Should You Refinish or Replace Your Wood Floors?
A question that many homeowners have when remodeling is “Should I refinish or replace my wood floors?”
Flooring can be a costly percentage of the remodeling pie, so it makes sense when homeowners ask us this question. Our clients want to make sure they are making the best decision in value, function, and cost. So if you’re weighing your options, here is what to consider when choosing between the two.
When It’s Time to Refinish
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You want to save some money. There are ways to keep your original wood floors and save some money refinishing them. While each project varies, we always have a discussion with our clients about whether it makes sense to save the wood flooring in their home by simply refinishing their floors. The types of projects that work best to refinish floors are refresh and update projects. Typically these projects are working with the existing structure and layout with increased cosmetic changes.
You are looking to simply expand wood flooring to other areas of your home. If clients choose to keep their wood flooring, we have a terrific wood floor installer and finisher, Duane’s Floor Service. This incredible team of talented craftsmen and craftswomen can lace into the existing wood floors for either patching areas or adding wood flooring that will be in adjacent rooms to the existing hardwood floors. They can make an entire floor look and feel cohesive by adding new wood flooring in the areas of construction and then finishing it off with a custom stain to blend the old and new.
You just don’t love the color of your original floors. Common updates we are seeing in wood flooring is pulling away from the gold or orange tones that older oak and maple tend to have. We mix stain colors and show samples directly on the floor when we’re ready to get started on the refinishing. We are doing many floors with a slight gray undertone so it mixes the cool and warm natural tones of the wood, and pulls away from the gold tone of the existing wood. This is a nice option even if we’re keeping the maple, cherry or oak trim in these areas of the home. The variation of woods is a nice way to create interest in any space.
You don’t love the sheen of your original floors. We typically work with water base matte or satin finishes on the floor which tones down the glossy sheen that was popular in years past.
When It’s Time to Replace
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You can’t deal with the upkeep of scratches. Many people expect perfection with wood floors, but the truth is that wood floors in general scratch easily. They may scratch during construction, or they will scratch over time even for homeowners who are very careful with the floors. So if this is something that has been annoying to clients, we work with them to choose other flooring alternatives. Even in high foot-traffic areas such as a hallway or living room, we have great recommendations for luxury vinyl or low-pile carpeting that are still stylish and modern.
You are looking for a wider plank style. The wood floors that were installed 20+ years ago were narrow planks; from 1 ½” that was common in the 1940s to 1970s, to 2 ½”–3 ½” in the 1980s to early 2000s. Some clients don’t like the narrow planks anymore and would like to explore options with larger planks either with new real hardwood flooring, or Luxury Vinyl Planks. Luxury Vinyl is a wood-look plank made out of heavy duty, thick vinyl material.
You are undergoing a major remodel. We recommend replacing your old floors if your home is receiving significant changes to layout through expansion, reconfiguration, or style. This can include a full gut, knocking down walls, moving plumbing, or adding large custom pieces like an island or built-ins. Most homeowners who are undergoing a major remodel make significant changes to style, so if you have the capability to replace your floors while everything else is getting upgraded, this would be the perfect time.
Your floors are beyond repair. Of course, sometimes flooring replacement is beyond your control. It’s time to rip up the old floors when there is noticeable water damage, bending, cracking, or it’s simply just worn out.
Are you ready to remodel?
For a virtual appointment and consultation, contact Meg Jaeger, owner and chief creative of Mega Remodel, to see how we can make a plan for your next home remodeling project.