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Before starting on a full refinishing project, determine if your floors need to be completely sanded down to the bare wood or if the damage is shallow and mostly cosmetic. Deep scratches and gouges will require you to rough sand using a drum sander or belt sander, but small surface scratches or floors that have only lost their luster don’t need a complete overhaul. Instead, you can skip the rough sanding step and sand-screen the old finish with a buffer, removing only the top layer of polyurethane.

You should strip and wax hardwood floors every six months to two years. The actual length of time between stripping and waxing depends on the wear and tear that the floors see. Stripping and waxing floors can help repair hardwood floor damage and give the room a fresh look.

Yes, you can mop hardwood floors with a damp flat or string mop as long as it is not soaking wet. Always avoid leaving standing water or fully soaking your hardwood floors, even if they are properly finished. A slightly wet mop, with or without cleaning solutions, will not damage the wood.

The answer to this question depends on how large the room is and how much experience you have stripping and waxing floors. It will take at least 24 hours to strip the floors, then you must allow time for drying, waxing, waiting for them to cure, and, finally, buffing them. Since you likely will not be working for the full 24 hours, it is safe to say that this is a two- or three-day job.