The appearance of your wood floor will let you know when it is time to refinish it or if it's been hiding under under carpet, then it's time! You can do it yourself, with the right tools, or you can hire a professional. If you decide to do it yourself, remove everything from the room first and replace any damaged boards. Sweep the floor completely, nail down any nails that have worked themselves up, and cover up all the openings to the room and vents, so that, you don't get dust everywhere else. Sand the floor completely. Vacuum and follow up with a tack cloth to make sure you picked up all the dust particles. Use wood filler to fill in the dents and gaps in the wood--allow to dry overnight. The next day, apply two to four coats of a wood finish. In between each coat, sand and thoroughly clean floor with a tack cloth. Once your floor has the condition and shine you want, you're done!

Blog inspired by article featured on cottagehomedecorating.com and can be seen here:  http://www.cottagehomedecorating.com/how-to-refinish-wood-floors.html