Wooden floors are sleek and elegant, and they create a sturdy, long-lasting foundation for your home’s floor. But, there is a time when the wear and tear becomes too great, and your beloved wooden floor must be replaced.
Whether you just bought a new home with an old wooden floor or your own home has had the same flooring since you moved in over a decade ago, it might be time to get it replaced.
But, how do you know if it’s the right time to replace a wooden floor? What are the signs to look out for when it comes to the integrity of a wooden floor?
There are a lot of telltale signs that indicate your wooden floor is on its last legs and needs replacing as soon as possible. Wear and tear, water damage, and old age are all contenders when it comes to the integrity of your wooden floor.
Today we’ll show you exactly how you can tell when the time has come to replace your wooden floor. Here are five things to look out for when figuring out whether or not your wooden floor needs replacing.
- You’ve already refinished your floor multiple times
A major advantage to wooden floors is that you can repeatedly refinish them instead of replacing them entirely. This allows you to get the feel of a brand new floor without the expense and effort of ripping up floorboards and putting down new ones.
Refinishing is when you sand the wood down and add a fresh coat of stain or sealant. It’s the perfect way to hide any scratches or damage from years of wear and tear.
It can also be a great way to change your home’s style, but unfortunately, your floorboards can only be sanded so much. Eventually, you’re going to run out of wood to sand!
When you sand too much, you can wear your floorboards down until they’re too thin to even be considered flooring. When you refinish wood repeatedly, it’s more likely to crack when you walk on it too. So, if you’ve already refinished your flooring a few times, it might be time to replace it.
- There’s excessive water damage on your floor
Water damage is one of the main risks when owning a hardwood floor.
Wood is incredibly susceptible to warping, stains and other irreversible issues when exposed to moisture. Sealing or staining your wood will help protect it from minor spills throughout the years, but you could get severe damage if your home floods or you run into plumbing issues.
Water damage caused by floods in your home will cause your wood to warp and separate. If this happens, you’ll have to organise to replace your wooden floors – or deal with warped, out of shape flooring.
- Your floor has unfixable wear and tear
Scratches, bumps and discolouration is just a part of life for your flooring. From pets and children running around your home to rearranging furniture and dropping, who knows what – your flooring has gone through a lot.
A couple of minor marks aren’t exactly a cause of concern, but if your floor has been hit with heavy damage or deep scratches and exposed nails are cropping up, now might be the best time to replace your flooring.
If your flooring has scratches deep enough to cut through the stain on your panels, then your flooring will be vulnerable to things like water damage. Even small spills will become a huge concern if your flooring’s staining is starting to be worn or scratched away.
Wooden flooring is incredibly durable, and it stands the test of time, but this doesn’t mean it will last forever. If age is starting to show on your flooring and you can’t fix the problem by refinishing your floor, replacing your wooden flooring is the only option.
- The floorboards are constantly shifting
When you walk across your wooden flooring, does it creak as though you’ve just stepped into a haunted house?
Loose floorboards that shift and clack as you walk are a sign that you need to replace your flooring. Creaking floorboards means the wood is rubbing against each other, which means there could be some structural integrity issues somewhere.
Moving floorboards also mean that your floorboards are bending when you walk across them. This could be because of major water damage or even cracks in your foundation!
If you hear creaking in your floorboards, keep a close eye on them. More significant structural issues might have cropped up if your flooring is also dipping or swelling frequently.
- You’re tired of the way your flooring looks
You don’t have to have something wrong with your flooring to replace them.
New flooring is an excellent choice if you’ve just moved into a new home and want to spice up the decor. Or, maybe you’ve been staring at the same floor for too long now and want something different in your home.
Whatever the reason is, you have a variety of options when it comes to choosing the perfect wooden floor for your home. Brand-new wooden flooring can be the answer you’re looking for when completely transforming your home.
Are you craving a new look for your home?
If you are looking to upgrade your flooring or your wooden floor needs a bit of TLC, then the team at Freshwoods is here for you.
With over 30 years of experience refurbishing, replacing, and installing floors, our team is ready to help you get the perfect flooring for your home.
