How To Make Old Hardwood Floors Shine Like New Without Having Them Refinished

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DIY HARDWOOD FLOOR REPAIRS + POLISHING

When we bought this house two years ago, we were pumped to find that the entire downstairs already had hardwood. We didn’t realize, until after we’d moved in, that they were pretty badly beaten. This home had been used as a rental for some time and they seemed to be a little neglected. Adding to the trouble is that we’ve been remodeling every weekend since we moved in, which can be a doozy on floors. They were definitely in need of some love.

So today, I’m showing you how I spruced up our 20-year-old engineered hardwoods so they shine like new – without completely refinishing them. I’m also showing you how to make hardwood floors shine with a natural cleaning recipe won’t harm the finish or give you that “cloud” streak effect.

THE HARDWOODS – BEFORE
This is a photo from the 2017 real estate listing. The house showed beautifully. The homeowners had done everything right – it was perfectly staged and we didn’t see a lot of the grimy details.

For instance, this rug in the foyer was concealing stuck-on surface residue from an old rug pad that had melted (???) to the floor. It also concealed some surfact damage caused by moisture (probably wet feet + rug).

When we refinished the foyer last Fall (you can see that whole project reveal here: