About Restoring Wood Floors
No matter how well you take care of your wood floors, they can become scratched, stained or scuffed over time, especially if you have children or pets. If this happens to your wood floors, you may need to restore them to their former beauty. Having them done professionally can be expensive, so you might want to restore your wood floors yourself. Whatever you choose, you should know what to look for in methods and materials. Does this Spark an idea?
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Identification
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To find out if your wood floor's finish has worn off, pour two tablespoons of water on the floor. If it soaks in and leaves a dark spot, the finish is gone. If it soaks in after a few minutes and the spot it leaves isn't as dark, the finish is partly worn off. If the water beads up, the surface is fine. If you don't know what type of finish your floor has, you can find out by putting a small amount of paint thinner on an inconspicuous part of the floor. If it's a surface finish such as polyurethane, the surface will bubble. Putting ammonia on a floor with a penetrating seal such as wax or oil will whiten and soften the surface.
Features
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When you know what your floor is coated with you can choose the correct method to remove stains and restore the finish. You may need to repair or replace wood damaged by cracks, warped boards, holes, burns and pet or other stains. Deep cleaning with a damp mop and a ph neutral wood cleaner or buffing the wood is sometimes all you need. If your floor has a surface finish, damage can sometimes be repaired by removing layers of finish on the damaged board with steel wool or sandpaper, removing dust completely and applying the samed type of finish you removed. If your floor has a penetrating seal, most stains can be removed with number 2 steel wool. Reapplying floor polish or wax can restore your floor to its former beauty in minutes.
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Significance
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Wood floors can be refinished several times because the wood is thick. If your floor damage reaches into the wood, if the floor is covered with a penetrating seal, or if your surface finish has been waxed, you'll have to sand your floor down to the bare wood. If not, you can probably use a process called screening to restore your floors. Screening removes only the top layer of polyurethane on your wood floor. If you restore wood floors while the damage is in the finish, you'll save a lot of time and money.
Types
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When your floor is ready to be coated, you can use the kind of finish that's already on your floor or you can choose another. Surface finishes are usually glossy and give a high shine to your wood. Penetrating seals have a satiny gloss, and you can feel the wood grain when you run your hand along the floor's surface. Water-based urethane and oil-modified urethane are surface finishes that are easy to apply and dry in three to eight hours. Penetrating stain and wax finishes are penetrating seals that soak deep into the wood and harden. Conversion varnish finishes and moisture-cured urethane are more durable and resist moisture, but the odor is strong and they should only be used by professionals.
Prevention/Solution
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To prevent newly restored floors from expanding and contracting, keep your relative humidity between 40 and 65 percent. Protect wood floors from dirt, grit and salt by putting rugs inside and outside of each entryway. Use area rugs or runners in high traffic areas and vacuum them often. Clean your wood floors regularly by vacuuming, cleaning up spills as soon as they happen and using a slightly damp mop with a ph neutral wood floor cleaner for bigger messes. Avoid walking on wood floors with shoes that have cleats or high heels. Clip pets' nails and place felt pads on furniture so it won't scratch or forge the surface of your hardwood floors.
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