Ditch The Sanding. Here Are Better Ways To Revive Hardwood Floors

Someone remodeling this year may be thinking of hardwood floor types you'll see everywhere in 2025. But if you've already been living with this classic flooring option for a while, you're likely thinking more about how to keep it looking good. Ideally, you'd like to do so without the monotony of sanding. Bob Beacham, House Digest's expert carpenter and remodeler, recently gave us an exclusive interview on better ways to revive hardwood floors to their former glory — without sanding.

First, when it comes to hardwood floors, Beacham wanted to make clear that the words "restore" and "refinish" have specific meanings. A restoration project, in this context, means getting the floor back to its original condition. As Beacham told House Digest, it could involve a lot of work, including replacing warped or damaged boards or even a sagging subfloor. Refinishing, on the other hand, "attends to surface blemishes and scratches" or "finishes that have gotten worn over time," Beacham said. It could even mean stripping the finish off your floor down to bare wood and starting over again. Before you start calculating how much time it should take to refinish your hardwood floors, Beacham shared a few non-sanding methods of making your floor look good again.

The first method Beacham discussed in his exclusive House Digest interview is using a chemical abrasion kit, also known as a floor renewal or refinishing kit. In this process, Beacham explained, "Chemicals are applied to soften the existing finish, left a while, then mopped up." After this application, Beacham said, the floor can be refinished. Beacham noted that this method of reviving your floor requires you to have plenty of ventilation, and to wear gloves and eye protection. You'll also want to mask your baseboards to protect them. While these chemical processes, Beacham noted, can be messy, they're less so than sanding and don't require you to hire special equipment. He also pointed out that some may contain harmful chemicals and may or may not be eco-friendly. "Products differ, so it is very important to read instructions," Beacham said, while also noting that some of these products could do more damage than good to your floor if left on for too long.

Before such chemical processes were introduced, Beacham said, buffing and recoating the floor with finish was the method everyone used. "Buffing is like sanding but with less coarse grit. Very light sanding, if you like. Just removes the top surface of the finish," he said. It's a quick method that doesn't involve potentially harmful chemicals and rubs out small scratches. On the other hand, Beacham said, you'll need to rent special equipment, which takes some skill to operate, and you'll still need to reapply the finish.

The final method Beacham mentioned in his exclusive House Digest interview is using a liquid revitalizer to clean the surface. This method, he explained, is "a bit like polish." You apply the revitalizer with a mop or cloth, according to the manufacturer's instructions, allow it to dry, then reapply if necessary. This quick and easy method, Beacham said, fills in scratches rather than removing them and can bring back shine to a finish that has gone dull, perhaps because of heavy foot traffic. You don't need to apply additional finish, but it only works for light wear and tear or very minor scratches.

Beacham finds chemical abrasion kits and buffing more effective than revitalizers, but noted that all of these processes are designed for hard polyurethane type floor coatings or varnishes. "They won't work on waxed or oiled hardwood," he commented, although those higher maintenance finishes are less common. If you don't need to treat your whole floor, Beacham suggested that you could try a touch-up pen for minor scratches or filler for gouges in places that aren't obvious. He also commented that, "None of these products work on anything more than surface wear and tear and light scratches. If marks have gone through to the wood, you need to sand back." It that's the case, you'll want to take a crucial preparation step before sanding your floors –- perhaps while emitting a sigh at the inevitable monotony of sanding.