

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woodman58

From the looks of the first pic, this floor needs a complete sand and refinish. The scratches go accross the planks. You cannot hide them. If they were going with the grain they would be easier to hide.

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oh'mike

You might do well to get a price on sanding and finishing from a pro---I am always pleasantly surprised at the reasonable cost------

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Fix'n it

are your potential renters going to even care about the floor condition ?

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Drhoda

I have refinished a number of floors so I can do it for about $300 worth of materials. However it takes about 3 days hard labor.

My concern is renters screwing them up in 6 mos. Which is why I'm thinking, cleaning, light sand and one coat of poly which I can do with one day of labor and about $100 materials. They won't look great but probably good enough to rent it. I figure they are going to scratch them back up anyway.