The combination of frigid January temperatures cooping us up inside and the influx of online after Christmas sales, can wreak havoc on my what little impulse control I possess. This year has been no exception. Thanks to a big sale at Restoration Hardware, we decided to update our dining room (which I will delve into in a later post), and after selling the old dining room table and pulling up the rug, I was not too pleased with the state of our hardwoods.
They were looking pretty dull and scratched up, no doubt thanks to the endless tricycle riding and Izzy’s daily transformation into a Tasmanian devil whenever the mailman appears.
I haven’t worried too much about the scratches, the dog and kids are here to stay, so they’re the last thing on my list of house updates. That was until I came across an article on The Family Handyman about a method for refinishing floors that didn’t require sanding. The process seemed very effective, but more work than I had time for, given our furniture would be arriving the following day. It did, however, inspire me to start looking at other options, which is when I came across Rejuvenate Floor Restorer from Home Depot. The online reviews were decent, and (most importantly) it was supposed to dry in an hour, so I wouldn’t have to fight to keep my kids out of the dining room for an extended period of time. My expectations were not very high, but for $18 I didn’t have much to lose.
The instructions were very clear about keeping the room free of dust while using the product, so after putting the little ones down for naps and banishing Izzy to the basement, I vacuumed the main floor and mopped the dining room twice. I had repainted the baseboards the night before, so they received a good scrub down in the process.
Working in 4′ x 4′ sections, I splashed the Rejuvenate onto the floor and then rubbed it in with a Microfiber mop cover.
Per the directions, I mopped with the grain of the wood and then let it dry for two hours before applying a second coat. After allowing things to fully cure overnight, I was shocked by the results:
I hadn’t had much confidence in something that cost less than $20, but these pictures were taken two weeks ago and they still look just as good.
Even though nothing can be done about the color of the floor in fifteen minutes, the scratches from Izzy’s toenails blend in much better with the fresh finish. Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the results, and although it isn’t a substitute for having the floors refinished, using the Rejuvenate once or twice a year will undoubtedly give them a substantially longer life.
