- 1). Load the drum sander with 36-grit sandpaper. Start the machine with the pad raised off the floor, then lower it once it's at full speed. Most models have a lever to raise and lower the pad. Sand the floor diagonally across the direction of the boards. It should remove the top layer of existing gloss.
- 2). Reload your sander with 60-grit sandpaper. Sand the floor as before, this time running the sander in the opposite diagonal direction to take up the last of the gloss and start taking up the stain.
- 3). Sand the floor two more times, with 80- and 120-grit paper, going with the direction of the floorboards. The floor should be completely smooth, with bare wood free of gloss and stain. Vacuum up the dust.
- 4). Stain the floor starting in one corner (away from the doorway), and working in sections. In each section, brush the stain on, let it absorb into the wood, then wipe it up with cotton cloths. Stain the whole floor. Let it dry for a day.
- 5). Brush on three layers of polyurethane or varnish, making the layers thin and even. Use 240-grit sandpaper to buff and de-gloss the surface between the second and third coats. Let the final layer dry for two or three days.
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