Reddit mentions of Wooster Brush RR412-10 Shearling Floor Applicator 1/2-Inch Nap, 10-Inch

I just did this (minus the carpet/stripping) in my house a few months ago! I did two bed rooms (~11'x11' each), a small hallway (~3'X8,) and a large dining/living room (~14'x25'). We had light oak floors with a light stain/finish on it when I started.

One note with ripping up the carpet is to be prepared to replace boards if there is a bad spot on the floor. I've never done this, but I know from talking to other people that sometimes there are surprises under the carpet.

On to the floors, but first a warning!

You will have the vent covers removed from all of your vents- watch out where you are stepping! I was backing out of a room with the sander and sent me leg straight through the duct work. Luckily I didn't hurt myself or mess up the duct too bad. It could have been a lot worse if I stepped about 6 inches further back.

Sanding

Before you start sanding make sure all debris and nails are off the floor. I got an orbital sander from a rental store. The orbital sander is much easier to handle than a belt sander. I also got all my sand paper and other pads from them. They charged for the used ones and I returned the unused. I was also worried about sanding too much away from the floor, so I started out with a fairly fine sand paper. That did next to nothing on taking off the varnish/finish on the floor and I quickly moved on to using the roughest paper. My floors were about an inch thick and I did not even come close to working them down too far. In my case there were a few spots on the floor that had stains or places were the floor was a little uneven that the sander just couldn't get into easily. Technically, the places I looked at said you are suppose to use the roughest paper and work your way down to the finest sander paper. I did this in about 1/2 of a bedroom and said eff it because no one could tell the difference. The time/cost/benefit of me doing that just wasn't there, so I only did one really good pass with the roughest paper.

My dad had a hand-held belt sander that he used to smooth off the really uneven/stained spots and to get around all the walls. I hated doing this. It was time consuming and I just want to be done with it. Him doing that was a huge help and made a larger difference than me taking the time doing a second pass with the sander.

Sanding took me 1 weekend of working about 7-8 hours on Saturday and Sunday to get the floors sanded with the orbital sander and 2-3 hours Monday evening to help my dad finish using the hand sanders.

Also, get a good quality mask to wear and sand with the grain.

Picking a stain/finish

My fiancee and I also wanted darker floors. I went to Menards and pick out about a dozen sample packets (about $5.00 total) and we did a few sample spots in a closet. Honestly, we got down to a few we really liked, but could barely tell a difference between them. We ended up going with Golden Mahogany, which was much darker than he floors originally were.

As others have said here, we went with a semi-gloss polyurethane. It was a good in between of a too dull satin finish and the gym floor high-gloss finish.

We used Varathane brand for both stain and finish. I was very happy with the quality. I can't remember if oil-based or water based polyurethane was use, but my mom (who had done this before) said one was more durable. I'll try remember to look when I get home.


Tools for staining/finishing

My mom had a stick with two wood planks at the end that were held together with wing nuts. We used this to attach the applicators to for the stain and finish. I'm sure you can get something similar. Not sure what the proper name is.

We used an applicator similar, if not exactly like, this one. Wasn't the best you could by, but I was happy with it. Also, follow directions and wash with mineral spirits!

Get plenty of pan liners if you want to keep your pans.

Tack cloth is a must for cleaning, especially after sanding!

Cleaning/ prepping floors for staining

Sweep and shop vac the floors. After that we instituted a strict no shoes on the hardwood rule. No Shoes were allowed until the job was completely done and the floors had 2-4 days to sit

We wiped down the baseboards/bottom part of the walls and window stiles.

Next, we wrapped the tack cloth at the end of the applicator stick (again, not sure what the proper name to use) and ran the tack cloth over the floors. We also did some of the patting/wiping by hand. One thing that happened with the tack cloth is that pieces got suck into a few spots on the floors where it caught the wood. Get all of those up the best you can.

Staining

Just like sanding, go with the grain. You want to move the applicator in one smooth line from wall to wall the best you can. You do not want to pick up and set down the applicator in the middle of the floor while doing a line. Watch for bubbles/pooling in the stain. It really helped me to have a second set of eyes watching for this. A few passes with the applicator is all that it took for each line. It took me a bit to get the hang of it, but it wasn't too rough once I got the hang of it. I had a hard time with pooling by the walls, especially when I was leaving a room and couldn't walk sideways with the applicator.

Make sure you plan how to get your of the room so you don't work yourself into a corner, not that I almost did this....

We did 3 coats of stain, waiting a day in between each coat. The smell was pretty bad. We left windows cracked each night and had the heat turned up to about 65 (this was in December in the midwest, USA). Before each new coat we ran over the floor with tack cloth. As you are staining the floor you might find somethings you need to pick off the floor too. Don't be afraid to pick something out of an area you already did, but once you get too far away it is there. I would not walk on the stain once it is down. I noticed after about 3-4 lines were done (likely about 3') I could not reach another spot. Stop and really give the floor a good look every now and then to make sure the stain/finish is even, no bubbles, and no dirt/hair/or what have you in it.

Take your time and don't rush. Each coat took me 3-4 hours for all the rooms.

Finish

I hope you didn't think the stain smell was too bad, because this shit is even worse.

Basically, you do exactly the same thing you did with the stain. Remember, wall-to-wall swipes that go with the grain. Bubbles became more of an issue for me with the polyurethane.

In between coats get the lightest sandpaper you can and lightly run it over finish with the applicator stick. Then tack cloth the room really well. You will see some imperfections in the finish, especially after the first coat. If I had bubble that the sand paper made stand out I just picked at them so you couldn't seem them. Likely not the right/best way to do this, but it did make it look better.

I did 3 coats and a 4th in the living/room dining room.

Wipe up the finish if you drip any on the floor as you are moving from pan to spot on floor you are working on.

I again had some problems with pooling at the walls where I was exiting the room. Don't rush. It took me 3-4 hours for each each coat.

Finished product

Let the floors sit 3-4 days before you put shoes and especially furniture on them.

The smell lasted about 1-2 months in my house. It sucked- bad. All of my clothing smelled like finish. I smelled like finish. I eventually had to keep all clothes in the basement.

You will notice some spots were you messed up for sure. I can show you every spots that isn't perfect on my floor, but no one else can see them unless I really point them out. Overall, I was beyond thrilled with how it turned out.

Remember, you aren't a professional, but you also aren't paying someone $1000-2000 (estimates I got) to do the work for you. I ended up spending $350-400 when it was all said and done.

Refinishing a floor sounds intimidating, but it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I would do it again house without hesitation.

Sorry to write you book, but hopefully you and others will find this helpful. I'll try to get some before and after shots up tonight for you. If you got any questions ask away and good luck!

Edits: For typos, formatting, and all that fun stuff.