To be able to answer this
question, we have to be able to determine which
type of wood flooring we are talking about and
what we are hoping to achieve. Refinishing needs
to be distinguished from recoating in that it
means resanding the flooring down to the raw wood,
effectively removing all the old finish and stain.
Some of the reasons for refinishing a wood floor
maybe to change the color, improve the appearance,
remove deep dents and/or gouges, flatten a cupped
floor and so on. Generally, most choose to
refinish an old floor that just looks very worn.
There are different types of wood floors but can
often be divided into two categories; solid or
engineered. And in each of these categories, there
are many types that exist. It is imperative to
determine which type of floor you have before
deciding on refinishing. You can lift up a floor
register and view the edge of the flooring to
determine the type of floor you have. If you do
not have floor registers, you can pull back the
carpet where it meets the wood to view the side of
the flooring. A solid wood floor board will be
comprised of a single piece of wood, as shown in
figure A. An engineered floor board will consist
of a piece of hardwood veneer (wear layers) glued
to a backing, as shown in figure B. Many designs
of engineered floor exists and not all can be
refinished. Some have top wear layers that are
simply too thin to be sanded. If your floor has a
wear layer of 1/16" of an inch or less, you are
well advised not to try to sand that floor. A
professional MAY be able to, depending on the
condition of the floor. But even so, very little
hardwood wear layer would be left. These thin
veneered floors should be recoated if possible and
if very worn, simply replaced. There are many
engineered wood floors that have thicker wear
layers of 1/8" or thicker. These should be able to
be refinished at least once, depending on how much
wood veneer needs to be sanded off.
When attempting to refinish a solid wood floor, we
again need to determine the type of wood flooring
it is, how thick the wood floor is, how much wood
is left above the tongues and grooves and its
overall condition. Solid wood floors used in
residences are typically 3/4", 1/2", 3/8" and
5/16" thick. Obviously, the thicker the floor, the
more times it can be refinished. A 3/4" solid wood
floor will typically have a 5/16" surface above
the top of the tongue, allowing for many
refinishings. A ½" solid wood floor has about a
3/16" surface above the tongue and the 3/8" even
less. A 5/16" FACE-NAILED solid wood floor can
also be refinished before the sander starts to run
into the heads of the nails, when the nails will
need to be re-set by hand. Keep in mind, most all
solid, unfinished wood floors have been sanded
once already after the installation. And as much
as 1/16" was removed from the surface at that
time. Factory finished floors are not sanded after
installation typically and therefore will have a
little more wood surface above the tongues.
In conclusion, it is noted that the type and
condition of the floor needs to be determined
prior embarking on a refinish. The thickness of
the wear layer and the overall condition of the
floor determine how many times a floor may be
refinished. |
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Contributed By: Gary
Clontz |
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Location: Antioch, CA |
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Primary Business: Custom
Home Installation/Refinishing.
Available for consultation and
inspections |
| Bio
Page:
See Gary's Bio Page |
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Website:
None |
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Phone: (925) 778-4844 |
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