Is it cheaper to refinish or replace hardwood floors?

Keywords: cheaper, refinish hardwood floors.

Finding the best flooring can prove challenging when building or remodeling your home. While hardwood floors look amazing, they eventually fade or stain. When that happens, you’ll have to choose: do you refinish it, or should you replace it?

Luckily, with some research, you’ll find it is preferable to refinish than replace hardwood floors. This is due to one of the great benefits of hardwood: its durability. A hardwood floor from reputable hardwood flooring contractors can be refinished around six different times before it has to be replaced.

Refinishing Over Replacing

In most cases, refinishing your hardwood floor is the ideal plan. Though refinishing wood might sound like a more tedious process, it is way more cost-effective than the alternative. On average, replacing hardwood flooring is in the range of $2,000 to $7,000– almost three times more. 

Not only is it more cost-effective, but refinishing is more sustainable since you are reusing the wood already installed instead of having to consume more wood. 

So, what should you expect from the process? All furniture must be removed and out of the way before the sanding can begin. This will cause dust, but it can be easily controlled. Then it would be restrained to your liking, and finally sealed and finished. The whole process takes at least a whole week.

The good news is the refinishing process will leave you with beautiful like-new hardwood flooring, giving the whole room a more kept and groomed look. 

Though, not every single hardwood floor can be refinished. If you have spots that need replacement, it is still better to replace just some sections rather than taking out every single board. The magic of refinishing is that you can easily match the old board to the new ones. 

A properly maintained hardwood floor can last up to 30 years without needing replacement. In the worst-case scenario, these are some reasons replacement would be required:

Water or Structural Damage

There is one thing that can negate hardwood flooring’s durability: water damage. In the case of water damage like pipe burst or flooding, wood will bloat and rot. Other ways the structure of your wooden board can be compromised are termite or similar infestations. These would make the floor unsafe for regular traffic.

Boards Are Thin

As we mentioned, hardwood floors can be refinished several times, but eventually, they will be too thin to do so. In these cases where the wooden board is too old, replacing them is the only choice.

Upgrading Your Floors

While refinishing can give your floor a brand new look, there is something to be said about upgrading to higher-quality wood. Replacing the floors with higher quality wooden boards will allow for better durability and increased property value.

In summary, almost always, it is more sustainable practice, more cost-effective, and more practical to refinish your hardwood flooring. However, it is up to you if you want to take the chance and upgrade to better wood.

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