How to Determine if your Wood Floor Needs to be Replaced
How to Determine If Your Wood Floor Needs To Be Replaced
Homeowners that have hardwood floors in their home are often aware of the care and maintenance they require in order to keep them looking sharp. If not, be sure to check out our other blogs for more info! Normally this maintenance requires cleaning the floors periodically, as well as occasionally refinishing them. Sometimes though hardwood floors need to be replaced in a home as refinishing has no longer become and option. If you wonder whether or not your hardwood floors can be repaired or replaced, here’s some helpful information from Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring.
Most cracks and gaps in hardwood floors can easily be fixed without having to replace your entire floor. Of course it is important that you make sure you are repairing these at the appropriate time of year. Cracks and gaps occurring during the winter may simply be a result of the wood shrinking due to less humidity. However, these gaps will disappear during the summer when the wood expands from the humidity.
Scratches and gouges are also another problem with hardwood floors that can generally be fixed with out having to replace the entire floor. Generally these can be sanded out when you choose to refinish your hardwood floors, and most homeowners until then simply place a rug or runner over the area until they have the opportunity to get them refinished.
Stains are another common problem homeowners have with their wood floors, and it may be possible to remove these without having the replace the entire floor. A number of different things can cause a stain including something spilled or a pet urinating on your hardwood floor. The faster you respond in cleaning the stain, the more likely it will not permanently damage or discolor your floor. If you do have permanent stains, you may be able to sand them out or at least down enough where a dark stain and finish can be reapplied to make it appear more in tune with the floor color. However, if this fails to work you will have to replace your hardwood floor to get rid of it.
Too much humidity and moisture is a bad thing for your hardwood floors, and this could be a reason why you may need to have your hardwood floors replaced. Moisture makes the wood expand, and without room to expand the wood can begin to crack and warp. This causes your floor to be uneven. In addition moisture can rot out your wood, making it unsafe for you to walk on, as well as potentially hazardous due to the potential for mold to develop. You can determine if your hardwood floor needs to be replaced if your floor feels soft and spongy to the touch.
It is also important to keep in mind that your hardwood floor can only be refinished so many times before you will need to replace it. Refinishing is a great thing for your hardwood floors as it brings out the beauty and richness of the wood. However, the process requires you to sand the floor down to eliminate any scratches and gouges that may have been made. While this works great, there are only so many times the floor can be sanded before it is too flimsy and unsafe to walk on.
