Hardwood floors can contribute a great deal to the way a room looks, and further, a nice floor can tie an entire house together even when themes change from room to room. While hardwood floors are usually quite durable, time and extended wear can rob them of their original beauty. However, you don’t need to throw in the towel when your floors start to look a little dull.
Refinishing hardwood floors is one of several restoration options, so if you’d like to learn more about how it works, keep reading. We’ll cover how it’s done, what it accomplishes, and how to determine whether it’s time to have your floors refinished.
What is Hardwood Floor Refinishing?
Refinishing a hardwood floor is one of several processes used to bring new life to wooden surfaces. The refinishing process involves sanding the top layer of the floor, then applying a new coat of stain and polyurethane over the exposed layer.
While refinishing can be done as a DIY project, it’s labor intensive, and getting it right isn’t easy. Uneven sanding will show up under the polyurethane, and if the stain is poorly applied, the overall color will not be very uniform.
Of course, handling the process alone might save money, but it will require a significant time commitment, and effectively sanding off the topmost layer of your floor takes a lot of effort. Trying new things is great, but if you’re not entirely sure that you can refinish your floor without ruining the surface, it’s best to trust an experienced professional.
Repairing poorly resurfaced or refinished floors can be costly, so having your floor refinished correctly the first time is a much better scenario.
The Refinishing Process
Refinishing a floor sounds easy at a glance, but doing it right involves far more than a quick buff and a slap of new stain. First, all furniture must be removed from the room(s) getting worked on.
When our professionals get started, the process typically looks something like this:
Setting nails: Our team will go over the floor and punch in any nails sticking up in the wood. This is important because it prevents the sandpaper from getting damaged and ultimately leaving lines or waves in the floor.
Wood filler: In some cases, wood filler or wood putty is used to cover up any small holes or spaces in the wood.
Sanding: The process of sanding and refinishing most floors starts with hooking up to a dustless containment system that prevents a mess in your home. This will not be a dust free process as there will always be some residual dust during refinishing. Our team will plastic off areas of the house not getting worked on. This is beneficial to both us and the homeowner as it prevents a major clean up after the job is done.
Sanding usually begins with a 40-grit sandpaper and then moves to 60-grit and finally 100 grit paper. After the 3 passes with the machines, it’s time to buff the floor. Buffing the floor will prep it for a stain or a natural polyurethane look. After this process, our team will be ready to get you your desired look. To make sure everyone is on the same page it’s important to show the customer the samples on the floor. After the color is selected, we can stain the floor. After the stain is down for 12-18 hours we come back and apply the polyurethane to the floors. Whether it’s a water-based finish (Loba or Bona), or an oil-based finish (Fabulon), a polyurethane finish will always make the floors look even better.
Here are some things to note about both oil- and water-based polyurethane:
Water-based: With water-based polyurethane, the drying process is typically faster and there is less of an odor when compared to an oil-based finish. Water-based poly has a clear finish so it doesn’t amber as much, and it typically doesn’t wear as well as oil poly.
Oil-based: With water-based polyurethane, the drying process takes at least 2 days, and will leave an odor. Oil-based polys will amber the floor and is the strongest finish for long term results.
There is no right or wrong choice between water and oil-based finish. We believe each job is different and we respect every customer’s personal style and their needs.
As the steps suggest, the refinishing process requires the right materials, thorough work, and the utmost care throughout each part of refinishing a hardwood floor. That’s the recipe for success while anything that falls short could be a recipe for disaster.
The Purpose of Refinishing Floors
Hardwood floor refinishing is done to help extend the life of a floor, making it look and feel brand-new without forcing homeowners to invest in a full floor replacement.
Over time, hardwood floors that handle even moderate traffic start to lose their shine. This is especially true in homes where people wear shoes indoors, move furniture frequently, or have pets running around.
Depending on the material, hardwood floors can become scratched, scuffed, or dulled out as time passes. When this happens, the surface tends to look much older than it is. Furthermore, scratched floors lose some of their protective qualities, which makes them more susceptible to warping if they’re exposed to moisture or extreme temperatures.
If the damage done to a hardwood floor is cosmetic, meaning that it only penetrates the topmost layer, refinishing is a great option. However, when significant damage has been done throughout all of the wood’s layers, replacing the floor and paying for new hardwood floor installation might be necessary.
Usually, when homeowners work with professionals who have extensive experience in repairing hardwood floors, refinishing will smooth and brighten your hardwood floors. When done correctly, refinishing will not only make your floor look new again, but will also extend the life of the wood and protect it from moisture and temperature-induced damage.
When To Refinish Hardwood Floors
Refinishing a floor isn’t like changing the filters in an air conditioning unit. It’s not a process that should be done on a set schedule in most cases. Some types of wood are more durable than others, and some homeowners actively take steps to preserve their hardwood floors while others don’t.
Several variables should be taken into account when determining when a floor needs to be refinished. Usually, hardwood floors start to look older after about a decade, but that’s just a standard estimate. Well-maintained floors will look newer for a longer period of time, while floors that experience a great deal of traffic and wear will start looking old sooner.
A few signs that point to needing to refinish hardwood floors include
Deep Scratches: A few minor scratches aren’t usually a big deal, but if there are a lot of them, or the scratches are particularly deep, it might be time to refinish the floor.
Spots of Discoloration: Whether certain parts of your floor become sun-bleached or a spill soaks into the wood’s surface, discolored hardwood can really affect the way your floor looks. While moisture damage is more serious than sun-related discoloration, both are good reasons to consider refinishing your floor.
Worn Finish: Worn finish can make hardwood floors look dirty and dingy even after they’ve been freshly cleaned, especially when the wear is concentrated in high-traffic areas. Refinishing is an effective fix for this effect, as it restores the sheen your floor had when it was new.
The above-mentioned signs may ring true when you look at your floors, and if that’s the case, it’s probably time to consider refinishing them.
If you’re thinking about having your hardwood floors restored and you want to make sure it’s done right, reach out to Dylan Hardwood Floors. Our floor restoration professionals have years of experience refinishing hardwood floors, as well as restoring and installing new floors. We’ll extend the life of your floors and make them look brand-new again. Call us today for a quote and we’ll walk you through all of your hardwood floor repair options.
