Hardwood Floor Refinishing Columbus Ohio

Properly Hardwood Floor Refinishing can Outlive Anyone

Refinish, renew, repair, reclaim, refurbish, rehab, recoat, rejuvenate, regenerate, or, simply, Buckeye Hardwood floor refinishing resurrects hardwood floors.

With proper maintenance, hardwood floors will outlast even a sub-prime mortgage.

As long as wood has a protective finish, it should out-live any homeowner.

The dilemma of hardwood floors is that this beautiful, healthy, sustainable flooring can be ruined by the most abundant substance on the planet: water. When water is allowed to penetrate raw wood, the wood (like any other organic compound) breaks down. The corrosive properties of water result in the wood rotting and unseen mildew forming. To prevent the hardwood (and the sub-floor and structural members) from rotting and mildew forming, a finish is applied to the properly prepared flooring (see NWFA Standards).

This finish is absorbed into the wood much like water, except that when the floor-finish dries, a portion (what we call solids) remains in the wood. Think scuff-resistant Jell-O.

Preperation Meets Application

This combination of preparation and finish application are necessary for a truly sealed floor. This is another reason a site-finished floor is head-and-shoulders above a factory-finished (or “pre”-finished) floor.

Buckeye Hardwood can refinish pre-finished floors. These floors, because of their infamous beveled-edge, present unique problems. Depending on the manufacturer, we can sometimes sand away most of the beveled edge, trowel-fill the entire floor, and apply a three-coat system for the finish. The aluminum-oxide finish on pre-finished floors does not wear as well as the site-finished, two-component finishes (see our finishes page). Those other times when the beveled edge cannot be sanded flush, it is necessary to use Basic Coating’s sand-less finishing system to insure adhesion of the new finish in the v-grooves.

Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Buckeye Hardwood Will Even Refinish Factory-finished Hardwood Floors

Factory-finished flooring is not worth the small savings between it and site-finished floors. By their design, they hold water in the beveled edge, where it seeps beneath the boards, trapping the water in a dark, moist environment perfect for mold growth, thereby creating health risks, to say nothing of aluminum-oxide’s toxicity. This, along with the other mentioned shortcomings, and their huge carbon footprint (compared with site-applied VOC compliant finishes), make pre-finished hardwood floors a poor choice.

Pre-finished floors are environmentally unfriendly, can be unhealthy, are difficult to maintain, and even more difficult to refinish. But they can be installed and sold by the often under-educated staff at your local big-boxes–Lowe’s, Home Depot, Sears, etc.

Signs that hardwood floors may need maintenance include discoloration (or an overall dingy, grimy appearance); “cow paths”; gaps between the boards; a loss of sheen on the finish; and, of course, damage of any kind. These are all red flags–are the traffic areas a different sheen than the less used areas? Is raw wood exposed? Has the floor lost its soul?

Hardwood Floor Refinishing
Hardwood Floor Refinishing Worksite

The Path to Everlasting Wood Floors: What to Do If Your Floors Show Wear

Like any lost soul, flooring that has lost its luster needs to be treated on an individual basis. Just as no two pieces of flooring are identical, neither are any two solutions to resurrect your floors. A few of the variables that must be determined before work can be started on your project include considerations of different wood species, type of finish, degree of wear, pets, furniture removal (think pianos), budget, and customer expectations.

If your floors are showing wear, contact me and arrange an inspection. I must view the project in person. As obvious as that sounds, there are nonetheless those who contact me and ask, “How much do you charge per square foot to [refinish, install, repair] my dining room and entry?”

My knee-jerk response is to reply, “How much money do you have?”–the point being that Buckeye Hardwood bids by the project, not by the price-point.

A Closer Look at Various Scopes of Work for Hardwood Floor Refinishing

We also understand that this website, like any website, needs to allow the visitor to assemble the information that will assist them in making the most informed decision. To that end, we have chosen examples from completed contracts over the past ten years that illustrate a portion of the variety of methods used and problems encountered, dealing with existing hardwood floors. Many of these examples may be viewed in the gallery.

Example 1

Scope of work:
Remove existing shoe mold. Remove and reinstall refrigerator. Mask off cabinets and unaffected adjoining rooms. Sand existing hardwood floor to bare wood. Fill all gaps. Sand/screen/apply three coat system (sealer plus build-coat, and a final coat of two-component satin finish). Furnish and install [3] 4″x10″ flush, maple heat registers. Furnish and install new shoe mold. Homeowner to furnish stain for shoe mold.

Location: Chillicothe
Contact Amount: $2,500

Example 2

Scope of work:
Remove and reinstall all “two-man” furniture. Remove carpet pad, tack strips, and shoe mold. Haul debris; Buckeye Hardwood to furnish dumpster. Sand all floors to bare wood and fill all gaps. Finish sanding then apply three coat system (sealer plus build-coat, and a final coat of two-component satin finish). Install new oak shoe mold throughout.

Location: Columbus – West
Contract Amount: $4,500

Example 3

Scope of work:
“Scuff & Re-Coat”–screen entire first floor. Sand with 180-grit strips. Deal with the piano. Plug hole by front door.

Location: Upper Arlington
Contract Price: $1,800

Example 4

Scope of work:
Use Ty-Cote sand-less system to prepare wood. Then apply two coats of V.O.C.-compliant waterborne matte finish. Install three flush white oak registers. Address black-mark under “his” chair. Remove and reinstall “two-man” furniture. Furniture is to be brought back in two days after application of finish.

Location: Minerva Park
Contract: $2,200

THE BENEDICTION

Hopefully, this boardwalk through the forest of hardwood floor resurrection will give you the knowledge necessary to have an everlasting sustainable relationship with your floors. You may also experience an inner-peace that often accompanies being “one” with nature.

Go forth and spread the gospel of site-finished hardwood floors.

Also remember that besides being sustainable, healthy and affordable site-finished hardwood floors are beautifu l.

Can I have another hallelujah?

We Appreciate Our Great Customers!

There isn’t a better floor company in Columbus! I’m talking these guys take it to a other level. If you want your floor done right by someone who truly cares and puts everything into making sure you get what you want and what’s going to look best and be the best fit for you.

Dave D.

I was really impressed with the job and the pace at which they worked. Fast but not sloppy, polite, prompt and very professional. My hardwood floors look almost new! Wow!!

Andrea M.

Tom and his crew were punctual, professional and they did an amazing job. My floors were badly scratched and had some water damage and they were able to bring them back to their original beauty. I highly recommend them for your hardwood floor refinishing!

Lindsey H.

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