No one can deny the timeless beauty, elegance, and durability of hardwood flooring. However, it’s still susceptible to wear and tear. After years of drops, spills, shifting furniture, and heavy foot traffic, it can get scratched and scuffed. This is why you need to have your flooring refinished once in a while. If you have children and pets inside your home, your hardwood flooring will need to be refinished much earlier than expected.
There are various finishes you can choose for your hardwood floors, such as wax and urethane coating. The right finish can protect your flooring from everyday use in your home.
If wood floor refinishing is simple enough and only requires a bit of sanding and a layer or two of a bright polyurethane finish, a seasoned DIYer should be able to handle the job. However, for more complicated refinishing jobs, you will need the help of professional flooring experts. Here are some things that you need to keep in mind when hiring a contractor:
Carefully Choose Your Floor Guy
When looking for a flooring contractor, don’t settle for the one with the lowest price. You get what you pay for, after all. It’s also possible that they are still learning the trade. You might even be their first client. Some industrial grade refinishing tools are powerful and tricky to handle. In the hands of a novice, such powerful equipment can cause more harm than good. So don’t scrimp and hire the best. Get referrals from people you trust, and don’t hesitate to ask to see some of the contractor’s past work.
Select a Hardwood Flooring Finish
There are several hardwood flooring finishes to choose from. Each one has pros and cons. Some have more sheen to them, while others have a higher gloss finish. A satin sheen or glossy finish will give your home a more traditional look. However, do take note that the brighter the finish, the more obvious the scuffing and scratch marks will be. A matte finish, on the other hand, reflects less light. It is also much more practical.
Some of the most common wood finishes are:
- Oil-based polyurethane
- Water-based polyurethane
- Moisture-cured polyurethane
- Wood flooring penetrative sealers
- Wax hardwood finish
- Acid-cured finish
Consider the Color
Wood flooring with a deep, vibrant color that is darker than corrugated cardboard might have been stained to look that way. Having your floors polyed and screened won’t affect the original stain applied on your hardwood flooring. However, the original stain won’t survive if you’re planning on doing a full refinishing. So you will need to have it re-stained if you want it to match the original color. Of course, you can always choose another color if you wish. But do note that adding a stain can increase the cost of your project by as much as 50%.
Final Thoughts
Hardwood finish is essential whether you are starting from scratch or merely refinishing your floors, as it can provide an extra layer of protection on your hardwood floor. Aside from that, the finish you choose can add to the aesthetics of your floor. After deciding on a treatment, you can now select the sheen and shade you wish to add to the natural beauty of hardwood floor to enhance it.
