How to Refinish Gym Hardwood Floors

Over time, hardwood floors will get scratched and become dull. Instead of replacing your gyms hardwood floors, the floors can be refinished. Real gym hardwood floors can be refinished several times before the erosion from the sanding eats into the tongue and groove of the hardwood strips.

Things You'll Need

  • Coarse sandpaper (20-grit) Medium sandpaper (50- to 60-grit) Disc sander Drum sander Scraper Lint-free rag Paint brush Stain Sealer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make sure all dirt is removed from the hardwood gym floor before sanding it. Make sure that the floor is dry.

    • 2

      Load your coarse sandpaper in your drum sander per the manufacturer's instructions.

    • 3

      Plug in your sander. Align yourself with the floor's grain.

    • 4

      Turn on the sander and touch the drum to the floor. The drum sander will rotate itself forward. Allow the sander to move itself forward in a straight line. When you reach the opposite wall, lift the drum sander. Continue across the entire floor, overlapping each pass by 2 inches.

    • 5

      Load your disc sander per the manufacturer's instructions. Use the disc sanders in areas such as around the walls of the gym, where your drum sander was unable to reach.

    • 6

      Load your drum sander with a medium-grit sandpaper, and do a second pass over the entire floor. Load the disc sander, and go over the areas the drum sander missed.

    • 7

      Sweep up the floor to remove all of the dust before refinishing.

    • 8

      Work in 2-square-foot areas, and begin applying the stain by dipping a lint-free rag in your color of choice. Work it into the area and allow it to penetrate the wood for 10 minutes. Wipe up the excess with a clean, lint-free rag. Repeat until the entire floor has been coated. Allow the stain to set for 8 hours, and repeat this process.

    • 9

      Apply a sealer to the floor in the same manner in which you applied the stain. Wipe and allow it to set for 48 hours before using the gym floor.