Full Hardwood Floor Refinish vs Top Layer Refinish

Whether you have tile, laminate, or hardwoods, your floors are a vital piece of your home. Aesthetically and the overall value of your home can change dramatically just by what you have on the ground.

Quite often, we receive calls for a full refinish of a customer's home or business' hardwoods, when in fact, when we arrive, they only are in need of the less intrusive, more affordable service Top Layer Refinish. So the question is:

When do I need a Full Refinish or just a Top Layer Refinish?

When You Need a Full Refinish

1. Fading/Peeling. If peeling or fading is happening in your old finish, it is time for a Full Refinish. Unfortunately, a Top Layer Refinish won't get rid of peeling or fading. The floor needs to be stripped down to raw wood to restore its original beauty.
2. Dark Spots. Pets. Indoor Plants. Bathroom traffic. These among many other sources that include water destroy the integrity and strength of polyurethane or varnish. Many times there will be dark spots. These unfortunately can only be dealt with with a Full Refinish and even still, some spots are so deep that the only option is to stain with a dark stain to try and "blend" or "hide" the dark spot.
3. Gouges/Deep Scratches. Deep scratches can only be removed (most of the time) with a full refinish. Minor dog nail scratches and other normal light scratches can most of the time be filled and erased with the Top Layer Refinish service. 
4. Change Color. Do you want to change the color of your floors? This can only be done when the floor is fully refinished to bare wood and a stain has been applied. 

When You Need a Top Layer Refinish

1. Good Shape. If your floors are in good shape, a Top Layer Refinish adds another (or multiple) coats of high traffic polyurethane. This adds strength and durability while extending the life of your floors. 
2. Dullness. After a few years of normal traffic in a home or a few months of high traffic in a restaurant, floors looks dull. Choose from Matte, Satin, or Semi-Gloss sheen to renew the look of your hardwood floors.
3. 3-5 Years. It is highly recommended to have a Top Layer Refinish every 3-5 years. With regular maintenance between a yearly Deep Clean and a Top Layer Refinish every 3-5 years, you will never have to refinish your floors again. 

Obviously, have an expert look at your floors to best help you in the decision making, but know that all floors DO NOT need a full refinish. Top Layer Refinish are wonderful, inexpensive, odorless, dustless, and done in a few hours (walkable in 3 hours).

To learn more, check out our website:

http://www.thefloordoc.com/toplayerrefinish/

How to Care for Your Hardwood Floors

Do you remember those commercials with that woman with a giant gap in her teeth, selling wood floor cleaner that smelled like pine?

Please don't listen to that nice woman. 

The two biggest enemies to hardwood floors is water and dirt; especially water. Most people born pre-1970 clean (because that is just how you do it) with soap, water, and a mop. "As long as I don't let it sit long, I will be fine".

As an expert in hardwood floors, water breaks down the layers of polyurethane slowly. Sure, your floors look great and they smell like a forrest, but give it 5 years and you will begin to see fading. Two more years and you will see darkening of the wood. Most of the time, when our customers notice this, they know something is wrong. Unfortunately, it is too late for a Top Layer Refinish and the floors will need to be completely refinished. 

Prevent a Full Refinish. Get your floors Deep Cleaned once per year and a Top Layer Refinish every 3-5.

Check out the Deep Clean process at www.thefloordoc.com/deepclean