The truth is, it is almost always cheaper to refinish your floor than to replace it. When replacing, you must consider the cost of the new wood as well as the installation, plus the cost to haul your old wood floors away.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each, and the value they add also varies. A solid hardwood floor will add more value to your home than a laminate floor in most cases, but that's not the whole story.
And, while hardwood can wear more quickly than laminate, it is possible to refinish it at a much lower cost than replacement, whereas laminate must be replaced once it is worn out. Laminate, in comparison, better resists scratches, dents, and water damage and is much more affordable from the start.
I've had floors refinished many times and it was always cheaper than vinyl plank. With wood floors you already have the material for the most part. And the labor is a relatively quick and simple process.
So, when all is said and done, refinishing hardwood is definitely the more affordable option. Even if it requires removing a few severely damaged planks here and there, refinishing will generally always be less costly than tearing out the entire floor.
Wood Floor Condition
The condition of the flooring is the most significant factor when choosing to refinish or replace. If the damage is mostly superficial, refinishing is usually the best choice. But if the damage is severe and includes rot or water damage, those planks will have to be replaced.
Almost All Old Wood Floors Are Salvageable
If your home has old wooden flooring, it is best to restore it. It is less expensive than installing carpet, and in Victorian, Edwardian and early twentieth-century homes, you are keeping what the architect originally intended.
While luxury vinyl flooring has come a long way from its creation and has increased in durability and visual appeal, unfortunately vinyl may decrease your resale value in the long run. It's important to recognize that while you may spend less on vinyl vs.
Yes, vinyl is flexible enough to be placed over most anything, including hardwood, but you will need to be mindful of special requirements. Luxury vinyl, especially plank, needs a smooth surface, so the installer may need to sand it to level any uneven spots.
Refinishing hardwood floors increases your home's value tenfold. It could very well be one of the best decisions you can make for yourself. If you want to sell your home, then consider refinishing the hardwood floors or installing new ones.
For one thing, if you ever want to revert back to the original hardwood, you can simply pull out the laminate and the old floor has suffered no damage. Additionally, laminate flooring can mimic the look and style of the original flooring, without all the work of restoring the old hardwood.
You guessed it: Go for laminate. You can even install it over existing hardwood floors that you just don't have the time or energy to refinish — no judgment here! Typically, laminate floors come completely finished, and they are installed following a simple tongue and groove system.
Laminate flooring can be installed on top of hardwood boards that are in fairly good condition with no preparatory work at all. If the laminate has a built-in underlayer, you could simply lay it on top of the hardwood flooring.
Susceptible to liquid damage: Laminate floors are sensitive to moisture. Oversaturation of any liquid, not just water, can cause the planks to buckle, stain and break down if left untreated.
Greige and white oak are two of the most popular choices for hardwood flooring when it comes to house resale. They provide timeless elegance and neutrality, making them ideal for any home.
Laminate flooring is often considered to have a lower resale value than solid wood or engineered wood. Resilient flooring tends to rate even lower than laminate flooring, though categories start to overlap with better types of resilient flooring like thick rigid core luxury vinyl plank.
Floors with extreme movement between boards are not good candidates for refinishing because "the movement will affect the sanding and finish," Lupresto says. Substantial structural problems — those that require the flooring to be removed so the subfloor can be fixed.
Moisture in Spring and Summer
Like any other organic or natural product, wood also absorbs moisture because it is highly porous. If the hardwood flooring installation is done either in the summer or the spring, then your floors might become vulnerable to distortion, as these seasons have the highest humidity levels.
Durability. Although hardwood floors require more maintenance than vinyl flooring, this means that they typically last much longer than vinyl flooring.
Many homeowners, interior designers, and builders are opting for Luxury Vinyl Flooring as a substitute for other vinyl-type options due to its hardwood style. Compared with other hardwood flooring it is an attractive choice for those who want some classic hassle-free flooring without high-price tags.
Wood floors are one of the best investments you can make. They're durable, versatile, and most buyers love them. According to real estate experts, the average ROI for installing hardwood floors is about 70% to 80%, and wood floors can boost the sales price of your home as much as 2.5%.
“Buyers like carpet in bedrooms, especially in basement bedrooms, for comfort and warmth.” Carpet is also much quieter to walk on than other types of flooring and can help absorb noise. It can mask sounds, such as footsteps and squeaky floors, Fisher adds.
REFINISHING CONS
- Dust, dust, dust. While many companies claim to have excellent dust mitigation systems that really do limit the amount of dust that will inevitably collect in every nook and cranny of your home, no system is 100% dust free. - Smell. Staining floors is stinky and toxic.
Aside from hiring a professional to do the job, you can try to refinish the hardwood by using a store-bought abrasion kit, recoating it with a polyurethane solution, or applying a revitalizer. For better DIY refinishing project results, proper floor cleaning is an important step to make the coating stick better.
Now that your floors are clean and dry, applying a coat of polish is a great way to revive your hardwood floor's finish. A coat of hardwood floor polish can even out a floor's look, filling in any micro scratches and adding a new protective layer on top of your floor.