Hardwood floors are one of the best things about older homes in Colorado Springs, and one of the most misunderstood. Homeowners see a scratched, dull or discolored floor and assume it has to go. In our experience, most of those floors can be sanded and refinished to look brand new, at a fraction of the cost of new hardwood. Here's how we decide.
Start with the thickness. Solid hardwood — the kind in most homes built before the 1990s — is about three-quarters of an inch thick and can be sanded several times over its life. Engineered hardwood has a thin real-wood veneer over plywood; some can be sanded once or twice, some not at all. If you're not sure which you have, we can check at a floor vent or a doorway threshold.
Next, look at what's actually wrong. Surface scratches, worn finish in traffic lanes, sun-fading and general dullness are all finish problems, not wood problems. Sanding removes the old finish and a hair of wood, and a fresh stain and finish takes care of all of it. This is the classic refinish job, and it's what most worn floors need.
Gray or black boards — usually near an exterior door, under a plant, or by a dishwasher — mean water got in and stained the wood. Light graying often sands out. Deep black staining usually doesn't, but the affected boards can be cut out and replaced, and then the whole floor refinished so the repair disappears. That's still far cheaper than a new floor.
Cupping (edges higher than the middle) and crowning (middle higher than the edges) are moisture issues. If the source is fixed and the floor has dried out, it can often be sanded flat. Warping and buckling, where boards have lifted off the subfloor, are more serious and sometimes do mean replacement of the affected area.
Gaps between boards are normal in Colorado — our dry winters shrink the wood — and they usually close up in summer. Small gaps aren't a reason to replace a floor. Large, permanent gaps or loose, moving boards can be repaired individually.
When does replacement make sense? When the floor has already been sanded so many times that the nail heads are showing. When engineered floors have worn through the veneer. When there's structural damage to the subfloor. Or when you simply want a different species or plank width than what's there. Otherwise, refinishing is almost always the better value.
Quality Floors LLC sands, stains and finishes hardwood floors and repairs damaged boards across Colorado Springs, Monument, Castle Rock and Woodland Park. If you're not sure what your floor needs, request a free estimate and we'll take a look. Call or text (719) 491-2574.