If you wish to fix the damaged hardwood floors in your home, you must first clarify the instances that call for a replacement and those that require mere refinishing. A refinishing service corrects minor damages, so hardwood flooring looks as good as new, saving you the time and money replacement demands. Yet removing hardwood floors is necessary for warped, worn, buckled, and otherwise significantly damaged flooring. In the latter case, turn to a hardwood flooring specialist.
Virginia Top Floors offers high-quality hardwood flooring services to Bristow, VA, residents. Our team has 50+ combined years of customer service experience and 30+ years of design experience. Over that time, we’ve built a work ethic and attention to detail unrivaled throughout Northern Virginia. While most hardwood installers don't sand floors due to the work and detailing involved, VA Top Floors does! Call us at (703) 537-9699 to learn more about our outstanding hardwood service options.
Here, we consider refinishing against replacing flooring, then outline the signs that indicate your hardwood floors need replacement:
Costs of Refinishing vs. Replacing
The cost of refinishing hardwood flooring can be significantly lower than replacing it, but the exact costs depend on the type of wood and how much space it will cover. If the cost difference isn't a factor, consider your flooring’s condition. A refinish can correct hardwood that’s suffered light scratches, slight dents, and the like.
However, all flooring materials have a finite lifetime. Depending on its variety, you can have wood refinished a handful of times. Nevertheless, it will need a replacement someday. This investment in the material helps your home maintain its handsome appeal. Moreover, once you replace your flooring, proper maintenance can help it endure for years.
Signs You Must Replace Hardwood
1. Warped Boards
Warping occurs when high humidity or moisture levels get into floorboards. While minor warping might be smoothed over, severe distortion is impossible to sand away. In this case, it's best to replace your hardwood flooring.
Signs of warped hardwood flooring include:
- “Cupping” or buckling floors
- Visible cracks
- Excessive creaking and soft spots
Warped floors usually appear in older homes and can be tricky to diagnose without a professional. You should always thoroughly inspect the flooring of a new house before buying it and continue doing so every few years afterward.
2. Excessive Wear and Tear
Another sign that hardwood flooring needs replacement is the presence of extensive damage from years of use. Distinguishing this state from “minor” injuries requires professional insight; the cut-off point usually comes down to the appearance of deep scratches, gouges, and cracks. Refinishing just cannot smooth over such patches.
Also, note that some woods are more prone to wear and tear than others. A particularly soft material, such as pine, deteriorates under high traffic and frequent use. Likewise, flooring in heavy-traffic areas and rooms—including kitchens and bathrooms—must endure daily footsteps.
Consider all available wood types when deciding whether to replace or refinish your floors. Maple and oak are much more durable than pine, and you could swap the soft material with something sturdier.
2. Buckled Hardwood Floors
Finally, buckling hardwood needs replacement. This effect comes from moisture seeping between the seams of or on top of your floorboards. Over time, that moisture causes the wood to expand and buckle, leading to extreme damage. You must replace your flooring as soon as possible since untreated buckling can cause long-term damage to your home’s underlying structure and require expensive repairs down the line.
To determine if the hardwood is buckling, inspect the floorboards for any discoloration or warping. Call a professional for inspection and guidance if you notice anything irregular. You can also measure your floors by placing a leveler on the floor. This tool can pick up minute shifts that the naked eye cannot spot. Even those subtle shifts in level could be signs of a worse issue.
Call on Professionals to Remove Your Hardwood Floors in Bristow, VA!
Studying the signs of severe flooring damage is critical for homeowners. It can help them recognize when a refinishing service will resolve issues and when removing hardwood floors becomes necessary. Virginia Top Floors can deliver such services to homeowners in Bristow, VA, and the surrounding region. Moreover, our screening and recoating as well as refinishing services can help you enjoy beautiful hardwood floors for years to come. For more details about the value of hardwood flooring services, call us at (703) 537-9699.
