Why Wood Floor Sanding Is So Beneficial

You can often hear or read that wood floor sanding is a very important service in the life of a wooden floor and that it should be performed in every building with wooden floors now and then. It is good to know that, however, do you wonder what makes floor sanding/refinishing that important and vital? Today we are going to explain this and comment on all the benefits and advantages floor sanding comes with, so make sure to stay tuned and continue reading!

In case you have ever wondered why wood floor sanding is beneficial, let us tell you – we can leave you with a long list to spend your weekend on. However, this is not the aim and today we are going to comment on the most important, major and life-changing traits that make refinishing one of the best and most popular home improvement services.

What is wood floor sanding?

First things first, to understand the benefits, let’s find out what floor sanding is and how it works. Floor sanding is one of the most popular services in the branch and it is no wonder why so many people find it works like magic.

First of all, let’s explain what happens with wooden floors over time. It is important to mention that wood is naturally a very durable and long-lasting product. Add to it a wood flooring finish and it will get even more hard-wearing and well-protected, so a wooden floor will look and feel amazing for many years if you keep your maintenance and cleaning game up.

However, due to everyday use, high traffic, heavy footfall and some reasons from the surrounding environment, wooden floors tend to start experiencing a certain level of wear and tear. Generally, no matter how regular and proper the cleaning and maintenance is, there is nothing you can do to stop entirely the process of ageing and distressing of wood. Although really nothing so dramatic in most cases, wooden floors start to struggle with imperfections that get even more noticeable and hard to conceal with time, but what is even worse – these have the potential to grow into more serious problems.

The good news is that commonly the wood flooring imperfections such as scratches, dents, stains, discolouration, etc. affect the finish of the floor only and these hardly ever manage to penetrate through the finish and affect the condition and appearance of bare wood. However, once the finish starts experiencing wear and tear and gets distressed or damaged, this pretty much means that its protective power gets weaker and weaker with every day. Since the finish is what protects and preserves wood’s colour, texture and overall condition, you do not want a weakened protective power.

This is when the floor sanding service comes in handy! Wood floor sanding is the process of removing the old finish from the surface of the floor and when needed – a thin layer of bare wood too, in case it is damaged and distressed. Do not worry, the lamella (top layer) of solid wood and engineered wood floors is usually thick enough to "survive" up to 4-5 floor sanding treatments, so you won’t end up with broken wooden floorboards.

Once the finish is removed, you will start noticing that most, if not all of the imperfections are gone and you are left with the bare wood’s "blank canvas". What happens next is the sealing/re-finishing process or the application of fresh new coats of a protective floor finishing product. There are a few kinds of floor finishes offered on the market you can choose from, so make sure to select the best one depending on your lifestyle and visual preferences.

No matter the type of finish you settle on, floor sanding is always recommended beforehand. Floor sanding not only contributes to the apparent improvement of the floor by getting rid of the work patches of finish and other imperfections, which otherwise will be only highlighted if you decide to apply a stain or a new layer of finish but floor sanding also opens the pores of the wood’s structure and that way the protective finishing product soaks into them, adding protection from within and not only on the top.

Reasons why floor sanding is beneficial

If you are not convinced by now why floor sanding is beneficial and how much it can do for the improved appearance and condition of your floor, here are some of the most popular sanding benefits summarised:

Floor sanding gets rid of all imperfections

By doing so, floor sanding ensures not only an improved look for your floor (often as flawless as brand new) but also minimises the risk of these imperfections growing bigger and getting more serious. This way sanding saves you all the energy, money, time and nerves that come with hardcore wood floor repairs and even changing your floor entirely.

Floor sanding prepares wood floors for finishing

Floor sanding is an essential step before refinishing and opening the pores of the wood, so the sealing protective product penetrates the whole structure.

Floor sanding is essential before staining

In case you are not happy with the colour of your wooden floor, or you feel like the original colour can be more fresh and intense, then floor staining is a good solution. However, if staining without sanding, the stain’s pigments will only highlight all the wood’s imperfections and emphasize them even more, instead of concealing them.

Floor sanding can happen more than once

No matter if a solid wood or engineered wood floor, sanding is not a once-in-a-lifetime treatment, which means that you can enjoy a brand new-looking floor almost throughout its entire existence.

Engineered wood floors can be sanded too

This one is pretty important to discuss because many people do believe that engineered wood and laminate are the same things and that engineered wood cannot be sanded. Far from the truth, engineered wood boards are topped with a hardwood lamella (top layer) and depending on the thickness can be sanded up to 3-4 times.

Floor sanding is no more messy and stressful

Floor refinishing used to be one of those processes that require a lot of planning and preparation, but nowadays it happens within a couple of hours when the disruption is minimised and you will be left with less to no sawdust and mess.

We hope that now you understand this amazing refinishing treatment a bit better, which means that you can consider it and plan it for your wooden floor. However, always remember that wood floor sanding is not a DIY project and should be delivered by reliable, experienced and knowledgeable professionals.