Parquet floors are stylish and beautiful and if properly finished with polyurethane and maintained regularly, they will remain in good shape for a long while. But at some point they will require a face lift. At this point the homeowner needs to know about the options for refinishing a parquet floor.

Special Considerations for Refinishing a Parquet Floor

Most wood floors are tongue in groove plank types; that is, all the grain runs in one direction and they may be sanded with a regular floor sander (drum sander) which is like a large belt sander. The floor is worked with the grain or in other words, parallel to the direction of the boards.

Parquet floors are a bit different. Each tile is made up of a number of pieces of wood and the grain runs at different angles for dramatic effect. So it is impossible to sand with the grain because the sander will always be going against the grain and with the grain simultaneously.

What is the solution? Actually there are two solutions.

Using an Orbital Sander

You probably own a hand-held orbital sander. This floor orbital sander operates on the same principal but is a floor model. The idea is to start out with coarse sandpaper and progressively use finer and finer sandpaper. With parquet floors, because of the opposing grain, you must end up with very fine grit indeed.

Begin by using 20 grit if the floor is heavily scratched. Next, progress to 36 grit. Once that is done, step down to 50 grit. Next, change out to 80 grit. Finally, go over the entire floor using 100 grit. This sandpaper is so fine that the wood will almost shine as if it had been polished.

Strip the Floor Chemically

You can use a chemical stripper to remove the old finish. Follow the manufacturers instructions and make sure that you use a respirator. The fumes from some chemical products can be overwhelming. After the old finish has been stripped off, examine the floor carefully. Are there any noticeable scratches? If so, you might consider sanding as described in the previous section. This is the home owner's judgment call.

Remove any Stains

If there are any stains, you will need to bleach them out. The hardware store carries wood bleach products. Using a clean white rag, begin at the center of the stain and wipe outward. Feather the bleach so as to blend in with the surrounding wood. The idea is to make the stain as imperceptible as possible.

Finish off by wiping the spot with a clean, soft cloth moistened with vinegar.

Finishing the Floor

If you are going to apply a stain, do so now and let it dry thoroughly. The final step is to finish the floor with polyurethane. In the old days the usual product was varnish but polyurethane is so tough that it is now the finish of choice.

With the use of varnish it was possible to “spot refinish” a floor in high traffic areas. Not so with modern polyurethane. The entire surface must be refinished. You are going to want to put down four coats to ensure durability. Now your parquet floor will look great for years to come.