Refinishing Your Hardwoods: What You Need to Know about floors in Austin Texas

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Hardwood Floor Cleaning & Refinishing 

Hardwood Floor Cleaning & Refinishing 

Refinishing Your Hardwoods: What You Need to Know

Part of the reason most people invest in hardwood floors is because of their longevity. Even if you want carpet for a period of time, lay some carpet over it and when you want your hardwoods back – simply remove it! Refinish and ta-da, it’s like new floors all over again! But, before you get started taking on a big project like refinishing hardwood floors, there are some things you should know.

Types of Finish

There are multiple types of finish you can use to refinish your flooring. You’ll want to research the different kinds for a bit before choosing one – which will ultimately depend on the look you want to achieve with your flooring. Three types of finish are; varnish (matte-glossy finish), polyurethane (plastic-ish finish), and penetrating sealer (natural looking finish).

Lifespan

If treated properly and taken care of, a hardwood floor can last over 100 years – that means you’re only refinishing your flooring 10 times! However, that also means that it’s not something you’ll become highly experienced at over 100 years if you’re only doing it 10 times, so it may be worth hiring a professional to ensure that the job is done correctly.

Avoid Oil

For the future, if you’re cleaning your wood floor avoid oil-based cleaners and waxes. When it comes to refinishing your hardwood, you can’t refinish anything that has been treated with an oil-based product. If you’re tackling the project by yourself and aren’t sure what to do because your floors have been treated with something that was oil-based, you can strip the wood with an ammonia and water mixture in order to continue refinishing.

When to Hire a Professional

Although it may seem more cost-effective to try and do this yourself, it’s not an easy project and you wouldn’t want to damage your floors. If you hire a professional you’ll be guaranteeing that the job is done correctly and you know your floors will look new for many years to come!