Which Type of Polyurethane is Better for Refinishing Hardwood Floors?
Whether you are renewing antique wood floors or repairing site-finished wood floors, there is a finish that is right for you.
Renewing & Repairing Hardwood Floors
The two main options for refinishing your hardwood floor, re-coating and refinishing.
Re-coating simply entails buffing the floor and then applying a new layer of finish atop the existing, worn layer. This can be done with either polyurethane or natural oil, but unless your hardwood floor is bowling lane, natural oil finishes are for most bases going to be superior.
Refinishing is a more involved process. In most cases the finishing will be sanded off and then a new finish will be reapplied. This more thoroughly repairs the damage and wear to the floor but can only be done a set number of times depending on whether or not the floor is solid or engineered hardwood. Sometimes floors with oil and water-based polyurethane will need the finish sanded completely off. Since this process can only be done a certain number of times, a complete refinish is generally only done to polyurethane finished floors.
Photo by © Hardwood Floors Magazine
Another variable that must be accounted for when determining the floor needs to be refinished is the surface texture of the hardwood.
Old Wood reclaimed floors can have gorgeous original textures that should not be sanded or given a flat finish. Historic Plank and Hit Skip Oak should never be refinished because sanding them down would eliminate much of their aesthetic beauty. Textured floors need to be re-coated unless you’re specifically looking to remove the texture.
In these cases, bonding agents are generally applied to the floor so that the new coat sets properly on the surface of the wood.
Photo by © Hardwood Floors Magazine
While the process of determining what kind of method to use in finishing your hardwood floor requires a bit of research, T&G Flooring is happy to provide you with options and expertise you need to get the job done.
Learn more. Call for a free design consultation. Let us help you make your home or business a showplace!
