Hardwood floor refinishing really is an important part of maintaining your hardwood flooring throughout your life. You might have older hardwood flooring that you’d like to restore to its former glory. Or perhaps you’re purchasing a house with wooden floors, which need to be refinished prior to moving in. Whatever the reason, refinishing hardwood flooring can be an excellent way to protect and maintain the investment you’ve made in your home.
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Hardwood Floor Refinishing Basics
Hardwood floor refinishing really is an important part of maintaining your hardwood flooring throughout your life. You might have older hardwood flooring that you’d like to restore to its former glory. Or perhaps you’re purchasing a house with wooden floors, which need to be refinished prior to moving in. Whatever the reason, refinishing hardwood flooring can be an excellent way to protect and maintain the investment you’ve made in your home.
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The most well known type of hardwood floor refinishing, which is also the least expensive form, is a high gloss finish. High gloss finishes are available in a wide range of colours from very dark woods to highly bright whites. They’re ideal for use on hardwood flooring that’s in need of protection from daily wear and tear. You’ll also find high gloss polyurethane finishes more affordable than high gloss finishes. Polyurethane protects your wood floor at the same level as high gloss, but it uses less product and is therefore easier to apply.
For more extensive protection, or when you have larger areas to refinish, you might consider using random orbital Sanders. Used properly, random orbital Sanders can produce extremely fine dust particles. This can help you prevent the need for refinishing sanding, especially in larger areas. Random orbital Sanders work best with hardwood floor refinishing that’s going to require you to sand large sections of floors at once.
If you’re unsure whether your hardwood floor refinishing project will include any water damage repair, call a professional. Water damage can cause irreparable damage to your wood floors. If you’ve already sanded the floor, and there are only tiny, invisible cracks, you might not need water damage repair. However, if you notice deep scratches, deep gouges, or discoloration in your wood floors, you should seriously consider having them refinished. Discoloration occurs from excessive exposure to sunlight, moisture, or chemicals; all of which are damaging to wood floors.
For those who don’t want to wait for their floors to completely dry and repair, many finishing companies offer a “patina” or coatings to bring back the natural luster of wood floors. The new finish will be much less noticeable than a fresh finish, but you may still need to remove the existing finish. In this case, ask your hardwood floor refinishing company to apply a durable sealant before applying the new finish. The sealant will help protect your floors from scratches, so you can easily walk on the floors.
After the hardwood floor refinishing process, you’ll receive a free dust mask, as well as a hand held vacuum to pick up the dust. We recommend that you clean the dust mask daily, especially if you use the machine to complete the hardwood floor refinishing process. You can also give us a call to make sure you don’t forget to dust it off. We’ve found that dust masks with built-in aprons are great for keeping dust from getting into your air ducts and leaking into your home. If you work from home, you can keep it in a box in your closet.
After the hardwood floor refinishing process is complete, you will need to treat your wood floors. We recommend that you choose a wood treatment product that has been specifically designed for wood floors. These products will protect your floors from scratches, dents, and dings. They can also make them look brighter, even years after the refinishing process. If you have pets, you may also want to consider using pet-proof floor mats, which will protect your wood floors, and reduce allergens.
Hardwood floor refinishing can make your home beautiful and provide a long lasting value. When you hire a contractor to perform the refinishing process, we recommend that you choose a company with experience. Ask about their customer service. We’ve had our customers recommend our company to others and received positive feedback. Ask about the warranty on the hardwood floor refinishing, and if there are any guarantees or warranties on damaged items. Make sure you understand the cost of the refinishing process, including labor and any applicable taxes.