Enjoying the look and feel of real wood floors offers you an upscale experience…until you need hardwood floor repairs. Then you have to do a little extra work to ensure your floors wind up looking as good as possible. Follow this short guide provided by our team at Atlanta Floors to determine whether your floors can be repaired, refinished or if they will need to be replaced.
Identify Your Floor Type
Is your flooring real hardwood? It comes in solid wood and engineered wood styles. You can tell the difference between the two styles because solid wood is just that – a single piece of wood. Engineered wood has a body of wood with a thin layer of veneer over the surface.
Laminate wood flooring is not real wood, but layers of fiberboard. It is rigid, like wooden planks, but more susceptible to damage and can look cheap if of poor quality or installed incorrectly.
Vinyl flooring can also look like wood, but again, it is not hardwood. Vinyl is actually PVC and more flexible than wood or laminate.
When to Repair, Refinish or Replace Hardwood Floors
Laminate flooring is notorious for water damage and so not for use in rooms with plumbing features, such as bathrooms and kitchens. Because of how laminate flooring installation works, when damaged, laminate flooring repair doesn’t work — replacement is necessary to retain its structural integrity.
Vinyl flooring does not damage as easily as laminate flooring. It is generally protected from water damage and might be a better solution for achieving a low-cost wood appearance in bathrooms and kitchens. However, when torn, burned or discolored, floors need replacement. Even saving back tiles for vinyl layouts causes problems as an installed floor fades over time. It’s possible replacing tiles would result in a mismatched appearance.
Repair of damaged engineered wood floors is possible if you have enough replacement wood. You can remove the damaged areas and replace them with matching replacement pieces. Depending on the brand, you might be able to sand and refinish the flooring.
Solid hardwood floors provide the most flexibility for refinishing. Whether you’re dealing with pet urine stains, deep gouges or water damage, you can remove the damaged wood and replace it with a new solid wood portion. To match coloring, you would then have to refinish the entire floor.
There are a few exceptions, however, which might allow you to make repairs for lower costs while preserving the look of a newly finished wood floor. If your original flooring is less than a year old, be sure to consult a professional.
Reach out to the Hardwood Floor Pros
If you’re not sure whether hardwood floor repairs or replacement is your best option, call in the professionals from Atlanta Floors. We’ll provide you with the prompt, professional service needed to maintain the classic look of real wood throughout your home.
