How to Revive Old Hardwood Floors Using a Revitalizer?

Although hardwood floors look good in any home, they require more care than other types of flooring, which usually include stone or concrete.

Especially during the winter, the conditions can be very tough on hardwood floors because of the salt, debris, and moisture that can build up.

So as the cold months slowly end and spring starts to arrive, it’s time to go ahead and think about deep cleaning and revitalizing your wooden floors.

Using revitalizer gloss for hardwood floors is one of the best methods you can try to make them ready for a new season of sun and fun.

If your floors are a bit scratched up, using a wood floor restorer will make them shine again and even fix light surface scratches without using any sandpaper or a sander.

But make sure you follow the steps below to ensure you give them the extra needed love…

Revitalizing Wood Floor Using A Revitalizer

To revive your old hardwood flooring, you need a revitalizer gloss, which can easily take care of surface-level scratches and minor wear and tear.

Here are a few excellent solutions you can try; these not only make dull hardwood shine again but also fills in scratches and gives floors a glossy finish…

• Bona Express Wood Floor Revitalizer
• Minwax Hardwood Floor Reviver
• Rejuvenate’s Professional Wood Floor Restorer and Polish

You can purchase a revitalizer gloss from any home improvement or hardware store near you. Most of them come premixed and ready to use, which means you do not need to add any solvent or water to use them.

Moreover, the good thing is that no rental equipment or special materials are required for the application.

If you’re wondering how to apply these solutions, here are the steps:

Step 1- Clean Your Hardwood Floors

Before starting, clear the room of any obstacles that might get in the way. And make sure you wear proper clothes that you don’t mind ruining, along with safety gear like gloves.

Next, remove the initial layer of dust using a microfiber cloth, a broom, or a vacuum on your floors without the beater bar attachment.

If you plan to clean the walls during the process, always clean top to bottom so that falling dust and debris don’t dirty areas you’ve already cleaned.

Step 2- Lightly Spray Mop the Wood Floors

For a cleaner, use a solution designed for the type of wood flooring and subfloor you have.

Commercial wood-cleaning products like Bona or Murphy Oil Soap work very well. So, if that’s what you like, you can pick the one.

Many DIY solutions, such as vinegar, ammonia, or steam mopping, can damage your floor’s finish, leaving it looking dull and cloudy. So, avoid using them.

If your mop doesn’t come with an in-built spray function, fill a separate spray bottle with your cleaning solution and apply it to the floor in sections to avoid using too much liquid, making them saturated and taking a long to dry.

Step 3- Allow Your Floor to Dry, and Apply the Revitalizer

A good wood floor restoration and polishing formula rejuvenates and protects your floors without any sanding required.

No matter what product you choose, the application process is nearly identical. But before you start, ensure the surface is completely dry.

Next, read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully and do a patch test in an inconspicuous area to check for any adverse reaction, especially if your floor is painted, stained, or sealed with a clear sealer.

• To apply the hardwood floor revitalizer, pour a small amount onto the floor and spread it evenly with a mop or similar applicator tool.
• Using your mop or a painter’s pad attached to a long pole, spread the floor reviver across the flooring area. Do not forget to focus on the edges and seams as well.
• After applying the revitalizer, simply let it dry – this usually takes an hour or less, but follow the manufacturer’s instructions for exact drying times.
• Once dried, your wood floors are all clean, revitalized, shiny, and scratch-free.

Tips and Warning

The drying times for each method differ, so consider this when choosing which one to use.

Also, do not apply the floor revitalizer in excess; remove it by using a piece of rag if you accidentally poured enough.

If you leave it there for an extended period of time, the finish may turn white on your surface.

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Other Alternatives to Reviving Hardwood Floors

Besides using a revitalizer gloss polish for your old scraped wood floors, there are a couple of other ways you can help make them look new again.

The most common substitutes are an abrasion kit and a floor buffer polyurethane solution.

1- Using an Abrasion Kit

The abrasion kit from a hardware or home improvement store contains everything you’ll need to refinish your hardwood floors adequately.

The advantage is – you don’t have to worry about the debris because it doesn’t require heavy sanding, which would otherwise create dust.

The method uses a chemical to clean and etch the old floor so the new one will stick fast. A new coat of polish will then be applied to make the floor shine again.

With this method, the only drawback is that you will need to apply the finish quickly, as it dries immediately. So ask your friend or teenager for help so the project will be completed quicker and more efficiently.

Here’s a quick guide for you to follow:

Step 1 – Apply the liquid abrasive using a scrubbing pad on a small section of your cleaned floor and scrub gently.

Hold the applicator at an angle, direct the excess finish in one direction, and use as few strokes as possible.

Allow the liquid to sit on your floor for 4-5 minutes, then wipe it lightly with a clean microfiber cloth.

Do not make the floor dry but leave a light film there to get absorbed.

Step 2 – Continue scrubbing and wiping the next section using the same process.

Once that area is clean, repeat this cycle on other floor sections until your entire floor is coated.

After applying the liquid abrasive to your entire floor, wait for it to dry for around 30 minutes, and then mop your floor with a microfiber mop lightly dampened with warm soapy water and allow the floor to dry.

Step 3 – Inspect your floor for scratches after it dries.

If you see any, use a small paintbrush to apply a matching stain and let it dry.

Next, spread and apply the new finish onto your floor with an applicator pad as you used in the first step.

If you have enough finish remaining or see any bubbles appearing, apply a second coat after the floor dries to the touch.

After the final application, let it dry completely (according to the manufacturer’s recommendations) before walking on the surface or bringing items back into the room.

2- Buffing and Recoating with Polyurethane

Polyurethane coatings are long-lasting and are excellent for reviving sun-faded wood floors on your patio, deck, or even indoors.

This method is similar to an abrasion kit, but you need to rent a buffer from your local home improvement store instead of using an abrasive liquid with a scrubbing pad.

Buffing roughs up the surface to eliminate the existing finish, which allows the new finish to bond better with the hardwood floors underneath.

The process is a bit messier than chemical kits because it sands the surface of your floors and produces a lot more dust.

So, it’s recommended to cover all fixtures and furniture pieces with fabric before starting this process. Also, wear a mask over your nose and mouth to avoid breathing in the particles.

Here’s a simple step-by-step process of how you can get your floors revived using this method:

• Clean your floor and sweep the entire room nicely
• Ensure even the smallest nails are sunk; otherwise, you might damage the buffer machine
• Start with buffing the floor and rough the corners or other hard-to-reach places (like near the baseboard) by hand
• Vacuum the room, and wipe the floors with a clean cotton cloth
• Apply the polyurethane finish on the hardwood floor using a sprayer, brush, pads, or a lambswool applicator in the direction of wood grains
• Let the finish dry for at least two hours, and reapply the finish if required after sanding the surface lightly.  

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Can You Restore Stained or Waxed Hardwood Floors Without Sanding?

As you get ready to enjoy spring’s warmer weather, fixing your hardwood floors doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.

But if your timber flooring already has a wax finish or colored stain, the method is more complicated and will need to use some hazardous materials- Just something to keep in mind.

The best way to refinish your old, finished hardwood floors is usually by sanding. This means if there’s a finish on the surface (like stain or wax), you can’t directly use the flooring restorer or finishing product on the wood because it won’t penetrate nicely past the old finish.

Instead, use a chemical stripper to remove pre-existing finishes and get to raw wood before applying any finish.

In case you want to make your hardwood floors darker, look for tinted finishes like polyurethane that come in different shades. Just be aware that tinted finishes don’t soak into the wood grain like other stains, which means high-traffic areas of your floor may appear lighter than the rest over time as the finish wears down.