House Beautiful: Should You Refinish or Replace Old Hardwood Floors?
Blake Sutton, president of Scottsdale luxury interior design firm Est Est Interior Design, explains when old hardwood floors are worth saving in a House Beautiful story by contributing writer Wendy Rose Gould. Sutton points homeowners to the one factor that decides whether a floor can be refinished and names the signs that mean it’s time to replace it.
Gould’s story opens with good news for homeowners: hardwood floors are forgiving, and many that look beyond repair can be brought back. Before booking a costly replacement, it pays to check whether the damage is in the wood or only in the finish.
Sutton’s answer comes down to the wear layer. “The ability to restore wood floors is based on how thick the wear layer is,” he told House Beautiful. “True hardwood can be sanded and refinished multiple times.”
The article outlines four signs a floor is worth saving: surface scuffs and scratches, a worn finish over healthy wood, a structurally sound floor, and heavy damage limited to one area that can be fixed by replacing individual planks.
Sutton also explains when a floor has reached the end of its life. “Extreme cupping, bowing, and twisting due to moisture are the primary causes of unsalvageable hardwood floors,” he said. “And in some cases, long-term wear and tear can eventually wear the wood so thin that it can’t be sanded and stained further.”
The story closes with care tips to help hardwood last for decades, including wiping up spills quickly, using rugs and runners in high-traffic areas, and resealing every three to five years.
Leave a comment