It is difficult to decide when your should refinish your hardwood floors. Some homeowners jump the gun, refinishing their floors before necessary. Not only will refinishing disrupt your lifestyle for a few days, but it is a lot of work to take on. You will need to move out all of the furniture, prepare the house, rearrange things and clean up after completion. So, before you assume your home needs the floors redone, it is best to call in a professional for a consult.
Robar Flooring offers expert consultations and can assess your need for hardwood floor refinishing.
Do Not Rush, But Do Not Wait Too Long Either!
How your floors are used and cared for, how much traffic and damage they see, how often they are cleaned, all these factors will help determine when your floors may need to be refinished. With proper care, hardwood floors can last 20 years before they need to be sanded and restained. Your floors can be refinished up to six or eight times if they have the classic s-inch-thick boards.
You should be aware that refinishing floors too often or too soon can dramatically decrease their longevity. While refinishing does restore the wood’s appearance, shine, and can even change the color, your floors may not be ready for it. Here’s what you can do to make sure it is the proper time for refinishing:
- Perform A Water Test – Find the areas of your floors that see the most traffic. Then, pour a tablespoon of clean water onto the floor and watch. If small droplets form and sit on top of the wood, your floor’s finish is in good condition. But, if it soaks into the wood quickly or leaves a spot, you need to refinish.
- Test The Thickness – Even if your floor shows signs of wear with the water test, you may not be able to refinish. Your boards need at least 1/32-inch left to be sanded down again. If you do not have enough thickness, you will need to replace the floor. To test thickness, find two floorboards that have a slight crack in between. Insert a business card into the crack as far as you can get it, and then mark with a pencil on the card to see how far it went. Measure the distance to see if it is at least 1/32-inch or more.
Before Refinishing Your Floors, Call A Professional
Hardwood floor refinishing is not only a tedious task, but if it is not done properly, you could permanently damage your floors. While you may save money doing the job yourself, most homeowners end up paying more to repair the damage done by a DIY job. Therefore, if you think your floors need refinishing, call a professional so that you can preserve the wood and restore your floors to their original beauty.
Robar Flooring offers professional hardwood floor refinishing in the GTA. Call us now or contact us online.