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rdwood floors can remain beautiful and functional for generations, but their protective finish does not last forever. Daily foot traffic, moving furniture, pets, sunlight, spills, and normal household activity gradually wear away the surface. Eventually, the floor may appear scratched, dull, discolored, or uneven.
1 Why Hardwood Floors Cup and How to Prevent It
A hardwood floor can look perfectly sound one week, then feel ridged underfoot the next. Homeowners often wonder why hardwood floors cup when the boards have not obviously been flooded. The answer is almost always moisture, but finding where that moisture came from—and whether it is still present—determines whether the floor can recover or needs repair.
1 Water Popping Hardwood Floors: Why It Matters
There is a specialty process used in hardwood floor refinishing called water popping. Although most homeowners have never heard of it, water popping can become extremely important when a floor is being stained a dark color.
1 How to Choose a Flooring Contractor You Can Trust
Choosing someone to work on your hardwood floors involves more than comparing prices. A poor sanding, refinishing, repair, or installation job can leave behind machine marks, uneven stain, damaged boards, finish problems, or repairs that are more expensive to correct than the original work. Knowing how to choose a flooring contractor means determining whether the company actually specializes in hardwood floors and understands the material well enough to recognize both what can be done and what should not be done.
Read more: 1 How to Choose a Flooring Contractor You Can Trust
1 Refinishing Versus Replacing Hardwood Floors
A scratched oak floor in a San Francisco Victorian or a dull living-room floor in San Jose can make an otherwise well-kept property feel tired. Yet visible wear does not automatically mean the boards have reached the end of their life. The decision between refinishing versus replacing hardwood floors comes down to what lies beneath the surface: the amount of usable wood remaining, the condition of the boards and subfloor, the source of any damage, and the result you want from the room.
1 Choosing a Low VOC Hardwood Floor Finish
A newly sanded hardwood floor can transform a home, but the finish chosen for the final coats affects far more than color and sheen. A low VOC hardwood floor finish can reduce volatile organic compound emissions while still providing the protection a hardwood floor needs. The right choice depends on the wood species, condition of the flooring, desired appearance, expected traffic and how quickly the rooms need to return to normal use.
