If your floor has been looking a little worse for wear as of late, you might be considering refinishing it. For those who don’t know, refinishing is a bit like a facelift for your floors, which restores their beauty and leaves them looking good as new!
However, refinishing isn’t for every type of floor, and it isn’t always the only option for the floors it can service. Discover all there is to know about refinishing below from E Hardwoods & Flooring, a vendor of engineered hardwood flooring, hardwood flooring, and vinyl flooring.
Though the exact process of refinishing a floor varies depending on what exactly that floor needs, it almost always involves the removal of the old finish via sanding. Therefore, waterproof flooring, laminate flooring, and any flooring that is not composed primarily of wood cannot be refinished, as vigorously sanding off the tops of these floors would simply expose their inner layers. You wouldn’t have much of a floor to speak of after that!
Hardwood flooring is pretty much the only flooring type that renders itself a great candidate for the refinishing process, and it’s also part of the reason the flooring type lasts so long. By renewing your hardwood’s finish, you’re protecting it from spills, scrapes, and everything in between. However, under the right circumstances, engineered hardwood flooring can also be gently sanded and refinished, but the process requires extreme care and can only be done a couple of times before the flooring becomes completely unusable.
Expert advice varies regarding how often one should refinish his or her solid hardwood floors. Some say every seven years, while some say every fifteen. Regardless, it’s a crucial part of keeping your hardwood floors healthy, so it’s important to get on a schedule and find out what works for your household.
While dull, grime-laden floors with deep gouges are certainly candidates for refinishing, if your floor is not quite to that level, there’s plenty you can do to make your hardwood floors look younger. Deep cleaning with a vacuum and wood-safe products can make your floor look so much brighter, and there are certain products on the market that refresh floors without the messy sanding process that comes with refinishing.
All flooring, no matter how well you take care of it, will eventually reach the end of its viable life. If you’re in the market for new floors, check out E Hardwoods & Flooring’s massive online selection, or contact us with questions.