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.