So, your wood floors are looking a little rough around the edges and you are trying to decide what to do about it. Should you refinish, or should you simply rip it all out and start fresh? It's a big decision and not one that should be made without careful consideration.
That's why About Floors n' More put together this quick guide to some important considerations when deciding how best to deal with your out of shape hardwood flooring or engineered hardwood flooring.
What Are Your Floor's Problems?
There are many problems that can be addressed during the process of sanding and refinishing a floor. It's a perfect opportunity to change the color of your floor, as well as a great time to address damage that has been caused to specific planks, like warping, termite damage, or stained planks. You can also take care of squeaky planks, fill knots, and close gaps.
However, there are some problems that will require a full reinstallation of your floor to address:
- Structural Problems: If your house has structural concerns that are concealed by your flooring, the only way to address them is to rip out the floors. It's sad but true.
- Movement: If your floorboards are moving around a lot, a simple refinish job won't fix the problem. In fact, all of the ruckus might actually make it worse. It's best to do a fresh reinstall if this is the case.
- Damage: refinishing your floors is a great way to fix problems with specific planks, but if more than 30% of your wood flooring's planks are damaged, it's not worth the trouble to fix them individually. At that point, you will probably just want to replace the whole lot.
- Thickness of Planks- If your wood flooring has been sanded and refinished a number of times, your floors may be too thin to repeat the process. Depending upon the thickness of your planks, you can re-sand up to 6 times before this becomes an issue. If you are unsure whether your flooring is suitable to be refinished again, you probably want to consult with a professional before going ahead with a refinishing job.
If you need help assessing whether you need a new wood flooring installation, or simply just need a new finish, we would like to encourage you to contact us at About Floors n' More to arrange for a consultation. Simply call, e-mail, or stop into our showrooms in Jacksonville, FL to arrange for a consultation with one of our top-notch flooring experts. We'll help you decide upon the plan of action that best suits your floor's needs, as well as your budget!
That's why About Floors n' More put together this quick guide to some important considerations when deciding how best to deal with your out of shape hardwood flooring or engineered hardwood flooring.
What Are Your Floor's Problems?
There are many problems that can be addressed during the process of sanding and refinishing a floor. It's a perfect opportunity to change the color of your floor, as well as a great time to address damage that has been caused to specific planks, like warping, termite damage, or stained planks. You can also take care of squeaky planks, fill knots, and close gaps.
However, there are some problems that will require a full reinstallation of your floor to address:
- Structural Problems: If your house has structural concerns that are concealed by your flooring, the only way to address them is to rip out the floors. It's sad but true.
- Movement: If your floorboards are moving around a lot, a simple refinish job won't fix the problem. In fact, all of the ruckus might actually make it worse. It's best to do a fresh reinstall if this is the case.
- Damage: refinishing your floors is a great way to fix problems with specific planks, but if more than 30% of your wood flooring's planks are damaged, it's not worth the trouble to fix them individually. At that point, you will probably just want to replace the whole lot.
- Thickness of Planks- If your wood flooring has been sanded and refinished a number of times, your floors may be too thin to repeat the process. Depending upon the thickness of your planks, you can re-sand up to 6 times before this becomes an issue. If you are unsure whether your flooring is suitable to be refinished again, you probably want to consult with a professional before going ahead with a refinishing job.
If you need help assessing whether you need a new wood flooring installation, or simply just need a new finish, we would like to encourage you to contact us at About Floors n' More to arrange for a consultation. Simply call, e-mail, or stop into our showrooms in Jacksonville, FL to arrange for a consultation with one of our top-notch flooring experts. We'll help you decide upon the plan of action that best suits your floor's needs, as well as your budget!