Hardwood floors direct maintain an incomparable beauty as well as they tin add together warmth as well as trend to whatever room. Whether yous direct maintain a traditional abode amongst architectural details or a modern, industrial space, hardwoods stand upwardly for correct in. That’s why many homeowners fifty-fifty purpose hardwood floors inward kitchens as well as bathrooms.
If you’re fortunate plenty to direct maintain master copy hardwood floors, catch restoring their master copy beauty. Below are tips from 2 hardwood flooring experts to help.
Sometimes, your floors solely request a recoating. Image: Breadmaker/Shutterstock
Recoat or Refinish?
If your woods floors start to await dull, they tin live on renewed through recoating. “A maintenance coat involves cleaning the existing floor’s finish, as well as then lightly sanding it,” explains Brett Miller, VP of Education & Certification for the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA). “After that, yous only request an application of a fresh novel coat of woods flooring finish.”
Miller recommends applying a novel coat to your floors every iii to v years. However, he says your maintenance schedule may depend on apparel as well as tear, every bit good every bit your lifestyle.
“However, a consummate sand as well as refinish is recommended when at that spot are deep scratches, dents as well as other flooring damage,” Miller explains. He also recommends this procedure if the complete is worn away as well as the bare woods is exposed. This may live on the instance if yous purchase a fixer-upper home. And there’s some other practice goodness to doing a consummate sand as well as refinish. “Sanding a flooring dorsum to raw woods is the perfect chance to modify the color of the floor,” Miller says.
Don’t Use the Wrong Equipment
“Wood flooring restoration starts amongst sanding the floor,” Kate Gailunas, Interior Designer as well as Owner of N-Hance Wood Refinishing, explains. “This strips away the previous complete as well as removes surface-level scuffs as well as scratches.”
However, if yous endeavor to sand the flooring amongst abode ability tools, she says yous powerfulness sand the floors unevenly. And that’s the best-case scenario. Gailunas warns that yous could also severely harm the wood. “Do it correct — purpose a drum sander,” she advises.
Avoid Uneven Sanding
But fifty-fifty if yous purpose a drum sander, there’s no guarantee that yous won’t brand mistakes if you’re non careful. “Under-sanding tin operate out spots of onetime stains or finish,” she says. “And as well as then these areas are unsuitable for refinishing.”
And, there’s something fifty-fifty worse than under-sanding. “Over-sanding tin atomic number 82 to divots or scratches that solely a professional person tin fix,” Gailunas says.
Take your fourth dimension to ensure an fifty-fifty color. Image: pics721/Shutterstock
Be Aware of Improper Edging
Also, live on advised that a drum sander cannot instruct unopen plenty to your walls as well as baseboards to sand them. “To instruct these areas, you’ll request an edger,” Gailunas says. You’ll also request to live on patient when using the edger. “Don’t rush these areas, because it results inward a noticeable color/texture departure roughly the border of the room amongst a higher peril of degradation,” she says.
Notice Lingering Wood Dust
The sanding procedure volition create a lot of woods dust. “Keep this inward heed when you’re applying the stain/finish to your floors,” Gailunas says. Thoroughly construct clean the floors first. “If yous don’t, these particles volition expire embedded inward the stain/finish,” she warns. “Vacuum upwardly every bit much dust every bit possible, as well as then give your entire room a detailed cleaning earlier applying whatever sort of stain/finish.”
Don’t purpose steam mops. Image: Photographee.ee/Shutterstock
Don’t Use the Wrong Products & Materials
A lot of products claim to assistance restore the beauty of your woods floors. “Only certainly types of stains/finishes are suitable for certainly types of woods,” Gailunas says. “Others are peculiarly formulated for specific uses.” She warns that choosing the incorrect stain/finish could give your floors an unappealing appearance. And if that’s keen enough, Gailunas says the incorrect production could sweat accelerated apparel or discoloration.
Miller agrees. “Only purpose professional person products recommended past times your contractor, flooring manufacturer or complete manufacturer,” he advises. “Don’t purpose steam mops as well as never purpose anything from the shop that claims to restore luster or add together shine.” In fact, if yous purpose the incorrect type of cleaning product, Miller says yous powerfulness non live on able to apply a novel coat of complete on the floor. “Or yous could harm the complete as well as maybe harm the wood.”
To live on on the rubber side, he recommends using a woods flooring professional.
Avoid temperature fluctuations. Image: pics721/Shutterstock
Maintaining Your Wood Floors
Since woods is an organic material, Miller says that it volition react to its environment. “In humid environments, woods gains wet as well as tin swell,” he explains. “In dry out environments, woods loses wet as well as tin shrink.” If the surround changes, Miller says at that spot volition live on changes inward the floors themselves as well as how they perform.
For example, wet tin sweat the floors to cup. This causes raised edges as well as lowered centers. “On the other hand, if your floors lose moisture, they tin gap or split,” Miller says. “This tin move on betwixt floorboards or on the confront of the boards.”
If these gaps as well as splits move on but as well as then expire away during seasonal changes, he says there’s no argue for concern. “However, if the gaps inward your floors are large or practice non unopen during to a greater extent than humid months, it’s fourth dimension to telephone telephone a professional.”
Fortunately, at that spot is a agency to minimize these issues. “Keep your abode betwixt sixty as well as lxxx degrees Fahrenheit as well as betwixt xxx as well as 50 percentage humidity year-round,” Miller advises. To practice this, you’ll request to live on certainly your thermostat isn’t producing ghost readings as well as faux numbers.