About Refinishing Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors last a long time and hold up well, but a time will come when they must be refinished. Whether you have them done professionally or do it yourself, you need to know methods of refinishing wood floors, what to coat the floor with, what the cost will be and how to keep it looking good when the job is done.

Function

Although hardwood floors are durable, they need help to keep looking good. They're sensitive to moisture and can buckle when changes in humidity makes them expand and contract. High-traffic areas of hardwood floors can wear out and become dull. Scratches and water stains are other signs that it's time to refinish your floors.

Features

Wood floors can be refinished more than once because the wood is thick enough to be sanded many times. If your hardwood floor damage reaches into the wood, if the floor is covered with anything but polyurethane, or if the polyurethane has been waxed, you'll have to sand down to the bare wood. But you don't always have to. Screening is a process that removes only the top layer of polyurethane that covers your wood flooring. If you refinish hardwood floors while the damage is still in the coating, you'll save a lot of money and time and avoid a lot of mess.

Types

After your floor has been sanded or screened it's time to recoat the wood. There are many types of finishes available that protect your floor and keep it beautiful. Water-based urethane is clear with a mild odor that dries in 3 hours or less. Oil-modified urethane is a solvent-based, amber-colored polyurethane that's easy to apply and dries in about 8 hours. Moisture-cured urethane, a solvent-based polyurethane that resists moisture and is stronger than other finishes has a strong odor and is hard to apply. Penetrating stain and wax finish soaks deep into the wood and hardens to a glossy finish to protect the floor. Conversion varnish finishes are durable and come in clear to amber colors, but they have a very strong odor and should only be applied by a professional.

Considerations

The softer the wood in your floor, the easier it is to damage. Refinishing can cause a lot of dust from sanding and fumes from coating. It's better to have a professional refinish your floors, but according to contractors.com, that can cost $1.25 to more than $4.00 per square foot.

Prevention/Solution

When your floors are refinished, you can keep it looking new longer by keeping humidity between 40% and 65%. Protect the wood from dirt and salt by placing rugs inside and outside all your doors and cleaning your floor regularly with a vacuum. Clean up spills immediately and use a well-wrung out mop and a mild cleaner made for hardwood floors for bigger messes. Put felt protectors on furniture, clip pets' nails, and avoid walking on wood floors with high heels and shoes with cleats.