Floor Revival

The segment includes information on how to add drama to wood flooring and a discussion of hiring a professional vs. doing it yourself.

Try one of these techniques to revive wood floors:

Colored putty--For nail holes or other small problems, colored putty (figure B) is a quick and easy solution. Dab the hole with some putty and wipe away the residue.

Polyurethane wipe-on--For wooden floors that have a dull or worn off top finish, a quick fix is a polyurethane finish (figure C).

* Note: Regular polyurethane is brushed on. This is a special wipe-on application.

Staining--New floors or old floors that have been stripped need to be stained. Be sure to clean the surface of the wood with a tack rag (to rid all dust particles) before applying the stain (figure D).

* Note: Apply the stain with a circular motion, then turn the cloth and wipe clean with up-and-down strokes.

Polyurethane finish--This is not a quick fix. Regular polyurethane should be applied to new wood floors or any newly stained floors. Because regular polyurethane goes on thicker than the wipe-on version, it should be brushed on.

Wooden floor-care tip

Moisture is an enemy of wooden floors. Do not use a damp mop on any wooden floor. Use a cleaning solution made specifically for that type of surface.