Refinishing your hardwood flooringmay be easier and cheaper than you think.
Are Your Wood Floors Dull as Dirt?
Sure, it’s a no-brainer that dirt and dust make floors look dingy.
The Spruce / Margot Cavin
Fortunately, restoring dirtywood floorsthat have lost their sheen can be relatively straightforward.
Deep Cleaning is as Easy as One-Two-Three
Agood deep cleaningmay restore your tired floor’s former luster.
Here’s what to do:
Afterward, mop using a micro cloth and concentratedcleaner for hardwood floors.
Illustration: The Spruce / Elnora Turner
Method Squirt and Mop, and Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner are two good ones.
Hardwood floors in high-traffic areas in your home may require a deep cleaning by a flooring professional.
Experts like these typically use a scrubbing machine designed to remove embedded dirt.
The Spruce / Margot Cavin
When Refinishing is the Best Option
Unfortunately, some hardwood floors are beyond quick fixes.
Dry, grimy floors withdeep scratchesand wide gaps may need refinishing.
Getting the job done is a lengthy and labor-intensive process.
Deirdre Sullivan/Manhattan Avenue
But if done during the wrong time of year, it’s not a long-lasting fix.
In a nutshell, wood compresses during the winter and expands in summer.
That’s why it’s best to fill floors when the humidity is higher during the summer.
Only fill larger gaps.
Leaving the smaller ones unpatched will accommodate wood expansion.
Satin or Glossy?
The main reason: compared to their shiny counterparts, it’s harder to slip on a satin finish.
Here are a few more floor finishing facts:
Types of Flooring.
Building Clean, BlueGreen Alliance Foundation.
