Refinishing Floors

How often should you refinish your hardwood floors?  This is a difficult question to answer, mainly due to the fact that it is a decision based largely on personal preference.  Most refinishing is not done on a specific time table.  Instead it’s done depending on the appearance of the floor.  This is where the personal taste comes in.   A lot of different homeowners like the changes that occur in hardwood flooring over time.  It develops a type of patina and character with its imperfections and damage to the wood.  Some people like this look so much that they will buy distressed flooring or even have their own floors distressed in order to give their hardwood floors that organic and rustic feel.  But, then of course, some people purchase hardwood flooring because of its ability to hold a high, glossy sheen.  For homeowners who want this out of their hardwood floors they’ll have to refinish them more often. Read the rest of this entry »

Bamboo is considered a hardwood in the flooring industry, which is a common misconception.  Bamboo is actually a grass and is the fastest growing woody plant in the world.  This makes them a renewable resource and perfect for use in flooring.  But since bamboo isn’t technically a type of wood the way you would go about refinishing bamboo flooring is different. Read the rest of this entry »

Refinishing painted wood floors is a large project and it will take a lot of work just to get it started.  The work you put in beforehand is work and problems you won’t have to deal with further down the road so it’s important to be thorough.  First things first—you should remove all furniture, fixtures, rugs and other items from the room.  Then you should go on to remove any shoe molds or other molding that you have down at the floor level.  You should carefully remove these with a hammer and a pry bar.  Be careful so you can reinstall them when you’re done. Read the rest of this entry »

Sanding and refinishing hardwood flooring is quite an undertaking. Doing so is completely worth it since it rejuvenates the floor and when done well, it essentially sets the clock all the way back to zero.  But like any great undertaking there are a lot of things that go into the process.  Possibly, the most important part would be the assortment of tools needed for the job. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the many benefits of natural hardwood flooring is its outstanding endurance.  Many natural hardwood floors can last much longer than twenty five years when properly cared for.  But despite the strictest adherence to basic hardwood flooring upkeep, overtime, your hardwood flooring will still show damage.  Whether this will be in the form of stains, scratching or just general wear–there is something that you can do about it. Read the rest of this entry »