Are your old hardwood floors looking dull and tired? Perhaps a pick me up in the form of hardwood floor refinishing is just what they need, but don’t let your hardwood flooring fool you. Scratches, discolorations, and dings do not necessarily mean your flooring needs refinishing. It could just mean that your floors could use a touch up. If you are not sure whether or not your hardwood flooring is in need of refinishing, take a look at some of the top indicators that your hardwood flooring needs refinishing:

1- Take notice of what your flooring looks like after cleaning it: One of the best times to see imperfections in your hardwood flooring is after you have cleaned it. After you have cleaned the floor take a good look at how it looks after it has dried. A cleaned floor makes it easier to see imperfections. If you see one too many imperfections, your flooring may need refinishing.

2- Look for scratches, dents and gouges: Check flooring planks for scratches, dents and gouges. If there appears to be more of them then you can count, your flooring probably could use hardwood flooring refinishing. Coming across splintered wood is a good indication that flooring should first be sanded.

3- Dull flooring finish: Take a look at your hardwood flooring’s finish. If the finish appears to be considerably dull, simply run your fingernail across one of the flooring planks. If you see that wax comes up then that indicates that all you may need is to strip and re-wax the floor. When in doubt, call in professional hardwood flooring installers.

4- Rugs: If you have noticed that the edges of some of your area rugs are stuck to the floor, you may want to consider hardwood flooring refinishing. Pull up some of the rugs in your home and look for areas that are extremely worn. Worn flooring can occur due to pet stains, excessive traffic, or damage from previous carpeting. Once finish is worn away you may want to consider refinishing to avoid further damage to the flooring.

5- Floor level: Lie down on the floor and look at the floor from one side of the room all the way to other. Doing this will help you observe the floor’s level. If you notice that the flooring appears wavy, it could benefit from being refinished with a sealer that will lock out moisture and prevent any warping to the hardwood flooring. Remember, refinishing is all about perfecting your pre-existing flooring.

While all of the above are good indications that your hardwood flooring is need of refinishing, it could be hard to tell. When in doubt, call in professional hardwood flooring installers, like us, to come and take a look. Professional installers, and those skilled in hardwood flooring refinishing, will be able to take a look at the flooring and assess what kind of work will be needed to make those hardwood floors look brand new again. Feel free to leave us a comment below or contact us.