Refinish for a fresh look
Refinishing engineered hardwood floors is possible when your wear layer measures 3 millimeters or thicker, giving you enough material to sand and refinish.
You can refinish engineered wood floors two or three times before the wear layer becomes too thin, so plan refinishing carefully to extend your floor's life.
Your engineered hardwood floor needs replacing instead of refinishing when it's nearing 25 to 30 years old or has already been refinished multiple times.
Hiring a local wood floor refinishing professional takes the guesswork out of wear layer thickness and ensures proper sanding, staining, and sealing for lasting results.
Engineered hardwood floors offer the beauty of hardwood at a lower price, but what happens when they’ve seen better days? It’s possible to refinish hardwood floors, but there are a few factors to consider before grabbing the sandpaper. We’ll help you figure out if you should refinish your engineered hardwood floors or if it’s time for something new.
An engineered hardwood floor looks like a solid hardwood floor, but it’s made of a few layers of wood or plywood glued together in a perpendicular pattern. These layers are topped with the wear layer—a final layer of real wood that creates the appearance of a hardwood floor.
The good news is that you can refinish engineered hardwood floors. Because the wear layer is made of real wood veneer, you’re able to sand it to remove the finish. Then you can refinish it with the stain and sealant of your choice.
However, you can only refinish engineered wood floors two or three times before the wear layer becomes too thin. Keep this in mind when considering the cost of engineered hardwood flooring installation because refinishing can help you avoid a replacement if your floor looks a little worse for wear.
Now that we’ve examined the good news, it’s time for a little bad news. Each time you sand the engineered hardwood in preparation for refinishing it, you remove some of the wear layer. After a few refinishes, the wear layer will become too thin, and sanding it will expose the plywood substrate underneath.
Depending on the thickness of the wear layer, you can plan on refinishing hardwood floors two or three times.
You can decide whether to refinish or replace your hardwood floor based on a few factors:
How old is it? Engineered hardwood floors last between 25 and 30 years, so if your floor is nearing the end of its lifespan and looks like it’s seen better days, it might be time to replace it.
How many times has it been refinished? If you’ve already refinished your engineered wood floor two to three times, then you can no longer refinish it. At this point, you may want to consider replacing it.
How thick is the wear layer? Wear layers can be as thin as 2 millimeters and as thick as 5 millimeters (¼ inch) or more. If the wear layer is 2 millimeters or less, refinishing isn’t an option. If the wear layer is 3 millimeters or thicker, then you can plan on refinishing it a few times.
If you decide to refinish your floors, you can contact a wood floor refinisher near you to get a quote and discuss your finishing options.
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Krumlauf FloorsTerrible experience. Walls/trim/floors/cabinets/doors all have drip marks, overspray, etc. Tiling at the fireplace had to be redone by another vendor due to incorrect and shoddy install by Profect. Contractor had his children in our house while he was on site without prior authorization or...
Profect painting & exteriors**Would rate a 0 if i could** NEVER USE THIS COMPANY!!!!! They shattered my tv console and dresser, lost a mirror, and never finished the move. The broken furniture cost me over $600 to replace. They left me with 6+ hours of personal labor moving my 1BR apartment, when I was quoted a FULL...
All My Sons Moving & StorageFinished Basements Plus was wonderful from beginning to end! First, they came out quickly for an estimate. I had 4 estimates and theirs was by far the best. (2 of the estimates were more than $20K higher than for the exact same work). Beyond their fair pricing, the work was excellent. They...
Finished Basements Plus Inc.AFS was excellent from start to finish. Jess, the sales associate, was fantastic...very knowledgeable and very professional. The installation crew was excellent. I couldn't be more pleased with the process. Best of all, my new floor looks fantastic!
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CarifaTileWe hired Jim to replace our hardwood floors with new hardwood. He and his helper Jerry did a fantastic job. Their work ethic is impeccable!! We would highly recommend McColl Floors!
Description says they handle window repair including rotten hardwood - they called me back right away but didnâ t leave a voicemail. I followed up 3 days later and they said they donâ t do that kind of work.
Window-GurusChaz, the owner, was very responsive and he communicated with us throughout the entire process. The overall cost was in the middle compared to the three estimates we received. The installation crew was very professional. Chaz was considerate enough to send a crew back to our home to repair...
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