How to Bleach Wood Floors

You can bleach your wooden floors in a few simple steps. These include:

Bleaching is safe on most solid hardwood, engineered and laminate floors. However, certain woods are better suited to bleaching than others. Let's look at how different woods react to bleaching:

• Oak: Excellent for bleaching, achieves lighter shades easily. 
• Maple: It can be bleached to relatively light shades.
• Pine: Bleaches well and can achieve very pale colors.
• Cherry: Minimal lightening effect when bleached.
• Walnut: It doesn’t significantly lighten with bleaching.

Test how your floors will bleach if you are in doubt before doing the entire surface. It's also important to recognize that some exotic hardwoods may react differently when exposed to bleach. Bleaching effectiveness varies depending on the wood type and existing finish.

Bleaching wood floors is usually a safe process for most wood varieties, but a few precautions must be taken to ensure it does not harm the wood or yourself. These precautions are:

• Gloves, goggles and masks should be worn while working with bleach solutions. If it comes into contact with the eyes and skin, bleach can be very harmful and irritating.
• It's important to note that you should not bleach the whole floor without first testing it. Test the solution on a small area to see how it reacts.
• Ventilate the area very well during and after the bleaching process. The fumes from bleach can be irritating.
• Bleach should not be combined with other cleaning products. Doing so can create a corrosive solution that can harm the floors.
• Bleach can affect other materials that you have within the area, such as metals. Make sure to cover them before use.
• Don’t ever bleach any floor that you think has a lead-based finish. They are not meant to be bleached.

Although bleach can significantly enhance a faded wood floor, it's a strong agent and the treatment must be done carefully.

Once the floors have been bleached and dried, you need to apply the protective finish immediately. Sanding and bleaching scrape off the old finish, leaving the wood surface naked. Here are some new finish options to choose from to apply to your newly bleached floor:

• Polyurethane: Has a clear gloss or satin look and is available in water or oil-based variants. It offers a protective coat finish.
• Stain & Polyurethane: You can also stain the plywood and apply protective coats of polyurethane. This will give it a stained look and a protective finish.
• Paint: To completely change the color of the floor, you can paint over bleached floors. You can combine it with lacquer to form a quick-drying wooden floor finish.

That covers the entire process for how to bleach a hardwood floor. Wood floors that have been correctly bleached and refinished can look good as new for many years. If done correctly with the above steps, your newly bleached and finished wood will last you for years to come.