Wood floors require periodic care. Exposure
to sunlight may darken the protective polyurethane
finish. Foot traffic and cleaning can wear
or dull the surface. Scratches can go all
the way through to the wood. Heat and humidity
can cause the individual boards to expand,
warp, or shrink and thus become uneven or
cracked.
You can restore the beauty of most real wood
floors by removing the surface finish and,
if the wood surface is damaged or uneven,
a thin layer of the wood as well. Provided
that the damage is not too severe, the floor
can then be treated, patched, and refinished
to a reach a beautiful "like new"
appearance.
Refinishing wood floors is not
a difficult
job but it does require special
special equipment
and some skill, which leads most
people to
hire out the work to an experienced
floor
refinishing company. They are
best able to
assess your floor and recommend
the necessary
work.
Sloppy work can do more harm than good, so
we suggest that you get recommendations from
friends who have had their floors refinished.
It's best if you can find someone whose floor
was in similar condition to yours since steps
such as sanding can be tricky but may not
be performed on all jobs. Inspect the floors
closely. They should appear level and evenly
coated. There should not be any pools, drops,
or foreign materials such as dust, hair,
or dirt in the finish. Be sure to check around
edges and in corners, as they are the most
difficult spots to work with.
Finally, have the company perform an in home
inspection and discuss:
- the cost
- the materials to be used and the shininess
of its finish
- what will be done with the furniture
- how long the work will take
- when the floor can be used again
- how long the new coating will last.
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