Especially in high-traffic environments like hallways and entryways homeowners with hardwood flooring know that over time wear and tear will cause blemishes and scratches on your hardwood flooring. With the various methods of maintenance to restore hardwood floors, many people do not realize the options. When your hardwood floors require a sand and finish, or a buff and coat can be a bit tricky to determine. With this in mind, we at Mike’s Custom Flooring would like to discuss the applications of sanding and finish and a buff and a coat.
Sand & Refinish a Hardwood Floor
Generally, it comes down to two situations when you determine if your flooring requires sand and finish.
1) Before the 1970s, Hardwood Flooring was Installed. Wax, old-fashioned varnish, or shellac was used as the finish before the 70s. A new finish will not adhere to a finish that has had wax applied to it, however. You can re-wax your floors. wax is not as durable as a polyurethane coating. The wax would need to be renewed every 6 months or so in high-traffic areas. It is best to start fresh with a sand and refinish to ensure your wood floors remain beautiful and the upkeep is manageable to modernize your hardwood floors.
2) Poorly Maintained Wood Floors. Scratches, water damage, gouges, and discoloration are sustained on poorly maintained hardwood floors. This damage may be to the topcoat of the flooring if you are lucky. You will need a sand and refinish to regain your original hardwood floors luster if it has made its way down to the wood.
Buff & Coat Hardwood Floors
To ensure it maintains its original qualities, any hardwood flooring requires a healthy amount of upkeep is when the buff and coat is necessary. No matter how diligent you are with the maintenance, a buff and coat will be necessary over time if you have a business or home with hardwood flooring. When you are the ideal hardwood floor caretaker hardwood floors need a buff and coat. After 1970, almost every hardwood floor installed is covered with a polyurethane coating. Though this coating will protect from everyday wear and tear, it will wear down, leaving the wood vulnerable to damage over time. It is time to contact hardwood flooring professionals for a buff and coat to ensure no extensive damage occurs once it is worn to a thin layer, since this coating can take a good amount of abuse. Not necessarily visible to the average person is the thinning of the polyurethane coating. When it’s time for a buff and recoat is to watch closely for signs of evident wear and tear, like scuff marks and mild gauges is the only way to determine. It just comes down to the amount of traffic you have in your house or business, though it sounds challenging to determine. You may want to consider a yearly buff and coat on areas with extensive traffic, like kitchens and hallways. You can wait it out for 3 for other areas-5 years.
Hardwood Floor Installation, Repairs, Refinishing & More in Charles Town & Eastern Panhandle of Berkeley & Jefferson Counties in WV | Winchester & Frederick County | Round Hill & Loudoun County | Berryville & Clarke County | Herndon & Fairfax County VA
No matter what hardwood floor services you are in need of Eastern Panhandle of Berkeley and Jefferson Counties in WV as well as Frederick, Loudoun and Fairfax Counties in VA, call the experts at Mike’s Custom Flooring and let us assist you!
