How to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding | Pretty Handy Girl

How to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding | Pretty Handy Girl
How to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding

I love our antique heart pine floors! They are beautifully distressed. The round pegs and square nails securing them in place add loads of character. However, the square nails sit flush with the surface preventing us from ever being able to refinish them with a sander. The nails would tear up the sandpaper in no time. But, that’s no problem because I know a way to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding!

 

How to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding | Pretty Handy Girl

From time to time, our floors start to look dull…

How to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding | Pretty Handy Girl

…and the scratches are more noticeable. This is when I know it’s time to refinish them.

How to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding | Pretty Handy Girl

The first time I refinished our floors, it was several years ago when we were painting the office and dining room. I decided to try to refinish the floors because the rooms were already devoid of furniture. Several neighbors had recommended Bona® Hardwood Floor Cleaner and Bona® Hardwood Floor Polish. I was skeptical, but the results were beautiful floors that had luster, but still showed their beautiful age.

Before and After Finishing Wood Floors without Sanding | Pretty Handy Girl

The Bona® Hardwood Floor Cleaner did a fabulous job of cleaning the floor without damaging them. And, the Bona® Hardwood Floor Polish provided a strong finish without any waxy build up. The high gloss protective layer adds some shine, but isn’t overly shiny. The polish also fills micro-scratches, evening out the appearance of the floor.

How to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding | Pretty Handy Girl

Fast forward to this past week when Bona asked me to write a sponsored post for them, I jumped for joy because I already use and love the Bona® Hardwood Floor Products! (Here’s my full disclosure: Yes, this is a sponsored post. No, I was not told what to write. And yes, I probably would have blogged about my experiences using Bona® Hardwood Floor Products at some point anyway. Win-win.)

I highly recommend trying the combo of the Bona® Hardwood Floor Cleaner and the Bona® Hardwood Floor Polish before spending huge amounts of money to have your floors refinished. (Bona® Hardwood Floor Cleaner & Polish will not work on floors that have an oil or wax coating. Test in an inconspicuous area to be sure it will work for your floors.)

Here’s how to Refinish Your Wood Floors without Sanding:

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions for Cleaning the Wood Floors:

Remove all rugs and furniture from the room. If you have heavy furniture pieces that are never moved, you can leave them in place.

How to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding | Pretty Handy Girl

Vacuum or sweep the floors to remove all dirt and debris.

How to Refinish Wood Floors without Sanding | Pretty Handy Girl

Assemble your Bona® Hardwood Floor Spray Mop as shown here: Read more

Build a Wood Plank Desktop for about $40

Hey there, everyone!  I’m Katie from Addicted 2 DIY.  I’m so, so excited to be here today sharing this simple — and most importantly — inexpensive way to update a desk!  I’m in the middle of updating our den/kid’s office space and one of the biggest things that had to go was the awful eyesore my boys used as a desktop.

Build a Wood Plank Desktop for about $40

This was the glorious before photo of their desk area.  The particle board top was from the previous homeowners. While we were remodeling the house, we slapped a coat of paint on it until we could decide what to do with it.  Four years later, I decided enough was enough.  I was tired of feeling embarrassed when anyone saw this room.  I took the old top off, painted the cabinets, and built a new wood top for it. Here’s how you can Build a Wood Plank Desktop for About $40!

Build a Wood Plank Desktop Materials:

  • 8 – 2″ x 6″x 8′ pine boards
  • 2 – 2″x 2″ x 8′ pine boards (if you need the extra width)
  • drill
  • 2 1/2″ screws
  • compound miter saw
  • scrap pieces of 3/4″ wood
  • wood shims
  • belt sander and/or orbital sander
  • sandpaper discs and sheets (80 grit and 220 grit)
  • wood stain
  • polyurethane
  • paint brush

Build a Wood Plank Desktop Instructions:

If your desk area is straight or an L shape, you can ignore these four steps below and measure and cut your pieces to the length needed using your miter saw.

Build a Wood Plank Desktop for about $40

If your desk shape is similar to mine, follow these steps:

1. Cut your 2×6 pieces to slightly overlap the middle section on each side.  Make sure the pieces are long enough to accommodate the angled cuts you’ll be making.

2. If you don’t have a tool to determine the cut angle, lay your middle pieces of wood on top of the side pieces you’ve already laid out and mark where the lines intersect.

3. Mark where the line intersects on the first and last pieces of wood with a pencil.

4. You can snap a chalk line to get your angle, or you can use a long ruler and draw the line with a pencil.

Determine the angle of your cuts based on where the miter saw blade lines up with the chalk line.  In this case, it was 22.5 degrees.  That being said, this desktop was built between two imperfect (and not completely square) walls and some of the cuts had to be tweaked slightly on the angle. Read more

How to Securely Install a Towel Bar | Pretty Handy Girl

How to Securely Install a Towel Bar | Pretty Handy Girl

Have you ever reached for a towel and realized that the towel bar was barely secured to the wall? Installing a New Towel Bar Securely is a fairly simple DIY task if you know how to anchor the brackets.

As part of my little laundry room refresh, I decided to replace the dated brass towel bar that had started to come loose.

Install a Towel Bar Securely Materials:

(Contains some affiliate links)

How to Securely Install a Towel Bar | Pretty Handy Girl

Optional:

Install a Towel Bar Securely Preparation:

Begin by removing the old towel bar if you have one already installed. Look underneath for a tiny set screw. Usually you will need a small flat head screwdriver or allen wrench to remove it.

How to Securely Install a Towel Bar | Pretty Handy Girl

Once the mounting bracket is removed, you will see the mounting plate which can be removed by unscrewing the screws. Patch any holes in the wall and touch up the paint before installing the new towel bar.

Mounting Instructions:

Find the template that came with your new towel bar. Sometimes it is on the instruction sheet, and sometimes you have to cut it off the product box.

Hold the template up and line up the bracket locations with studs. If  you can’t line it up with two studs, you can use a good wall anchor. Don’t use the anchors that came with the towel bar. (Here’s why you should never use those freebie wall anchors.)

How to Securely Install a Towel Bar | Pretty Handy Girl

Tape the template in place and level it. Make any adjustments necessary to get the template perfectly level. Read more

tiled and grouted marble subway tile backsplash around utility sink

Tile-setting-withouto-thinset-mortar

You may remember years ago when I installed Smart Tile adhesive tiles in our laundry room. Well, truth be told, they weren’t looking so smart after 3 years and a water leak. I had a few leftover marble subway tiles from our kitchen backsplash and decided to use them to freshen up the laundry room. While I was at Lowe’s I decided to try Mussel Bound tile adhesive used for tile setting without thinset mortar. I figured this would be a good place for a trial in case I didn’t like the product.

smart-tiles-peeling-off

To remove the Smart Tiles you are supposed to use a hair dryer or heat gun to soften the adhesive. The tiles on my wall were already peeling off and they came off very easily.

peeling-off-the-smart-tiles

There was some minimal damage to the drywall, but if I had used the hairdryer it probably would have come off cleaner. To minimize any issues, be sure to clean your wall with a mixture of TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) and water using the instructions on the package.

Wipe the walls clean with a damp sponge after cleaning.

clean-wall-adhesive-with-TSP-trisodiuom-phosphate

Ready to start tiling with less mess?

Materials:
(Contains some affiliate links)

materials-mussel-bound-tiling

Optional: Grout Shield

Instructions:

Before you begin, layout your tiles and spacers to determine the height you desire for your backsplash. Transfer this height onto the wall around the sink. Read more

Quick Kitchen Cart Makeover with BB Frösh Chalk Paint Powder

Quick Kitchen Cart Makeover with BB Frösh Chalk Paint Powder

It seems I have a penchant for painting my late grandmother’s old furniture. You may remember the coffee table I wrote on of her’s. This kitchen cart was Grandma’s, but it had seen better days. It has been hanging out in my Dad’s kitchen for years now. My sister Caitlin decided to rope me into giving this kitchen cart a quick makeover over the holidays.

Quick Kitchen Cart Makeover with BB Frösh Chalk Paint Powder

It actually turned into the perfect opportunity to try BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder. The powder is mixed with water first and then any flat latex paint to create a smooth, durable chalk paint that can be painted directly over any surface regardless of whether it is bare wood, metal, or previously painted. Primer is not needed! For a soft durable finish, you can add a coat of BB Frösch Clear Wax.

Quick Kitchen Cart Makeover with BB Frösh Chalk Paint Powder

I can’t wait to show you how this chalk powder works and how quickly you can give furniture a makeover.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Quick Kitchen Cart Makeover with BB Frösh Chalk Paint Powder

Optional (for butcher block top):

 

Instructions:

Begin by wiping off your kitchen cart with the damp rag.

Quick Kitchen Cart Makeover with BB Frösh Chalk Paint Powder

To remove the butcher block top, turn the cart upside down and remove the screws holding the top in place.

Lightly sand the rest of the cart with a sanding block. It helps to enlist the help of one adorable niece for this step. Read more