Hardwood floors are amazing. They are durable and easy to take care of. What's more, they are renewable. Unlike any other type of flooring, hardwood floors can be refinished time and time again, which means they can last for decades. Traditional solid hardwoods can last for 100 years or more, depending on how many times they have been refinished. Newer hardwoods, such as veneers and engineered hardwoods, may not last as long as traditional flooring, but many can still be refinished up to three times. Refinishing takes care of many common problems that you may have with your floors. Following are three common floor problems that you can fix by sanding and refinishing.

Dents and Scratches

As long as they are not exceptionally deep, dents and scratches can be removed through sanding. Sanding removes a thin layer of wood from the surface of your floors, revealing the new and even wood underneath. If you have deep grooves or holes, they can be patched with wood filler before or during the sanding process. Most small scratches, dents, holes, and grooves can be fixed through a combination of filling, sanding, and refinishing. 

Dullness and Fading

Wood is a natural product that will experience some fading. This is especially true in areas that receive a lot of natural light. Through the years, you may notice that your floors look dull or lack the color that they used to have. Fortunately, this is easily fixed by sanding off the faded portion of the wood. Not only can your wood fade, the finish can fade as well. Refinishing removes stains and finishes that have oxidized and aged to the point that they are no longer attractive. 

Stains and Discolorations

Finished floors rarely soak up liquids that are spilled on them, such as juice. However, certain substances, if they are not cleaned up immediately, can eat away at the finish and soak into the wood underneath. Pet urine is a huge problem for hardwood floors since it eats away the finish and turns wood a dark color. If the varnish on your floors has been worn away, you may also start seeing even more stains pop up since there isn't anything to protects your absorbent floors from spills. Fortunately, most stains can be removed through sanding, provided that the stain hasn't soaked very deeply into the floors.

As you can see, many types of flaws can be fixed by sanding and refinishing your floors. Wood floors are a renewable resource in the environment and in your home as well. For more  information, talk to a professional like Idaho Hardwood Flooring.

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