Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Andover, CT: A Surprise Hidden Under an Old Gray Prefinished Floor
Sometimes you don't really know what you have until you start sanding.
That was certainly true on one of our recent hardwood floor refinishing projects near Andover Lake in Andover, Connecticut.
When we first arrived, the home had a gray and black prefinished hardwood floor that simply wasn't holding up very well.
The factory-applied color and coating had begun chipping and wearing away in areas. Instead of the gray-black appearance remaining consistent, portions of the floor were losing their color and exposing the wood underneath.
The homeowners wanted a change.
What we didn't expect was just how interesting that floor was going to look once we got underneath the old factory finish.
It was a nice surprise.
The Problem With the Old Gray Prefinished Floor
Prefinished hardwood can be a great flooring product, but refinishing it can present some unique challenges.
Unlike traditional unfinished hardwood that's installed, sanded and finished in the home, prefinished flooring arrives with its factory coating already applied.
Those factory finishes can be extremely durable—which can make them difficult to remove when the floor eventually needs refinishing.
On this Andover project, however, the appearance itself had also become the problem.
The dark gray and black coloration was chipping and wearing away, leaving the floor looking inconsistent and tired.
Rather than trying to reproduce that old appearance, the homeowners decided to go in an entirely different direction.
Then We Started Sanding
This is where the project got interesting.
As we began sanding away the old prefinished coating and gray coloration, we started revealing the natural hardwood underneath.
And to our surprise, it was a really unique-looking floor.
That's something homeowners sometimes forget when looking at heavily colored prefinished flooring.
You're not necessarily looking at the actual appearance of the wood.
You're looking at a factory-created color and coating sitting over it.
Once that coating comes off, the floor underneath can be completely different.
That's exactly what happened here.
Dark and gray disappeared.
Natural wood appeared.
And suddenly we had an entirely new direction for the house.
Bringing the Floor Into a Lighter, More Modern Look
Once the old coating had been removed and the floor was properly sanded and prepared, the homeowners decided they wanted to keep things light.
We used Bona NordicSeal, followed by Bona Mega ONE as the waterborne finish.
NordicSeal is designed to create a lighter, Scandinavian-inspired appearance while helping reduce the warmer yellow and amber tones some homeowners are trying to avoid.
It was a great direction for this particular floor.
Instead of trying to recreate the old dark gray-black appearance, we let more of the character of the actual hardwood show through.
The room immediately felt different.
Brighter. Cleaner. More open. More up to date.
And the unique characteristics we'd discovered underneath that old prefinished coating became part of the finished appearance.
A Completely Different Floor Without Replacing It
That's what we really enjoyed about this project.
We didn't install a new hardwood floor.
We transformed the one that was already there.
The before-and-after photographs almost make it look like two different products.
Before sanding, you see a dark gray prefinished floor with color and coating beginning to fail.
After sanding and applying the NordicSeal and waterborne finish, you see something completely different.
A light, distinctive hardwood floor that works beautifully with the house today.
That's one of the great things about genuine hardwood.
When the flooring has sufficient usable wood and is otherwise suitable for refinishing, you may have more options than you realize.
Prefinished Floors Need to Be Evaluated Before Sanding
We do want to make one thing clear.
Not every prefinished floor can automatically be sanded and refinished.
Some are engineered products with relatively thin wear layers.
Others may have been refinished previously.
And certain factory coatings can be particularly difficult to remove.
That's why we evaluate the flooring before deciding how to proceed.
On this Andover project, we were able to successfully sand through the old coating and create an entirely new site-finished appearance.
And we were extremely pleased with the outcome.
Working Around Andover Lake
This project was also in one of the most recognizable parts of town—the Andover Lake area.
Andover Lake has an interesting history of its own.
The town's planning documents describe it as a roughly 159-acre lake created in 1927 as part of an effort to develop waterside properties for people looking for a summer retreat. Over time, many of those original cottages were converted into year-round homes.
That history still gives the Andover Lake area a character of its own.
It's quiet.
It's wooded.
And many of the homes around the lake have evolved over generations—just like their hardwood floors.
Andover Has Plenty of Character Beyond the Lake
Andover may be a small Connecticut town, but there are several local landmarks that immediately identify the community.
One is the Hop River State Park Trail, which follows the route of a former railroad through Andover. The trail connects communities from Manchester and Vernon through Bolton and Andover toward Columbia and Willimantic.
Today it's used for walking, bicycling and other recreation, but you're actually traveling along a piece of Connecticut transportation history.
There's also the Museum of Andover History in the Old Town Hall, originally built in 1893, near the town's Veterans Memorial area.
And for people who enjoy the outdoors, there's the Doris E. Chamberlain Nature Preserve, with its pond and walking trails.
These are the kinds of places that give Andover its rural, small-town Connecticut character.
We've Been Working Throughout This Area for Decades
At Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc., Andover isn't an isolated service area for us.
We've been working throughout this entire region for decades.
Our projects take us through Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Hebron, Amston, Manchester, Vernon, Glastonbury and surrounding communities throughout central and eastern Connecticut.
In fact, the Hop River Trail itself runs through several communities where we're constantly doing hardwood flooring projects—Manchester, Vernon, Bolton and Andover among them.
We know this part of Connecticut very well.
And we've worked on just about every type of hardwood flooring problem you can imagine.
Four Generations of Hardwood Flooring Experience
Our family's hardwood flooring tradition dates back to 1927.
Today, Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc. represents the fourth generation of that tradition.
We're proud members of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), and we combine generations of hands-on flooring experience with modern sanding equipment and today's professional waterborne and oil-based finishing systems.
We're also proud to be ranked #1 in Hartford County by BusinessRate, along with our recognition as #1 in Connecticut.
Projects like this Andover floor are exactly why experience still matters.
We started with a prefinished floor that was chipping and losing its dark gray appearance.
We didn't know exactly what we were going to find underneath.
But once we started sanding, the possibilities changed.
Have an Older Prefinished Floor in Andover?
If your prefinished hardwood is scratched, worn, chipping or simply has a color you no longer like, don't automatically assume your only option is tearing it out.
Have it evaluated first.
Depending on the construction and condition of the flooring, professional sanding and refinishing may allow you to completely reinvent its appearance.
That's exactly what happened near Andover Lake.
We started with a dark gray-black prefinished floor whose appearance was failing.
We carefully sanded away the old factory coating.
Underneath, we discovered a unique-looking natural hardwood floor.
Then we used Bona NordicSeal and Bona Mega ONE to take the entire house in a much lighter, brighter and more contemporary direction.
We thought we were going there to fix an old gray floor.
Instead, we discovered a beautiful floor hiding underneath it.
That's what made this Andover project so much fun.
Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc.
Fourth-Generation Hardwood Flooring Craftsmanship Since 1927
NWFA Member
Ranked #1 in Hartford County by BusinessRate
Serving Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Hebron, Amston, Manchester, Vernon and communities throughout Connecticut