Are your hardwood floors looking old and worn? Keep an eye out for the 5 signs that it's time to refinish hardwood floors in your home.
One of the things that people love most about having hardwood floors in their homes is that they're designed to last for years! It's not out of the ordinary for hardwood flooring to last for well over 100 years before being needed to be replaced.
If you have hardwood flooring installed in your home right now, you probably aren't going to need to worry about replacing it anytime soon. However, you might have to refinish your hardwood floors from time to time to keep them looking their best.
So, how often do hardwood floors need to be refinished? Most experts will tell you to do it every 8 to 12 years.
But it really all depends on a variety of factors. If your hardwood flooring is located in a high-traffic area, for example, you may need to refinish floors more often than someone with hardwood flooring in a little-used area of the house.
Here are five signs that let you know when it's time to refinish your hardwood floors.
1. Your Hardwood Floors Are Filled With Scratches
Unless you and your family make it a point to never walk on your home's hardwood floors, your floors are going to have some minor scratches in them. Despite the durability of hardwood floors, they will get a little scratched up from time to time.
While a few scratches here and there are nothing to worry about, if you notice that your hardwood floors are filled with scratches, it's time to spring into action.
To remove scratches in your hardwood floors, reach out to your professional flooring installer and discuss the next steps for sanding down your floors and refinishing them, removing those scratches once and for all.
2. Your Hardwood Floors Are Showing Signs of Water Damage
If a small amount of water sits on the surface of your hardwood flooring for a short period of time, it shouldn't be cause for concern. However, if large amounts of water sit on your hardwood flooring for an extended period of time, it can cause some real issues for you and your floors.
Exposing hardwood floors to moisture can cause them to crack, buckle, and warp. It can also cause hardwood floors to become discolored over time. It's why you need to make it your mission to keep water away from your hardwood floors at all costs.
If you aren't able to keep water away from your hardwood floors for one reason or another, keep an eye out for signs of water damage. Again, you'll need to have them refinished to bring them back to life when they sustain serious water damage.
3. Your Hardwood Floors Are Turning Gray
Do you have hardwood floors in your home that have started to turn gray? Some people mistakenly believe that this happens as a result of age.
But the truth is that hardwood floors will often begin to turn gray after the polyurethane protection on the outside of them wears off. Once that protection is no longer in place, liquids can start to seep down into hardwood floors and cause damage.
The moment that you realize your floors are beginning to turn gray on you, you should take action to refinish the flooring. Allowing this discoloration of your flooring to go on for too long could leave you with black floors that need to be replaced as opposed to being refinished.
4. Your Hardwood Floors Are Fading
There are many benefits that come along with living in a home that gets a lot of natural light. Natural light can make a home more energy-efficient than it would be otherwise and boost the moods of those who live in the home.
However, there are also some drawbacks that come along with living in a home that gets a lot of natural light. One of the biggest ones is that the sun can cause everything from paint to furniture to—you guessed it—hardwood flooring to fade.
If you have hardwood floors in your home that are almost always exposed to sunlight, it could take a toll on them. The sun can cause your flooring to fade over time, which will likely result in a need to have the flooring refinished.
Check out your hardwood floors every so often to see if you can spot any fading going on. You'll want to redo the hardwood floors once fading starts to take place.
5. You Are No Longer a Fan of the Color
When you first had hardwood flooring installed in your home, you may have loved the color that you picked out for your floors. However, now that they've been in place for a few years, you might wish that you had gone with a different color.
Good news! It's actually possible to change the color of hardwood flooring just by refinishing the floors. While refinishing, you'll have the option to choose a different color wood stain. When all is said and done, your home will have completely new looking floors.
Refinish Hardwood Floors When You Spot Any of These Signs
In order to make sure that the hardwood floors in your home last for as long as possible, get into the habit of refinishing them as needed. Inspect your hardwood floors every now and then to see if you spot any signs of fading, discoloration, or excess scratching.
Remember, you also have the option of purchasing new hardwood floors for your home if your old ones can no longer be refinished. Work with your professional flooring installer to provide you with the best hardwood flooring options available.
Contact us today to learn more about our hardwood flooring options.
