Almost all old floors can be salvaged and refinished by skilled contractors. Termite-damaged planks, insect-infested boards or delaminated strips can be replaced if there aren't too many. Squeaky floors can be tightened and quieted, at least temporarily, with nails or dry lubricant. Holes can be plugged.
Make sure thickness of hardwood floors is enough to justify salvaging. You'll want at least 1/8 inch of wood left on the top tab of the flooring's groove side. Ascertain the direction of the tongue-and-groove installation, so that you can work in the opposite direction as you remove the flooring.
"The two best indicators to tell if a wood floor is not salvageable are cracking or breakage along the perimeter of individual planks, and exposed nailheads—meaning the flooring has been sanded down so much the heads of the original blind nails are exposed," says Murray.
If your hardwood floors have been sanded and finished with Bona Mega Clear HD, it is safe to sleep in the home about 2-3 hours after the project is finished, but again, only if there are other rooms that have not been robbed of their furniture – furniture should stay off floors for at least 24 hours after ANY project ...
In general, it will almost ALWAYS be less expensive to refinish your hardwood floors. If you replace them, you need to pay for additional wood as well as ripping up and hauling away existing hardwood.
Use a hammer and chisel to chop through the damaged floorboards. At the end joint, use the hammer and chisel to cut straight down and through the tongue at the end of the damaged floorboard. Use the chisel to pry the severed tongue from the groove in the end of the adjacent floorboard.
Ripping up a wood floor isn't a delicate job, and if the boards are nailed down and you don't have any plans for recycling them, it doesn't have to take long, either. Removal is somewhat more time consuming and difficult if the boards are glued, but the procedure is essentially the same.
Go ahead and plane the boards,no problem. I used to plane heart pine flooring for a hardwood floor company. This was mostly old growth boards that were removed from homes. Original finish was shellac,then varnish years later.
Unless your floors are very old and thin or have structural or water damage, chances are they can be saved. If you want a new or exotic type of wood or are unhappy with the current pattern or thickness of your floorboards, you may want to consider replacing them.
The truth is, not all hardwood floors can be refinished. Although most common problems can be addressed and fixed without replacing the entire floor, there are some exceptions.
Donate: If your floor is healthy enough for a second life as a floor, consider donating it to an organization like Habitat for Humanity. They often have professional volunteers who can help them turn your old floor into a beautiful new one for a family that will be grateful to have it.
The process of replacing a single tongue and groove board requires several tools, including a circular saw and a wood chisel. With some tools and expertise, you can excise damaged floor boards to replace a single tongue and groove board or a small section of boards.
So is it possible to pull up hardwood floors and reinstall them? Yes, this is definitely possible. Since they are environment-friendly and extremely durable, hardwood floors are often reused when remodeling or building a home. They also offer better aesthetics and lower costs than buying new materials.
LVT planks have an incredibly realistic wood look, and vinyl flooring care and maintenance is a breeze. Here's something even better. If you've been graced with authentic hardwood flooring, it isn't even necessary for you to remove it before installing LVT!
As time goes on; your floorboards might start needing a bit of care and attention. If they've dried out or worked loose from their fittings, they could have started to creak. And if they've split, warped, shrunk or broken, you may need to replace them completely.
When you refinish your floors, you can change the color of your flooring. Most hardwood floors can be made darker, lighter, redder, or anywhere in between. If your flooring is solid hardwood, it can be sanded and refinished in a different stain for a different appearance.
Takeaway: Your worn down pre-finished hardwood flooring can be refinished up to 5 times. You can change the color of the entire floor each time that it's completely refinished. Leave the bevel in the floor and DO NOT have the bevel filled. Pre-finished hardwoods show scratches more than site-finished hardwoods.
Installing hardwood flooring averages between $6 and $12 per square foot. On average, wood flooring costs between $3 and $7 per square foot for materials and $3 to $5 per square foot for labor. An estimate for installation of 1000 square feet of hardwood flooring runs between $6,000 and $12,000.
It is a terrible idea to sleep or stay in a house after staining floors. The stain fumes are often overwhelming and highly toxic. In addition, exposure to such a stinky smell for long periods of time can trigger severe breathing problems and other health issues to both humans and pets.
Wait 3 weeks before putting area rugs on newly refinished/finished hardwood floors. Wait 48 to 72 hours after the hardwood has been refinished/ finished before "PLACING" furniture back in its place. Keep a steady temperature and humidity within your home.
A solid hardwood plank at least 3/4 inches thick will likely need to be refinished four to six times during its total lifespan. It's commonly accepted that you refinish every seven to ten years.