If you have wooden floors in your home, it’s wise to think about applying varnish to these items. Varnish protects wooden floors while giving them a great shine. That being said, it’s understandable to wonder how to use varnish. In this post, you’ll learn how to properly apply varnish to wood flooring.
Preparing the Application Site
First and foremost, you’ll need to prepare the wood before applying any varnish. With that in mind, it’s important to know the proper temperature range for applying this material. If not, you might delay your varnishing project by weeks. Considering that, it’s best to apply varnish in temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Applying varnish at temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit will also cause problems.
Once your working area is at the right temperature, you’ll want to make sure that your wooden floors are ready. To do this, you’ll want to make sure that no dust is present. Varnish is a material that’s extremely sensitive to the presence of dust. If your floors are dusty, it’s going to be difficult to apply your varnish.
Sanding Your Wooden Floors
Before applying varnish, you’ll need to make sure that you use sandpaper on your wooden floors. This helps to ensure that you’re applying varnish on a smooth surface. It’s wise to start with a medium grit sandpaper. After this, you can use a finer sandpaper to take away any scratches from earlier sanding work. After removing the dust from sanding your floors, you can begin applying your varnish.
Applying the Clear Varnish
There is a wide range of varnishes to choose from. Varnish acts as a type of stain blocking primer for your flooring. The varnish you choose will determine the final appearance of your wood floor. For instance, a matte varnish won’t be as shiny as a satin varnish. A satin varnish provides less of a shine than gloss varnishes.
After preparing your floors, you can begin applying the varnish. You’ll have several options regarding how to apply this material to your wooden floors. These options include applying varnish with a brush, roller, or by spraying it. However, most people prefer to apply varnish with a brush.
It’s best to coat your brush with varnish, avoiding any drips landing on your wooden floors. Next, you’ll want to slowly apply the varnish to the wood. Much like using paint, it’s best to apply varnish in layers. You’ll want to apply one layer of varnish at a time, giving it an adequate amount of time to fully dry. Generally speaking, three to four layers of varnish should be enough.
To summarize, it’s important to know how to properly apply varnish. If done properly, varnish helps protect wooden floors. Those wanting a more glossy finish might want to use satin varnish. The most important thing to remember while applying varnish to wooden floors is to take time. Follow the previously mentioned steps and you’ll soon have great looking wooden flooring.
