How Many Times Can Your Hardwood Floor Be Sanded?

  

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Wood floors are long lasting and durable and normally will last as long as the house itself.  There are times, however, that the finish needs to be refreshed and the best way to do that is to sand the floor down to bare wood and re-apply the stains and finish needed to restore the old look.

How Many Times Can My Hardwood Floor Be Sanded?

For solid ¾ inch hardwood, about ¼ inch of the material above the tongue can be removed before the wood is weakened.  Since normal sanding will remove from 1/64 to 1/32 of the wood surface, the surface can be sanded from 6 to 10 times or more, before the floor needs to be replaced entirely.  If the floor is resurfaced every 10 to 20 years, the floor will last for a century or more.

Engineered wood flooring products normally have a ¼ inch thick surface layer which allows about the same number of sandings as solid wood flooring materials.

Veneered flooring products have a much thinner surface layer and cannot withstand many sandings, if any.  If you have a veneered wood floor, ask the original manufacturer or your local home improvement store whether it is wise to sand the surface.

There are some additional factors which could make a difference for your floor.

Serious gouges or abuse can require a heavier sanding which would remove more wood than normal.  That will, of course, decrease the number of times that your floor can be sanded. 

Further, different people will sand in different ways.  Professionals have experience that allows them to more accurately determine how much wood is being removed.  Since it is hard to determine exactly how much wood is being removed, anyone doing the job themselves may remove more wood than necessary.

If there are no serious problems with the condition of the floor, there are some processes that will remove only the surface finish and virtually no wood.  If you are a DIY homeowner, inquire at your local home improvement store how that would work for your floors.

Wood floors are very long lasting and add to the attractiveness of your home.  Sanding and refinishing will put back the original gleam and is a great way to improve the way your home looks.

Homes With Hardwood Floors Sell Quicker!

  

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Whether selling your first home or your hundredth, it is important to keep in mind not only the beauty of the rooms and decor, but also the surfaces on which potential buyers will walk. The floors of a house can be a major selling point for a buyer.

Hardwood floors have many advantages over other types of flooring. Homes with hardwood floors sell quicker than the competition. The alternatives to hardwood floors, such as carpet, give a home an outdated look if carpeting isn't fresh and new. Pulling up those old rugs might be the best bet to sell a home fast. Installation of wood floors is a good investment, if none exist. Wood flooring provides timeless beauty that never goes out of style. 

One who likes hardwood floors wants to see them in good shape and handsomely maintained. There are some steps to keep both hardwoods and laminates from deteriorating and affecting the value of a home:

• Oil, wax, or polish the original flooring to keep it in the best shape and attract prospective homeowners
• If the floor is damaged or just in need of an update, refinishing the floors may be the best value
• For serious damage, restoration or professional repair could be the best option for the best value
• If you have rugs throughout the home replace them with wood floors. It will raise the sale price for you and make the home look more updated and fresh to potential buyers. In case you’re up for a major renovation, Hardwood floors with area rugs are a decorator's dream.

Hardwood floors can boost the sale price of a home by as much as 6%. There is nothing more important than making a good impression when showing a home. People look down first and a floor must make a positive first impression. A polished and nice-looking hardwood floor makes a good first impression. The costs for a prospective buyer to replace rugs may damage the sale, so it is advisable to replace floors first, by the seller. You have to decide what fits your budget; just keep in mind that return on investment in a hardwood floor is high. Selling a home is made much easier when hardwood floors are present!

In the Greater Toronto Area, all of these services can be done professionally and with satisfaction by TipTop Flooring. Professional consultations can be made for commercial flooring and interior designs as well. We even have eco-friendly flooring services for those looking for a greener option. Tip Top Flooring can help you make the right decision.

Types of Wood Floor Finishes

  

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You have just installed the new wood flooring and you would l ik e to enjoy it more than several y  ears: not to wear out, absorb the m oisture, become brittle, or fade over the time. All these demands will be  satisfied if yo u c hoose the right finishing for your floor. Furthermore, the finish gives the lasting attractive color and beautiful sheen.

Floor finishes forms a protective coating, and this makes wood more durable, moisture resistant, so the floor surface will have a surface-build protection from outside elements. The hardwood floor has to be finished in order to endure the longevity and natural beauty and this gives you the possibility to personalize your floors.

Probably you noticed the glossy appearance of the floor and s moothness, this is polyurethane, it is durable and easy-to-apply finishing, perfectly protects your floor project. It can be based on water or oil; the differences are in the application and durability.

• Oil-based polyurethanes – it is a petroleum base with a blend of synthetic resins finish. Usually it dries during the eight hours (longer the water-based polyurethanes), and this type of finish comes in different sheens, so the surface coat dries and can be easily recoated. This type of finish will require from three to seven days to become hard enough before furniture can be placed on it.

• Water-based polyurethanes – more durable (some of them), moisture and spills resistant, than oil-based polyurethanes, and comes in satin, semi or gloss, the final color won’t get darker in time, it dries faster, one coat of water-based polyureth anes will dry in an hour, so you can even walk on it.

 Other options

• Lacquer – a clear or colored varnish; when it dries the solvent evaporates so a hard, durable finishing is produced, can be polished. It used sometimes as a floor finish. It dries rapidly, and as a rule, the second coat can be applied in the same day. The main disadvantage of using lacquer is that it is not as resistant to the moisture, spills and mechanical wear as polyurethanes are.  

•  Varnishes – this product was commonly used before polyurethanes finished were developed and introduced. It can be applied with a brush, making the floor looks smoothly, the first coat is considered to be a sealer, the best choice of varnishes is to use only those that are manufactured for floor, pay close attention to the composition if it is a liquid then it should have a solvent base, not a water one.

•  Penetrating Sealers – are solved based made from linseed oil and some affixes which help to dry fast and give to the floor its hardness. Sometimes they are spread on the floor and left to permeate into it, or also sealers can be mopped on with a clean mop, think over that the final stroking has to be in the direction of the wood texture. The sealers will not peel, crack, or shatter, they are easy to repair by brushing or rubbing on another coat, but the surface can collect dust and water-spot.

 Something about VOC’s

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – organic compounds that have high vapor pressure and low water solubility. VOCs contain the element carbon in their molecular structures. They are used and produced in the manufacture of protective coatings for floors. When the finish dries, the smell is from the evaporation of VOC’s used in the solvent. Typical solvents are aliphatic hydrocarbons, acetone, glycol ethers, and ethyl acetate. VOCs have effects on the human health. The health effects of Volatile Organic Compounds will depend on the nature of the compound and the level of exposure and the length of exposure.

All types of hardwood floor finishes should be renewed when the scratches are seen or it became worn from the traffic and spills. In this case, the floor has to be cleaned from the dirt and the surface layer has to be removed. The new layers will be applied and dry without interference with the old layers and you will have again a brand-new floor.

TipTop Flooring Inc. is a professional flooring services firm serving the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We provide professional workmanship. We invite you to find out even more about lacquer finishes for your wood floor on our web site – http://www.tiptopflooring.ca/floor-finished/

Adding New Hardwood Floors to Old Hardwood Floors

  

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Nothing can add more class, tradition, and beauty to a home than installing new hardwood floors. Unfortunately, this is not an easy home improvement. Some installers consider that the new hardwood floor can go directly on the top with a felt paper and can be nailed down. In consequence of this the old hardwood floor will be used as a sub-floor, so there is no need to tear it off. Others suppose that the old existing hardwood floor should be completely removed, and only then installed the new one.

 
The questions that appear between these opposing views are:  

• Is this possible to install the new hardwood floor directly on the top of the existing one?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages when installing the new hardwood floor over the old hardwood floor?

Normally, new floor is installed over the sub-floor. The height considerations have to be taken into account, the nails or staples need to go all the way through the sub floor to properly hold. If the old wood floor is thick then the new hardwood floor cannot be installed in the proper way. In general, new floor is not recommended to go over the old floor. 

The most important is that the newly installed floor will be laid down in proper way and won’t appear difficulties because of the old sub floor, this should be removed. The demolition process is messy and requires a lot of time and efforts. Unfortunately tearing out the old floor is expensive and time consuming. You must remove all the nails from the old floor. They will not come out easily together with the removed board.

To save money and effort, the best choice is to sand the old hardwood floor, and to avoid installing the new one over the old floor.

If you will install on top, the old floor boards have to be securely fastened, try to avoid any loose floorboards. The surface of the old floor needs to be cleaned.  The floor has to be leveled; it can be done using straight edge. New hardwood to be installed should be allowed to acclimate in the same environment as the room it will be used in, it needs at least 48-72 hours.
 
The underlayment should be covered on the entire surface. The first step in installing a hardwood floor is laying out an accurate reference line. The first row of floorboards should be installed along the reference line, also place the spacers between the boards and the walls to allow for an expansion gap.  

While installing the floor keep in mind that the transitions between door have to be smoothed, the underlayment that is left has to be cut, and also remove all the spacers, at the end of course install the baseboards and moldings. It is good to leave a 15mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the room, so the floor can expand. 

Any project linked with the floor has to be done carefully, it is always better to prevent and avoid the mistakes spending more time and effort on research and buying the needed material than later fixing them.

Sanding and Refinishing Wood Floors

  

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Among the multiple types of floor coverings for home and office, the products made of natural materials continue to be popular. Moreover, the best option, demonstrating the aesthetic appearance, durability and reliability is still wood. The brand-new wood floors look beautiful and bring warmness to each house, but the moisture, humidity and high traffic leave impacts on them. There are no wood floors that will be protected completely from appearing spots, scratches, cracks and gaps, so with time they become worn.

The option that will give you the possibility to repair all these damages and renew your floors is sanding. It will increase the value of your living space by changing the sheen level of the finish. The wood floors can be sanded many times and this is the great advantage over the other types of floors. Instead of replacing old floors, they just can be sanded and finished repeatedly.

 Sanding the wood floors

The sanding floor is complex technical process, which aim is to provide a flat surface. For this purpose it is used the high-technical grinding machines. In fact, when sanding the floors, removing as little of the surface as is necessary.  

The sanding operation can vary based on the condition of the floor, also the hardness of the flooring species has to be taken into account.

The sanding process includes two main stages:

Preparation

Cover all non-working area to keep the dust away, all dirt, powder and waste have to be swept from the floor. It is great if you can move the furniture, take away everything that is not nailed down; this will save you time and effort when you will have to clean everything around from the dust. The floor has to be inspected carefully, in order to replace the damaged floor boards.

Sanding

All the surface can be worked with the drum/belt sander, the last few inches of the floor near the baseboard cannot be reached, and here you can make it with an edger or by hand. Make sure the wood floor is sanded to a high standard; the corners are not cut off. Sanding should be done properly, if you are not sure that you can make this project on your own then better hire a professional.

Finishing the wood floors

The floor is stained to get the desired color. It can be applied with a machine or by hand. The coating is the final stage after sanding. The coating will not cover the mistakes, but quite the contrary: it will evidence the drawbacks and highlight the blunders. For finishing the floor, you have to choose the coating that will be suitable for your wood floor.

The varnishes can be water-based or oil-based. The use of certain sealer can intensify the development of color and reduce the risk of floor damage; it will give the special sheen to your floors. The wood finishes and coating systems come in many approaches and there are many methods used for applying them.

A successful wood sanding and finish depend on the installer and close attention to details before and especially during the installation process. Be ready, preparation, sanding, finishing can take more time, funds, resource and physically efforts than you have expected.

TipTop Flooring is a professional firm dedicated to helping you get the most from your hardwood flooring investment. We specialize in Sanding, Staining, Refinishing and Installing of all types of wood floors: solid and engineered hardwood floors; even laminate and parquet floors. Our exceptional services and approach are professional to everything we do. To find more about the services we provide please visit us on http://www.tiptopflooring.ca/services.html.