Do You Need to Refinish Your Hardwood Floors?

There’s no mistaking the inherent natural beauty of genuine hardwood flooring and the effect that the gorgeous graining and unmistakable texture has throughout the home. Listed as the number one flooring preference with prospective homebuyers, authentic wood planks also represent a true value-adding investment towards a property’s bottom line. Whether you love medium browns, airy creams, or a darker wood tone, you can restore the shine of your surfaces when you feel it’s time for hardwood refinishing. As hardwood lovers here at DeGraaf Interiors, here are a few signs and valuable tips we would like to share for when you may need to refinish or resurface your hardwood floors!

In addition to spills, drops, scratches, and general wear over decades, let’s first identify practices that can contribute to damaging our pristine hardwood surfaces.

Improper Cleaning Supplies & Equipment

Unfortunately, you can ruin your wood floors with improper cleaning supplies and practices. Avoid scrubbing pads, steam cleaners, and vacuums without a specific wood floor attachment. Do not use professional-grade products, vinegar, bleach, or wax!

Too Much Sunlight

Overexposure to UV rays will cause damage to your hardwood surface. Rotate your furniture periodically and use drapes or sheer curtains to decrease the amount of direct light that your floors receive.

Moisture

Never leave standing water on the floor, wipe up even little droplets, and avoid putting items that transfer moisture such as pet water bowls, drinks, and coolers directly on the floors.

Improper Area Rugs

Avoid rugs or mats with a rubber or vinyl backing since these backings can contain materials that have been known to cause discoloration or dulling of a hardwood finish.

When it comes to hardwood refinishing, our hardwood experts recommend the following visual signs as indicators that it’s time to act in preserving your floor’s appearance.

Scratches

With real wood floors, eventually your surface will receive scratching. Although smaller scratches can typically be sanded out, deeper scratches that go through the wood stain will remain until the floor is refinished.

Fading

Natural light contains UV rays that over time will dull your wood floor with overexposure. Faded areas of your wood floor will stand out negatively and need to be refinished to restore even color and appearance.

Cupping/Cracking

Climates that feature excessive humidity and changes in moisture can create concave cupping to wood planks, which will later crack and dry out once the humidity drops. If these adverse effects remain when the weather stabilizes, hardwood refinishing will be needed to return an even surface.

Discoloration

If you identify discolored wood such as greying or black spots different from the wood’s actual tone, your floor is most likely oxidizing from absorbing a spill, pet accident, or flooding. Refinishing your floor can remove the discoloration before the planks need to be replaced entirely.

If you have any hardwood concerns or refinishing questions, make sure to visit our DeGraaf Interiors experts in our Grand Rapids, MI showroom to discuss your hardwood investment and how to preserve it. With early recognition and proper follow-up steps, you can remove surface damage and keep your lustrous hardwood floors shining through the years!