How Often Should You Refinish Your Hardwood Floors to Protect Your ROI and Investment?

How Often Should You Refinish Your Hardwood Floors to Protect Your ROI and Investment?

Refinishing hardwood floors is basically breathing new life into them. It's giving the floors a refresh, a new colour and a new luster if desired. But how do you know when it's an appropriate time to refinish your hardwood? Or how many times you can refinish your floors before they become too thin?

There are multiple factors that can contribute to the necessity of refinishing hardwood floors.

#1 and probably the most deciding factor of refinishing is foot traffic.

With multiple kids, pets, family members, visitors and friends there are certain areas around the house that get a lot more foot traffic than others. For example, the hallway, stairs, kitchen, and family room might get higher foot traffic than, let's say the bedrooms, bathrooms or basement.
A room with a high amount of foot traffic requires refinishing every 10-15 years (approximately)
Rooms with a lower amount of foot traffic require refinishing every 15-25 years assuming there isn't major damage to the planks, just the normal scruff and discoloration. Keep in mind that if you refinish the floors in one area, such as the living room, but leave other areas like the bedrooms untouched, there will be a noticeable difference. The existing bedroom floors will still have their bevel, while the newly refinished floors will no longer have that detail. This contrast can create the illusion that the floors are different, even if they are actually the same material.

Here are some signs your floor might be in need of refinishing soon:

Water damage & stains: Water damage and staining in hardwood floors can vary quite a bit. In some cases, the floor can be refinished beautifully, while in others, repairs or replacement may be needed. It all comes down to the condition of the wood.
We always recommend having one of our professionals take a look in person. This allows us to properly assess the damage and guide you through the best options, with no obligation.
The cause of the damage is an important part of the process. It may come from leaks (such as a fridge, dishwasher, toilet, or patio door), spills like nail polish or cleaning products, pet accidents, or even excessive cleaning over time. Each situation affects the wood differently.
After a careful assessment, we'll determine whether the floor can be re-sanded, or if certain areas require repair first. In some cases, a partial replacement followed by refinishing, either in sections or throughout the space, may be the best approach.
We also measure the floor's thickness, width, and wood type to ensure any new material matches as closely as possible. Whether sourced locally or brought in, our goal is always the same: a seamless repair using feather patching techniques, so the new wood blends naturally with the existing floor, as if it's always been there.

Fading and discoloration: Whether from normal use or sun damage if the floors are turning a different lighter colour than when installed it might be time to refinish, also, dullness if there is no shine anymore even when clean its recommended to either refinish or screen and recoat the floors which is a more affordable and efficient solution assuming there isn't major damage and the floors just need a simple refresh.

Visible Scratches: It's normal to have minor scratching after a while on wood floors but if the scratches are extremely visible or accumulated in one place and it's starting to bother you then refinishing wood is the solution.

Finish: When you should refinish your hardwood floors highly depends on the quality of the finish used when they were installed. Hopefully your floors were finished with a high quality professional polyurethane or oil-based finish because they will last a lot longer, most floors with high quality finishes don't need to be refinished for 15-20+ years. Lower quality finishes usually require refinishing every 10-15 years.

Note: Our refinishing crews are using top quality water-based finishes which are environmentally friendly and have zero toxins.

Some good habits to have when it comes to the maintenance of your floors are the following:

1. Avoid a lot of moisture: If possible use a dehumidifier in the summer and a humidifier in the winter to maintain a stable level of humidity for your floors, keeping a steady eye on the moisture levels in your home can make your floors last longer. TIP: No less than 35% in the winter and no more than 55% in the summer.

2. Clean regularly: Make sure to sweep regularly and wash only when required or if the floors are visibly dirty. Please read the Care and Maintenance Guide and/or the Warranty Information from the manufacturer as some cleaning methods can void the warranty if not adhered to. It's imperative to use flooring specific cleaners and always use a swiffer type mop. Soaking the wood with water can cause irreversible damage.

3. Use felt pads: A great way to protect your flooring is by using felt pads and protective rugs, using felt pads prevents and helps protect from minor slides, such as when you lean against a couch and it moves a bit from your weight. In no circumstance should any item be sliding on the flooring as what is under that felt pad (like a little pebble from the front door) will cause a scratch.

Important note:
Not all hardwood flooring is suitable for refinishing.
Solid and engineered hardwood must have a minimum of 1/8" of material above the tongue and groove to be considered for refinishing. While most hardwood floors have an overall thickness ranging from 1/2" to 3/4", the wear layer above the tongue is the determining factor, typically falling between 1/8" and 5/16".
Under appropriate conditions, hardwood flooring can generally be refinished approximately 2–5 times over its lifespan.
Older flooring, such as 3/8" strip hardwood that has undergone multiple refinishing processes may no longer have sufficient material remaining. In these cases, full replacement or installing new flooring over the existing surface may be recommended. Our professional estimator will guide you through the most suitable options.

When to replace instead of refinish:

• If there is large gapping visible between the planks, if they are very loose, or moving.
• Deep gouges beneath the surface that are too deep to simply remove by refinishing.
• Severely warped or buckled planks
• If the boards have a severe level of discoloration (e.g. black or darkened compared to the original color.)

To recap; for hardwood flooring with heavy traffic from pets, shoes, kids toys, etc. refinishing should happen approximately every 10-15 years. If the floors are maintained extremely well (following professional guidelines) and there is minimal wear and tear / traffic then refinishing should happen approximately every 15-20+ years.

Every floor is different so if you're still confused or have questions, do not hesitate to contact our team at Grand Floors for a complimentary home visit to assess your unique situation. We would be more than happy to help you in any way we can! Also, we offer in-house refinishing, our team is highly skilled and professional and can bring your floors back to life! Protect your investment today.

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