Hardwood floors are very attractive and they can last a long time with care but as they age, keeping them looking new is no easy undertaking. Yes, you could replace them but this is not always the answer. There are ways to give the older hardwood floors a new lease of life and give them back the shine that they have been missing. So, let’s take a closer look at what you can do to make your hardwood floors look beautiful again.
1. Scratched & Worn Finish
You’ve noticed for quite some time that the finish is worn and scratched. You do like the colour of your floor and aren’t quite sure what to do. Well, the answer to this problem is to screen and recoat it. Screening or buffing is a method of giving your floor its shine back. It is not very expensive (compared to another method) to do this and it can also be done pretty quickly.
For this to work though, only the finish must be damaged and not the actual wood. You can then apply a new coat of finish to it and – voilà – you have one happy floor again. However, this will not work if your floor has been waxed. If it has, then your floor needs to be re-waxed and polished.
2. Paint It Back To Life
Have you ever considered (or even thought about) painting your hardwood floors? Not only can it bring them back to life, you can even change the whole look of the place by adding vibrant colours and clever designs. If you are tired of the tiles as they are right now, you can paint them with different colours and create squares or diamond shapes (think of a giant chess board to picture your floor).
Painting is a whole lot cheaper than refinishing it (and probably less messy too). It does take time and patience to paint hardwood floors but the results will be worth it.
3. Recoat Floors By Yourself
You can try to recoat your hardwood floors by yourself if you are someone who is into the DIY stuff. You need to empty the room first. Look for anything that needs to be repaired first and take care of that. Look for holes or deep scratches, exposed nail heads and things like that from over the years. Then, you need to clean the floor properly. You want the new finish to adhere to the old one, so any contaminants must first be removed and cleaned. This includes things like dirt, grime, grease, cleaning residue, wax or floor polish (and anything else). You can use a commercial hardwood floor cleaner that will get rid of contaminants but not the existing finish.
Let the floor dry first. You can hurry the process along by setting up a fan. Next, you need to gently scuff the existing finish. You can use an orbital sander and lightly scuff the surface of the old finish. Once done, vacuum the dust from the scuffing. Try not to sweep or use a dust mop though, but vacuum it. Once you’re done, apply the finish.
Once you’ve got your floors looking great again, keep it looking that way for a long time by maintaining it. Don’t slide furniture across the floor. Keep your pet’s nails short and trim and protect it from water and sunlight. This will help to maintain its new look for years to come.
