Hi all;

first time posting here!

I live in rental home that we have no intention of every trying to
purchase, but we'll probably be here at least another year or two.

We have two rooms with wood floors, a bedroom and a living area. The
floors are dark, dull, and scratched.

Is the darkness from years of finish buildup? Must it be sanded to
make it lighter again? Can it be "stripped" w/o sanding?

I really don't want to go through the process of
stripping/sanding/refinishing. It's not my place and we won't be here
forever. My mom has always kept the wood floors in her house
stunningly beautiful, but she rents a sander and all that. Too much
work for me.

Is there a cheap/easy way to give them some shine and make them easier
to clean, and preferably lighten them up a bit? That's all I'm after.
They aren't in horrible shape (i.e. gouged, splintery), but like i
said, there's some scratches and definite "darkness" in higher traffic
areas. I'd like to do something to make them look better since I have
to live here, but without a huge investment of time or money. I want
to be able to do it in the course of a weekend with minimal cost.

TIA for any suggestions.

If refinishing is too much, consider area rugs and runners to cover the
high traffic areas.

wrote in message

Is the darkness from years of finish buildup?

Most wood darken with age. Some finishes darken with age. Could be that
the wood was stained also.

Must it be sanded to
make it lighter again? Can it be "stripped" w/o sanding?

My mom has always kept the wood floors in her house
stunningly beautiful, but she rents a sander and all that. Too much
work for me.

Mom will be disappointed that she raised lazy offspring.


Is there a cheap/easy way to give them some shine and make them easier
to clean,

Two coats of polyurethane

and preferably lighten them up a bit?

White paint?

cover floor with vinyl roll flooring that looks like wood, cheap
effective and doesnt cause landlord trouble.

or just carpet and be done with it

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all;

first time posting here!

I live in rental home that we have no intention of every trying to
purchase, but we'll probably be here at least another year or two.

We have two rooms with wood floors, a bedroom and a living area. The
floors are dark, dull, and scratched.

Is the darkness from years of finish buildup? Must it be sanded to
make it lighter again? Can it be "stripped" w/o sanding?

I really don't want to go through the process of
stripping/sanding/refinishing. It's not my place and we won't be here
forever. My mom has always kept the wood floors in her house
stunningly beautiful, but she rents a sander and all that. Too much
work for me.

Is there a cheap/easy way to give them some shine and make them easier
to clean, and preferably lighten them up a bit? That's all I'm after.
They aren't in horrible shape (i.e. gouged, splintery), but like i
said, there's some scratches and definite "darkness" in higher traffic
areas. I'd like to do something to make them look better since I have
to live here, but without a huge investment of time or money. I want
to be able to do it in the course of a weekend with minimal cost.

TIA for any suggestions.


First, tell us what you're working with. What kind of finish does it
have? Does it really have one?
If the floors have layers of old wax on them and have never been properly
stripped I would try a wax stripper and see what comes off and what's
underneath. You may get lucky. You say they're darker in heavy traffic
areas. To me that says they either have no protective coating and the dirt
is ground into
the wood itself or you have that dirty wax buildup.If the dirt's in the wax,
stripping it is cheap and should take about 6 hours. Some people in rentals
just keep putting new wax over bad. I know of one with old wax so thick it
really never dried. Like walking on cork!
If you have bare wood exposed, then the dark areas
are years of dirt ground in. You have to sand down to good wood and put a
protective coat down. I've done it and it's a LOT of work.
Gerry

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all;

first time posting here!

I live in rental home that we have no intention of every trying to
purchase, but we'll probably be here at least another year or two.

We have two rooms with wood floors, a bedroom and a living area. The
floors are dark, dull, and scratched.

Is the darkness from years of finish buildup? Must it be sanded to
make it lighter again? Can it be "stripped" w/o sanding?

I really don't want to go through the process of
stripping/sanding/refinishing. It's not my place and we won't be here
forever. My mom has always kept the wood floors in her house
stunningly beautiful, but she rents a sander and all that. Too much
work for me.

Is there a cheap/easy way to give them some shine and make them easier
to clean, and preferably lighten them up a bit? That's all I'm after.
They aren't in horrible shape (i.e. gouged, splintery), but like i
said, there's some scratches and definite "darkness" in higher traffic
areas. I'd like to do something to make them look better since I have
to live here, but without a huge investment of time or money. I want
to be able to do it in the course of a weekend with minimal cost.

TIA for any suggestions.


Find a janitorial supply house in your area and buy some commercial grade
liquid wax approved for use on wood floors. If you get them really clean
and otherwise follow label directions you will get 60-120 days of shine
before you need to recoat.

Cost 10-15 $.

Happing waxing.

Colbyt