How long have you had your existing hardwood floors? Have your floors taken quite a beating over the years? If so, it may be time to start thinking about replacing or refinishing your floors, but it can often be difficult to know which solution is best for you.
Hardwood floors take a significant amount of abuse on a daily basis, and unless you’re incredibly disciplined about care and maintenance, it can be easy to let the condition of your hardwood floors deteriorate to the point of no return.
At Smith Bros, we excel in helping our clients find and install the quality hardwood flooring that will be perfect for their individual needs, but we also pride ourselves on helping clients properly care for, and maintain, their newly installed floors. If you’ve had your existing floors for some time, here are a few important points to help youdecide whether or not your floors need to be replaced:
Age
While most people think that age plays a factor in determining whether or not your hardwood floors need to be replaced, this is a myth. What really determines your need for new floors is the damage that has been done. Has the floor absorbed too much moisture? Has it been improperly cared for, for a prolonged period of time? Do they have deep gauges/ scratches/ dents? If we have accurately described the floors in your home, it’s time to learn more about what is available to you.
Cost
Price is the only area in which refinishing makes more sense than replacing the floor entirely. Replacement incurs the costs of new material and installation. On the other hand, refinishing your floors could save you a significant amount. While you can offset the costs of replacement by performing the install yourself, this is a very detailed process and, without specialized knowledge and experience, it can be easy to compromise the quality of your floors before they’re even installed.
Aesthetic Goals
If your floors are less than 30 years old, but you’re unhappy with the way they’ve worn, you must consider what your end goal is when deciding between refinishing and replacement. If you simply wish to brighten relatively new floors and renew their original shine, refinishing may be a good option. However, if you’re unhappy with your choice and you desire to change the actual style of the wood, your only option is replacing your old floors with a more suitable style. Our experts have worked with floors that are 100 years old! By the time we’ve completed the refinishing job, these floors looked brand new!
Replacement Time
Interestingly, refinishing hardwood floors can actually take much longer than replacing the entire floor. This is because the refinishing process is quite messy and meticulous, and requires nearly a weeklong period where the floor must remain completely untouched. Our installation team can sand and finish up to 800 square feet of floor per week, and our clients can resume normal activity 24 hours after the last coat has been applied. On the contrary, ripping old floors out and replacing them can be done much more quickly and easily. We are able to remove approximately 250 square feet, and install 200 square feet a day.
Quality Control
Depending on the original quality of the wood installed, your refinishing options may be limited. Some specific types of wood cannot be refinished, so replacement becomes the only choice. In addition, if certain planks have been damaged or have become warped, the entire floor will typically need to be replaced. After all, it doesn’t make much sense to simply brighten an already damaged surface.
At Smith Bros, we provide a large selection of high quality hardwood flooring options. If you would like to discuss your flooring needs with one of our experts, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-403-917-0847 today!