hardwood floor refinishing alexandria VA

Benefits of Hardwood Floor Refinishing

How will you know that it’s time to have your hardwood floors in Alexandria refinished?

There are a few benefits of hardwood floor refinishing. 

For one, it’s superior to sanding. Sanding can be expensive and time-consuming – plus, it’s rarely actually necessary. While some extensive water damage, deep scratches, or areas faded by the sun may require a full sanding, it shouldn’t be the first step you take to address your floors.

Once your hardwood floor gets damaged, it requires more maintenance in order to slow the progression of damage. Replacing the damaged floors is even more expensive. It’s better to just have your hardwood floors refinished than to do nothing at all (or give up and replace the floors entirely). 

Refinishing your Alexandria hardwood floor can make it safer, since damaged floors can be dangerous. Splintered hardwood floors, for example, often lead to foot injuries.

Damaged hardwood can even attract pests, so taking the time to refinish your floors is an investment that will pay off in dividends in the future.

Refinishing your wood floors is a task that should almost always be left up to the professionals. We’ll be able to determine the right stain that will match the type of wood and previous stain used on your floors but can not guarantee color match. The Color match can be impossible – but we will make sure that your new stain blends in and is not noticeable after the final coat of floor finish has been applied.

Residential Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Alexandria, VA

When we arrive for your appointment, the first thing we will do is to thoroughly inspect your floors. This will allow us to create a plan of action that address the following areas:

• Whether sanding is necessary
• If there are more extensive damages that hardwood floor refinishing may not address
• What type of stain and finish (color and gloss level ) should be used
• The estimated timeline for service completion

Of course, we will also be able to give you a price estimate at this time, too. 

Our Hardwood Floor Refinishing Process

If your hardwood floor has lost its luster and much of its color has disappeared, then refinishing with two new coats of finish might be in order. This alone will bring new life to your hardwood floors, but there are plenty of other steps we can take to get it looking good as new, too. 

We can even add a stain that blends the refinished areas into the older ones – you won’t be able to tell the difference.  

There are two main steps in the hardwood floor refinishing process.

First, we’ll prepare your floor for two new coats of finish.

We’ll do something called screening/abrading and recoating. This involves removing the top layer of polyurethane but not any of the wood underneath, as sanding does. This process can remove light or dull scratches from the floor. 

This process of screening and recoating is much cheaper than sanding. It’s also less aggressive. It can be part of a regular maintenance routine to reduce friction and repel moisture. 

After your screening, if in some areas your wood floor is worn all the way to the wood (and the stain is missing), we will need to take one extra step. We will add the missing stain so your floor looks great again! After that, we will add two coats of finish in the color of your choice (satin, semi-gloss, or gloss).  

What to Do After Floor Refinishing Your Hardwood Floors

After your floors are refinished, you’ll need to wait for a short period of time to use them. The drying and curing times vary depending on what kind of finish you choose to use.

Polyurethane takes up to 12 hours to dry and about a month to fully cure. While you will be able to walk on your floors before that month has finished, you should try to avoid moving heavy furniture or putting rugs back down until the floors have cured. This will give you the longest-lasting results.

If you choose a water-based finish, you’ll have to wait up to four hours for it to dry. It only takes a week or so to cure. 

After your floors are finished (and long after we’ve left!) be sure to tend to your floors regularly. Mop with clear water or a neutral cleaning solution. Try to avoid products that say they will “lend shine” to your hardwood floors. These products also make it difficult to recoat your floor later on. 

Not only are those claims usually false, but they contain wax or an oil-based solution that can make your floor dull and not looking good. 

On average, you will need to refinish your hardwood floors up to six times during its total lifespan. 

Its commonly accepted that you refinish your floors about once every 10 to 15 years for best results. That said, if you undergo the screening and recoating process instead, you should plan on doing this more often. It’s recommended that you screen and recoat once every 3-5  years depends on how you use it. to dramatically prolong the time you can wait between refinishings. 

If you’re planning on selling your home in the near future, you may want to book hardwood floor refinishing sooner rather than later to increase its appearance and overall value. 

Contact the Floor Refinishing Professionals

Whether you have carpets that need to be cleaned, grout that needs to be cleaned or, of course, hardwood floors that need to be refinished, SV Professional Cleaning is your best choice. We’re some of the best techs in the business and offer the fastest, friendliest service in Alexandria VA. 

With many years of experience and a long list of satisfied clients, we’ll work with you to get your floors as gorgeous as they can be. From hardwood to carpet and everything in between, SV Professional Cleaning can help your floors go from “blah” to “beautiful” in no time. 

Call the experts at SV Professional Cleaning to get an estimate and to book your hardwood floor refinishing today!