Wood floors that have become unsightly from years of wear or neglect can be restored to their original beauty. Machine sanding removes the old finish and exposes new wood. With the application of a finishing material, floors are like new again. While the highly skilled home craftsman may want to undertake the task of refinishing, it is usually advisable to have a professional floor refinisher do the work to be assured of best results.

Standard wood tones or other colors are readily available in penetrating sealers. Coloring floors with pigmented penetrating sealer will not obscure the grain markings.

The general term for adding any tone to a wood floor is "staining." But stains get their color from dyes or pigments, which are sensitive to light, so stained floors may fade if exposed to continued brightness. For this reason, we recommend the use of penetrating sealers containing staining pigments for most refinishing.

Source: http://www.nofma.org/