Hardwood flooring is a timeless and practical interior design element that can last a very long time if properly maintained. To keep hardwood flooring lasting for multiple generations, hardwood floor refinishing services are usually needed.
At JJ Hardwood, we’ve worked with flooring that’s hundreds of years old (That’s New England for you!), and it’s truly amazing how professional care can bring old flooring back to life with refinishing work. Wood flooring can look brand new years after it’s been installed, with the appropriate restoration techniques.
If you’ve got some hardwood floors in your home that you’re unsure about whether they can be saved or not, consider what professional hardwood floor restoration may be able to do!
And, before attempting to refinish hardwood flooring yourself, there are a few things to know about the process and some identifiers that your hardwood flooring needs restoration.
How to Make Wood Floors Look New Again – Things to Be Aware Of
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The Expense and Scope
Generally speaking, floor restoration is a cheaper option than replacing your flooring together. And, with modern restoration techniques, like dustless floor sanding, it’s less intrusive than ever before to get flooring refinished in your home.
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The Flooring Solutions Used – Stains and Dyes
Hardwood stains are liquid solutions that go in between wood grains and pores, made of unique color pigments. Whether you use water-based or oil-based stains, both will help improve your hardwood’s color, tone, and presence. Wood floor staining will be used to bring vibrancy back to the wood that needs refinishing treatments.
Hardwood dyes usually come in a powdered form and are mixed with a solvent; also known as wood tints, the dyes penetrate and bind the wood. For this reason, dyes don’t need a binding agent. Hardwood dyes are used to create consistency and uniformity for the hardwood that needs refinishing.
Some Signs Your Floor Needs to be Refinished
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Greying Floor Boards
Grey wood is one of the first signs that you need to act quickly. Grey wood happens when the polyurethane wears off, allowing your wood to absorb excess moisture. Normal amounts of water from spills, precipitation, or cleaning products oxidize the wood.
If the hardwood gets much darker than a light grey, it means the wood is rotting, and the board will need to be replaced. However, this can be avoided if you call a wood flooring restoration professional before the wood is beyond the point of saving.
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Deep Scratches
It may seem obvious, but deep scratches are an immediate sign that your floor needs refinishing. Scratches are a part of life and happen often. There are also varying degrees of scratched hardwood. You don’t need to have your floor refinished every time some lighter superficial scratches happen.
Some people will try and fix scratches on wood floors themselves with some outlandish home remedies – but really, the only answer to repairing deep scratches and gouges on hardwood floors is refinishing services.
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Water Damage
While hardwood floors are simple to maintain with the right atmospheric conditions, wood will expand and contract depending on moisture levels; this is why it’s important to clean up any spills immediately after they happen.
Unfortunately, during humid weather or after water damage, the boards will begin to buckle. It’s important to catch this before it causes any more damage to your home. A climate-controlled home with dialed-in humidity typically doesn’t have to worry about humidity levels, but standing water in any home will cause damage to hardwood floors.
If you’ve got questions regarding hardwood flooring restoration, please reach out! We’d be happy to answer any questions.
