Hardwood floors have been around for centuries. They first became popular during the Baroque Period and haven’t slowed down since.
A good example of early hardwood floors is the Whitfield House in Connecticut. First built in 1639, the building is still standing today.
Hardwood floors have also stood the test of time. As popular and durable as hardwood floors are, they don’t always last forever. You may need a flooring replacement at some point.
How do you know when you need a flooring replacement, though? There are several signs to look for, and we’ll talk about some of them in the paragraphs below.
- Visible Nails
- Refinished Too Much
- Severe Damage
- Flooring Replacement and How to Know When to Replace a Hardwood Floor.
1. Visible Nails
If hardwood floors are a few decades or had multiple owners, there’s a possibility that it took enough of a beating. Perhaps someone sanded it down too much, and now the nails are starting to show through the floor.
This isn’t necessarily an issue if there aren’t many nails popping up. However, if you’re noticing nails on a regular basis, it’s best to replace the floor. Nothing lasts forever, and old flooring is no exception.
Not only are nails unsightly, but they can be dangerous. People can stub their toes on nails, or, depending on how loose the nail is, dislodge it by accident and hurt themselves.
2. Refinished Too Much
While refinishing hardwood floors can help them last longer and look better, it does come with its downsides. For instance, you’ll have to sand the floor again every time you refinish it.
This causes the wood to become thinner over time, and could eventually weaken your floor. There’s no hard and fast answer for when enough is enough, but 2 or 3 is probably sufficient.
3. Severe Damage
Hardwood floors do sometimes get damaged, and that’s inevitable. However, there is a point when the damage becomes too extensive to repair.
This can happen in a lot of different ways. One of the most common is flooding. 15 million homes are believed to be at risk of flooding, and this number is growing.
That’s bad news for those with hardwood floors, because when wood gets soaked with water for too long, it has a tendency to grow mold. The wood can also become less effective, or even break.
Replacing a hardwood floor is often expensive. It costs about $6 for a single square foot of floor.
The average amount of flooring needed for the average bedroom is over 100 square feet. For living rooms, it’s well over 300 feet. That comes out to over $1,800 just for a single room.
Flooring Replacement and How to Know When to Replace a Hardwood Floor.
Flooring replacement is going to be a necessity at some point, regardless of what kind of floor you have. We’ve mentioned some signs to look for when deciding if you need to replace hardwood floors, but there are others.
To learn more about flooring of various kinds please visit our site. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions or concerns, or are in need of a new floor. We’d be more than happy to help you out.