After years of every day use, hardwood flooring can become scratched, dull, and worn. Some homeowners may decide to call a contractor to sand and refinish the floor. However, the procedure itself is quite easy and can be done yourself.

Restoring flooring can be a tedious project, but well worth the effort if you are able to spend little money to end up with beautiful floors that look as good as they day they were installed. If the flooring you currently have has already been finished, you should contact the manufacturer to find out what alternative finishes they recommend. Prior to restoring your flooring, you will have to make sure the room is clear of any furniture and prepare your floor for sanding.

Once the room has been emptied, prepare it for proper ventilation. A box fan should be placed in a window inside the room. In addition, any windows located across the room should be opened, as well as any located in close proximity to the room, to ensure a good cross breeze. Make sure to change the fan's settings to exhaust so no dust is brought in from areas beyond the room.

To make sure that no dust or finish makes its way onto furniture located in adjoining rooms, cover them as well. It may seem like an unneeded precaution, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Using a sanding machine, sand the flooring. If you've never used a sanding machine before, practice in the middle of the room until you feel comfortable with the machine.

While sanding a floor, make sure to move the machine in a back and forth pattern. Any passes you make while moving throughout the room should overlap.

When you've finished sanding, vacuum and sweep any debris off of the floor. Inspect the flooring to make sure you've sanded evenly, and all marks on the flooring should be gone. If you find there are still marks, sand again. A hand sander and/or fine sandpaper works well to reach any spots on the flooring that the larger machine may have missed.

Once you've determined that you've sanded correctly, clean the floors again to rid them of all dust. Don't forget to clean the walls and baseboards, too. Use a cloth and mineral spirits to wipe the flooring. When you are done, turn off the fan and vacuum one last time.

Applying varnish when restoring flooring is easy once these steps have been taken. The finish should be applied with a large brush with even strokes. Start with a base coat, then apply one to two more coats until you've achieved the finish you are looking for.

Once the varnish has dried, you can apply a topcoat to seal your work. Restoring flooring may seem like a lot of work, but it is worth it once you see how beautiful your flooring looks.