Home Care

Hardwood floor refinishing tips

by angelasays

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HARDWOOD FLOOR REFINISHING?

Does your hardwood floor look hideous? Can you spot untidy scuff marks, stains, and scratches on it? Are you in a confused state about which option to choose; Refinishing or Replacement? Well, we understand, when it comes to renovating a home or preserving its beauty, several decisions need to be made; and choosing refinishing services is one of them. If you are in a perplexing situation – whether refinishing or replacement – it would be best to approach the right installation company for assistance.

Refinishing floors is a superficial procedure that involves sanding the topmost layer of the floors and applying a fresh stain and 2-3 coats of polyurethanes to make them look new again. This procedure also involves removing old or worn-out floorboards, fixing buckling boards, and making the entire space even again.

REFINISHING PROCESS

  • It’s a multi-step procedure to keep the floors gorgeous-looking.
  • Preparing the floor for the refinishing job

Once you’ve decided to refinish your floors, start preparing your floor to kick-start the refinishing. Although the task is carried out by the professionals at KIWI, before they arrive, you can move the furniture out and pull up the rugs or carpets, so that they can begin their work immediately.

First, refinishers hammer down the protruding nails and check for loose boards and fix them (if any). Then, a thorough cleaning will be done to remove every speck of dust. Also, they seal the open spaces (like doors and windows) and air vents to prevent dust and sand from getting into your ductwork and the rest of the house.

  • Sanding the floors

Sanding the hardwood floor is the crucial stage to eliminate stains and scratches. At KIWI, we use vacuum systems that provide your floor with a dust-free finishing process. During the procedure, we take every precaution, like wearing masks, safety goggles, full sleeves suits, and ear protection devices to ensure complete safety while working on the site.

  • Screening the floors

During this stage, we use a buffer with a fine-grit screening pad to level up even the little unevenness. It ensures table-top smoothness so that the polyurethane can adhere better to the surface.

  • Remove dust and take preventive measures to restrict dust

Finally, rigorous sweeping and vacuuming are done to make the floors immaculately clean for further process. Here, several measures are taken, like cleaning walls to prevent bumped scuffs from falling on the floor, shutting off doors and windows to avert the dust from flowing in, and more.

  • Applying wood stain

With refinishing services, you’ve the opportunity to change the color of your floors. You can choose the fresh stain color to complement your new interior and dramatically transform your home’s look. Experts apply the stain with perfection to make sure it creates a wow impression. We stock a wide variety of Bona’s DriFast Stain colors or custom mix different shades to provide you with a tone that goes fine with your decor.

  • Applying finishes

Lastly, a protective coat of wood finish is applied to provide protection to your wooden floors. There are different types of finishes available in the market — water-based and oil-based — to make your floors look new again. How you should choose the right finish is discussed later in the blog.

Once the finishing gets dried, then put your furniture in place, but avoid dragging it on the newly refinished floors.

BENEFITS OF REFINISHING

  • Restore the Floor’s Beauty

Having professionals for refinishing your floors means all those dents, water stains, scratches, and all other imperfections can be corrected, giving your floors a brand new life. This fresh look leaves an impression of your lavish status on every visitor.

  • Enhance Home’s Market Value

A scratch-free, elegant floor can significantly improve your home’s market value. According to several reports, buyers willingly pay more for houses with flawless-looking hardwood floors instead of carpets. Such homes look appealing to potential buyers.

  • Increased Safety

Damaged floors not just look bad but worn or splintering floors also cause serious injury to your family members. Therefore, opting for Hardwood Floor Refinishing mitigates the chances of such potential hazards and ensures your family’s safety.

  • Save Money & Efforts on Maintenance

A worn-out, dull wooden flooring requires a lot of maintenance and effort to keep it clean. If you refinish your floors, they look brand-new again, and you won’t need time-intensive cleaning and maintenance services.

SIGNS YOU NEED TO REFINISH YOUR FLOOR NOW

We have been working as a prominent installer and refinisher for years now; using our extensive knowledge, here we have shortlisted a few signs that tell you it’s time for refinishing the floors. Let’s begin-

  • Lots of visible scratches

It’s the most obvious sign; having a lot of scratches on your hardwood floor tells you that you must hire a professional refinisher now. As mentioned earlier, scratches are inevitable; you can ignore a few tiny scratches, but when they begin to ruin the look of your home, you must opt for refinishing services. The only solution to fix the deep scratches and dents is sanding and applying polyurethane.

  • Discoloration

When you observe your hardwood floors have begun fading from UV rays exposure too much, it’s time for re-staining to bring them back to their pristine condition. The difference in color is noticeable and looks extremely ugly at the same time. A new stain keeps your floor looking marvelous again while renewing its protection against sunlight.

  • Splintering and cupping of floorboards

Unresolved cupping and wrapping is the sign of water damage. Standing water and leaks not only create marks on the floor but also cause the boards to swell or wrap. Therefore, it’s always suggested to clean any liquid spill immediately with a soft, slightly wet cloth.

  • Missing boards

If there are missing boards, it can be hard to find the exact same boards. That’s why it’s suggested to keep the fall-off wood planks securely or don’t dispose of the scrab at the time of installation. Such pieces can be useful at the time of refinishing.

Keep your eye on these warning signs to determine it’s time for refinishing!

HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT POLYURETHANE FOR HARDWOOD FLOORS?

Two popular types of polyurethane available out there are oil-based and water-based. Both finishes have different properties! You’ve to consider different factors when it comes to choosing the finish for your floor. If you want a yellow tint and a tough surface, oil-based polyurethane is the right choice. But, if you want a natural appearance and good protection to the wood floor, consider a water-based finish. It easily accentuates the character of the wooden floor without giving it an amber tone.

WHY NOT DIY AND CHOOSE A PROFESSIONAL?

If you’re thinking of saving money using DIY approaches, you can have better luck with minor repairing work or wall painting, but not wood floor refinishing. Being an amateur, you have no idea how to proceed systematically. Also, no knowledge to resolve any random issue that arises. So it’s always the best decision to hire a company instead of DIYs. Let’s discuss a few points to prove this point-

  • Cost savings

Professionals follow a dedicated approach to refinishing the floors. They know how to tackle a particular problem so well that it doesn’t arise again. On the other hand, you, being a non-professional, may end up doing things wrong, leading to unnecessary expenses. Also, you have to purchase different tools to complete the job, which can be costly. So it is better to leave the job for professionals.

  • Skills and Expertise

Do you know how to fix the cupping boards? Do you have any experience of removing old or worn-out floorboards? Do you know how to fix the potential problems? Well, the answer is ‘No’. To carry out the refinishing job smoothly, it’s important to have good skills and knowledge, and at the same time, enough experience to anticipate potential problems. Thus, the best option is to hire a pre-eminent refinishing company.

  • Mind-blowing results

Flooring has the potential to significantly transform the appearance of the home. Plus, it’s a costly investment. So why not give the responsibility to professionals to maintain its original beauty? Refinishing specialists, using the right products and techniques, deliver outstanding results, which are impossible to achieve using DIYs.

  • Timely completion of the job

Being a homeowner, you’ve several other tasks to take care of. Sometimes the guests may come whom you have to attend, or sometimes you have to go out for parties or other gatherings; it can be tough to manage everything on your own. And if you can, then it takes time. Having a mess all around in your home for a long time makes you feel sick. So it’s better to contact a specialist instead of doing things yourselves.

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT EXPERT FOR REFINISHING?

Well, several hardwood floor installation and refinishing companies have been springing up in the market; but, not all of them provide superior services. So it is best to invest plenty of time to pick out the right service provider among all.KIWI is a hardwood floor refinishing company that has over 33 years of experience making sure wood floors look great. Give us a call today to learn more!