Caring for Hardwood Floors | Bankrate
Inevitably there arrives a time when your hardwood floors commence to glance a very little worn and in need of refreshment. You speak to your friendly flooring pro, who asks, “Do they need to have to be just refinished or entirely resurfaced?” Say what?
Though the phrases sound alike (and are at times utilized interchangeably), amongst contractors refinishing and resurfacing floors do imply two distinct issues, with distinctive processes and unique cost tags. The two can be done on a wide variety of wood flooring, together with traditional hardwood and engineered wooden (aka veneers). Here’s how to distinguish amongst refinishing and resurfacing.
What is refinishing a hardwood flooring?
Refinishing a floor in essence signifies supplying it a facelift. Refinishing a ground entails:
- eliminating the floor’s existing varnish, seal and stain
- sanding down the floor’s top layer, to expose the bare wooden and its organic grain
- making use of a contemporary stain and lacquer or varnish
- applying a new coat of sealant
Since it’s a fairly superficial procedure, “refinishing” can be finished on a assortment of flooring types, together with tile and laminate — while the precise process differs, dependent on the surface area. If you have an engineered wooden floor — that is, a veneer of organic hardwood wood masking a plywood or artificial main — it can only be refinished two or 3 instances (relying on the veneer’s thickness), in advance of you expose the main.
What is resurfacing a hardwood flooring?
Resurfacing includes all of the earlier mentioned, but a lot more. If refinishing is a cosmetic job, resurfacing is far more of a structural just one. It will come into play when there’s precise problems to the wooden, the wood planks, and/or the fasteners (nails).
Resurfacing the flooring usually means repairing it: eradicating and changing planks, grinding planks down to even them out, reinforcing the flooring with new nails. After all that is finished, then the flooring can be refinished — sanded down, stained, varnished and sealed.
When to resurface vs refinish wood flooring
If the floors are in good situation — just wanting worn and somewhat scuffed or boring — then refinishing might be your best selection. In point, you might even be equipped to get absent with just recoating them, which skips the sanding approach and just will involve buffing and applying a new topcoat.
Refinishing can assistance breathe new life into an place of flooring that’s worn out and in need of a refresh. It is great for flooring that are not structurally compromised and that are continue to structurally audio, but not up-to-date.
In contrast, if a flooring wants extra than a facelift, you have to have to resurface it — that is, swap the outdated materials. Symptoms the ground demands resurfacing consist of:
- Excessive fading, discoloration or uneven coloration
- Cracks, holes or lacking pieces
- Symptoms of rot or h2o problems
- Warped, sagging or bent boards
- Missing or bent nails
Expenses of refinishing and resurfacing floors
There are numerous aspects that go into the common charge of refinishing or resurfacing flooring together with the sq. footage, the shape of the floor, the type of wooden and local labor prices. In standard, though refinishing operates $3 to $8 for every square foot the nationwide normal array for a career expenses $1,075 to $2,520, according to HomeAdvisor. A easy recoating will price tag considerably significantly less: $1 to $2 for every square foot, according to FlooringStores, an on the web professional.
Not surprisingly, resurfacing will price more than refinishing, due to the fact you’ll have the restore and alternative charges in addition. How significantly extra can range greatly, dependent on the mother nature and extent of the problems. In common, even though, hardwood ground repair prices typically operate from $450 to $1,500, estimates HomeAdvisor.
Even so, that’s a lot considerably less than the charge to switch a hardwood ground fully, which averages anyplace from $2,500 to $6,800.
Diy or use a professional?
Based on the extent of your floors, refinishing could get a number of days. Resurfacing might acquire a couple months.
That is if a ground professional does it. It’ll possibly take for a longer period if you test to do the task oneself. Refinishing is not out of a DIYer’s league although it is a messy, smelly small business, it largely necessitates an orbital sander. Unless of course you are an skilled carpenter, resurfacing on your very own is not suggested. It requires a full toolbox of gear, together with electrical power saws, grinders and nail guns.
Bottom line on refinishing vs resurfacing flooring
If your floor is basically scratched and scuffed, you are far better off refinishing than resurfacing it. That’ll restore its primary shine, and it is considerably less invasive. As a substitute of getting rid of the previous flooring products fully, refinishing involves taking away only the top layer of your current flooring (which includes the complete), and then replacing it with a new layer.
Even so, if the ground is in significantly lousy shape, you’ll probably want to restructure it in its place. It will expense extra and be a a lot more time-consuming system, but it will in impact make a complete new area.
No issue which method you choose, you should not enable your flooring go far too lengthy without having remaining correctly maintained. The for a longer period you wait to restore your ground, the a lot more cash it will acquire to get your floors wanting new again.