Termites are loved for their benefits like facilitating decomposition but, are also detested for their habit of destroying valuable property. Homeowners whose floors are made of hardwood are mostly the ones who encounter major problems when it comes to termite attack. When a hardwood floor is fixed properly, during fresh construction or when refinishing, it is highly unlikely that you will need termite control services later on. The following are ways in which you can avoid termite attacks to your hardwood floors.
The first and the most critical step in hardwood floor refinishing involves taking a keen look at the spaces between the floor planks. Observing between the space can help you identify any signs for termite control. In case you notice any termites, you can look for help from termite control professionals. While observing, you will be able to tell the kind of floor you are working on. While some floors like oak and pine are easier to work with, others, like mahogany and maple are more complex. You should then begin the refinishing process after you are certain that you can refinish your hardwood floor.
After the first step, you can then carry out an adhesion test. You should set apart a small area of the floor for conducting the adhesion test. You should begin by cleaning the area of floor that you are dealing with using a floor cleaner. What follows after that is sanding the area using a sanding screen then clearing the excess residue from the area. When the area is clean from dust, you can begin coating it with polyurethane. You can then check on the area after about twenty-four hours. Apart from the dust, the area will be smooth. You can then know that your floor is ready for recoating when you press down on the coated surface using medium pressure and the polyurethane remains intact.
After the above step, bring together the materials that are essential for termite control your floors. The most of the materials that are necessary are inclusive of the hammer, nail set, pliers, edge sander, box fan, power floor buffer, polyurethane floor sealant, work gloves, hearing protection, breathing protection, industrial grade vacuum cleaner and painter’s tape. You can easily find the aforementioned materials at your neighbors or buy from home improvement store near you or online.
The steps that follow then include cleaning your floor, buffer it and then add the floor finish. Cleaning helps to termite control the floor so that it becomes spotless. You should change the surface of the sanding screen facing the floor after ten to fifteen minutes because after that it will lose its sanding capability. After buffering the floor, you should ensure that you get rid of any dust prior to doing the finish. The floor finish that you will find easy to use is polyurethane.