Hardwood Floor Refinishing: Turning Drab into Fab
While hardwood floors are one of the most practical choices for flooring material, the protective finish can wear off over time; particularly in high traffic areas, or dull from being hidden under carpet for years. These are the primary reasons that homeowners choose to refinish hardwood floors.
Tackling a hardwood refinishing job yourself can be a nightmare. This is a job better left to the professionals. Flowers Flooring has the knowledge and experience to bring your dull wood floors back to life with a quality new finish. We also have the needed equipment to get the job done efficiently and with as little mess as possible, including dustless sanders that work to remove existing hardwood finish and prepare the wood to accept new stain.
Conduct a Simple Hardwood Floor Refinish Test
Before bringing in the professionals, first determine if your hardwood floors need new finish or are simply dirty. This can be accomplished through a simple test. Pour a tablespoon of water on the floor in a high traffic area, where the hardwood floor finish takes the most abuse. If the water forms beads, the floor is properly sealed, which means at most a good cleaning and stain removal is needed.
If the water does not bead and takes a few minutes to seep in and only darkens the floor slightly, this means the finish is partially worn and that your floors need to be refinished in the very near future.
If the water soaks right in and leaves a dark spot, it’s most definitely time to refinish your hardwood floors.
Selecting the Right Hardwood Stain
There are endless colors of stain to choose from and this decision can be overwhelming. There are three key things to consider when selecting a stain color for your hardwood floors. It is also important to be certain about the color of stain you select. Once the stain has been applied, the only way to change it is to re-sand and re-stain the floor.
The Species of Wood on Your Hardwood Floors
The species of wood you have will make a difference in your stain choices. Oak is the easiest wood to stain and provides the most color options. Hardwood floors made of birch, maple and coniferous woods like pine or fir are more difficult to stain evenly and look best when left with a natural look. Maple and birch wood species have tight grains and tiny pores, making it harder to absorb stain pigment.
The Amount of Light and Foot Traffic in the Room
Lighter, more natural stain colors will show the wood’s whorls and knots, and can open up a room that is small and does not get a lot of natural light. Light stain color will show the wood’s natural imperfections, and it does a better job at camouflaging scratches, dust and pet hair. Darker stain colors are great for hiding the woods natural imperfections, but will show more scratches, dust and pet hair – especially if the room is well lit.
The color and style of furniture in the room
With so many wood stain colors on market shelves today you can find the perfect color to fit any décor. Flowers Flooring will provide stain samples so you can be certain the stain you choose is the right one for your home. We will even use a plank of your wood flooring to create a few samples with varying finishes. This will give you a good idea of how each color will look in your home.
Contact Flowers Flooring today to schedule a free in-home estimate to refinish your hardwood floors. Turn your old, gritty floors into beautiful floors that will not only improve the aesthetic quality of your room, making it more livable and increase the value of your home, but will also reduce future maintenance and repair costs.
