If you’re wondering when the best time to refinish your hardwood floors is, you’ve come to the right place. Refinishing hardwoods is the best way to make them last another 10-15 years without paying for brand new material. Refinishing is generally a much more cost effective way to revitalize the look of your home and restore its beauty. Below, we’ll talk about how you’ll know when it's time to refinish your hardwood floors. 

What is Hardwood Floor Refinishing?

Hardwood refinishing is removing the top surface layer of the wood and recoating it with lacquer and stain. Most hardwood floors can be refinished multiple times throughout their lifespan, and many can last for up to 100 years if they’re taken proper care of. There are different degrees of refinishing necessary for different levels of wear and damage. 

Lightly damaged floors with scratches from pets or furniture can sometimes simply be buffed and recoated. As long as the scratches don’t go deeply into the surface of the wood, you’ll be fine just taking the top layer off. However, if the scratches go deeper, then you may need to have them sanded with a drum sander and resurfaced. 

How To Know When It's Time To Refinish Your Hardwoods

Hardwood floors will naturally become faded and worn down over time and consistent use. It is time to refinish them once they have large, significant gouges, the finish has all but been worn off, or the floor is uneven. If they still have a decent amount of shine to them, they may still be good to go for a few more years before refinishing them. 

The best time to refinish hardwoods is between the 10 to 15 year mark of their lifespan. Most floor finishes will last pretty well up to 10 years and will begin to show their age after that point. Of course, it will depend on how your floors are used and how much wear and tear they take on a daily basis. 

If your floors have large gouges and floor boards that are damaged, then it is time to do a complete refinishing job. Hardwood floor refinishing involves sanding down the floors to the point where the natural wood is showing and it is perfectly smooth and even. Once it is, you can clean it thoroughly and recoat it with the stain of your choice. 

When Should You Replace Your Hardwood Floors vs Refinishing Them?

Sometimes it may be necessary to completely replace hardwoods. You should replace your hardwood floors when too many of the boards are at a point where they can’t be salvaged and the flow of the floor will be thrown off completely by the number of new boards needed. 

Also, if your subfloor has taken on some water damage, then the hardwood boards may have rotten and it will be time to replace them. If you can, always try to replace any boards and refinish the floors before committing to a complete replacement job as replacing costs more money and is more time intensive. 

Conclusion

We always recommend refinishing your floors as if you take good care of them, they will save you money in the long run and will add so much beauty to your home. Always ensure to get your floors refinished by a trusted professional.