Although wood floors last for decades, sometimes even centuries, the finish doesn’t. Even when you do all the right things like removing shoes, having area rugs, and adding floor protection to your furniture, eventually the top layer, or finishing layer, wears away. And, unlike your walls that can simply be repainted, wood floor refinishing requires sanding and cleaning before a new topcoat or finish is added. With proper care, depending on the flooring and type of finish, you may need to call a hardwood floor refinisher somewhere between every eight and 15 years. However, without good care, you may need to refinish your floors sooner.
Common Floor Damage That Refinishing Can Fix
The most common floor damage we see in both the Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas is from sand. Sand, although when on the beach, may feel wonderful and soft underfoot, when it’s on your hardwood floors, it acts like sandpaper. And, just because your home isn’t on the beach doesn’t mean sand isn’t being tracked in your home.
Not surprisingly, the second most common type of floor damage we see is from pets. The larger the animal, the more likely it is that they’re leaving scratches and dents in your hardwood floors. In the majority of cases a hardwood floor refinisher can repair both types of damage with a screen and recoat rather than a total strip and finish.
What About Water Damage?
There are many types of water damage. The more significant, the less likely that a simple refinish – either screen and recoat or a total strip down to the bare wood – can repair the damage. However, if you have just a few boards that are cupping around the edges, sometimes it is possible to save the floors and refinish them. Ask your hardwood floor refinisher if they can repair your water damage.
Which Refinishing Process is Better?
If you are okay with the color of your floors and there aren’t significantly deep scratches, you should be able to utilize the screen and recoat process. However, if you want to change the color, your hardwood floor refinisher must sand down to the bare wood. Neither process is better, they just do different things. Things that make the difference include the products used, the number of coats of finish, and the hardwood floor refinisher’s expertise.
Call Seer Flooring When You Need a Hardwood Floor Refinisher
Whether you need a screen and recoat or are looking for a total refinish down to the bare wood, we have the experience and expertise to do the job right. Call Seer Flooring for your free estimate. Of course, if you’re unsure about which process you need to repair the damage, we will provide you with our recommendation. Call (727) 469-7963 or fill out our contact form today.