If you have wooden floors in your home, it may be a blessing and a curse. Wooden floors are beautiful to look at but require a considerable amount of upkeep. If you’re wondering whether or not your wooden floors need to be restored, here are some tips…
You may need your wooden floors restored if…
- There appears to be many scratches on the surface of your wooden floors
- You notice that some boards are turning a grey-ish color
- Your floors have experienced a considerable amount of water damage and may even be swelling up
- Nails are poking through; This is a potential safety hazard and should be taken care of right away
- Your floorboards move or creak when you walk on them
- You are no longer satisfied with the overall look of your wooden floors and want a new look
To prepare your floors to be refinished, the process should include:
- Extracting the moulding around the edges of the flooring
- Sand the floor
- Remove all dust and dirt
After these three steps have been taken, it is probably time for the professionals to come in and apply the wood stain and finish. If you’d like to try it on your own, be sure to rent the sanding machines, fill in any holes with putty after sanding, spot test the stain/finish you plan to use, and avoid dragging furniture back into the room where you restored the floors to prevent further scratching.
After you’ve put in work to either refinish your wooden floors yourself or if you hired professionals to get the job done, we recommend taking extra care of your floors following the restoration for as long as possible to ensure the restoration lasts for years to come.
After the restoration:
- Try to limit the amount of foot traffic going through the room(s) where the restoration took place and clip the nails of your pets to prevent more scratching
- Limit the amount of water that comes into contact with your floors
- Sweep the floor frequently
- Placing area rugs on top of the portion of the wood that was restored can be an easy way to ensure it won’t be scratched anytime soon
Once you’ve realized your wooden floors need restoration due to their scratches, discoloration, water damage, floorboard issues, or just their worn-out look, be sure to remove the moulding, sand, and remove dirt before you start the finishing process. Once the work is done, be extra careful with your newly restored floors to maintain their new look for years to come.
