This is a common question that many hardwood floor owners have. The answer is both simple and complex. The simple answer is that the wood in the floor itself can last a lifetime. The complex answer is that while the wood may last forever, the beautiful finish/gloss/shine that it has will dissipate over time.
If you’re comparing hardwood floors to carpet then you’ll be happy to hear that carpet should normally be replaced about every 10 years while hardwood floors don’t need to be replaced, but refinished or recoated.
So the real question becomes: “When should I refinish or recoat my floors?”
The answer really depends on how well you take care of your floors.
- Do you routinely clean your wood floors?
- Do you make sure to immediately clean up any spills that may happen?
- Do you stay proactive by keeping your pets from damaging your floors?
- Do you constantly rearrange heavy furniture with proper padding underneath?
We hope you’ve answered “yes” to these questions because this is how you can really prolong the life and finish of your luscious hardwood floors.
Recoating is a simpler process that aims to extend the life of your finish. Refinishing wood floors is a much deeper process that essentially gives you the look of having freshly installed floors. Recoating is less expensive and if done roughly every 3-5 years, then you can drastically reduce the amount of times to have your floors refinished. Typically hardwood floors should be refinished every 8-12 years, but this varies depending on how rough you are with your floors.
Some people don’t refinish/recoat their floors and are perfectly content leaving them the way they were installed. That’s fine, but it will lack the eye-catching luster that brings hardwood floors to life.
With the technology we have today, engineered hardwood floors are built to last. Combine that with a strong multilayer polyurethane and aluminum oxide finish and now we’ve got a floor that’s ready for battle.
Read more about engineered hardwood floors.