In the way you describe your flooring, I understand you mean engineered wood flooring. This type of flooring comes with a top layer of real wood and softwood or ply backing. The top layer could be from 3 to 6 mm and most likely you are having a 3 mm top layer flooring.
That layer can be sanded once and therefore such floors would offer a life span of up to 10 years. Choosing the right time for restoration is important, however it also inevitable if wearing of the sealant starts showing up.
There are 2 possible services to improve the look of the floors:
- Restoration - option if the floors were never sanded before, which will bring the floors back to their former beauty and give them another 3-5 years life.
- Clean & Polish - recoating / maintenance services, which extends the durability of the existing sealant.
How to choose the right service?
- Wood floor polishing & cleaning is a procedure that applies an extra protection coat, which will equalise the sheen on the surface, remove any scuffs and provide additional protection coat. Scratch marks will be sealed but cannot physically disappear. As the polish can only bond on varnish, not timber, this service is not suitable for floor, which has the sealant worn out in areas.
- Wood floor repairs will put the floors back to their original state. Floor sanding in combination with a stain on thin engineered floors is not something that may be an option every time. The flooring company may refuse the application of stain on 3 mm top layer engineered flooring. The reason comes to form the fact that during restoration the thickness of the top layer may remain inconsistent throughout and therefore absorb the stain in different amounts resulting in a patchy effect on the floors. If your floors have been factory finished, stained oak and you would like to have your floors finished in the same colour, this may not be an option anymore. The clear finish will always remain an option with the wood floor restoration of 3 mm top layered engineered product.