Your hardwood flooring, like nearly everything else in your home, has a limited number of years before signs of damage and deterioration will start to appear. In the case of hardwood flooring, these signs mean that the floor will need to be professionally re-sanded and resealed. Here are the key signs that you should look out for:

Scratches and Marks

Most hardwood surfaces accumulate small scratches and marks over time. If these don’t irritate you too much, don’t bother having your floor refinished just yet. But pay close attention to these scratches and marks, if any of them penetrate the seal of the floor, they’ll leave the hardwood open to further damage that will require the whole floor to be replaced. If you notice a penetrated seal, it's time to have your hardwood floor refinished.

Color Changes

A significant change in color may be a sign of deterioration in your hardwood flooring. Particularly if the boards have become more grey over time. This likely means that the polyurethane is wearing off and your floors will need to be refinished soon. If you wait too long, the boards will turn black and they’ll need to be replaced completely. Exposure to sunlight for long periods of time can also cause color changes in hardwood, and will also mean you need to have the floors refinished.

Water Damage

Have you noticed dark spots showing up in certain areas of the floors? Or maybe the floor has warped in shape over time in only certain areas? These are signs that there’s water damage underneath the floorboards. This is another case where you’ll want professionals to help you out as soon as possible. Sanding and refinishing will likely be needed, and some boards may even need to be removed so that water from beneath the boards can be extracted.

If you see any of these signs appear in your hardwood floor, don’t hesitate to call in The Steam Team.