Hardwood floors are a beautiful and long-lasting flooring choice for any home, so long as they are properly maintained. Every once in a while they will need to be professionally sanded and refinished, but what are the signs you should look for to know when to have this done?

Boards Becoming Dull or Gray

When you notice that your hardwood floors have turned gray, that means that the polyurethane has worn off, and your floors are now more susceptible to water damage. As they absorb water from spills or cleaning, the boards will become more and more gray until they eventually turn black. If they’ve turned entirely black, they’ll be too late to save with a sanding and refinishing, and will need to be replaced altogether.

If you have hardwood flooring outdoors or by a window and you notice that they’ve significantly faded in color, this means that they have been damaged by the sun. Having your floors sanded and refinished will easily take care of this dull look.

Water Damage

When water damage occurs, which may happen for a number of different reasons, you may start to see dark spots and separation or cupping of the floorboards. When this takes place, it’s definitely a surefire sign that your floors need to be refinished. Depending on the level of water damage, some boards of your floor may need to be replaced.

Scratches

All hardwood floors get scratched from time to time, it’s inevitable. And most small scratches on hardwood floors are only topical and don’t even go through the seal. But when deeper scratches occur that do wear down the seal, it’s time to refinish your hardwood floors, otherwise they’ll be more exposed and easily damaged.

How The Steam Team Can Help

Here at The Steam Team, we pride ourselves on our ability to sand and refinish hardwood floors. Our qualified, trained technicians use a dust-free process to properly care for your hardwood floor and ensure that by the time they leave it looks good as new. For more information on our hardwood floor refinishing process, and other services, visit The Steam Team website.