If your hardwood floors are looking dull and in need of rejuvenation, you should consider whether buffing or sanding is the right approach for them. Here’s how you can decide which one will work best for your hardwood floors.
Is Floor Sanding and Floor Buffing the same thing?
The buffing and sanding processes are similar. They are both used to rejuvenate hardwood floors. Although similar, there is a clear difference between floor buffing and floor sanding.
Floor sanding is a more in depth process. It involves getting rid of the damaged polyurethane sealer and part of the damaged wood. Sanding also involves the restaining of planks and sealing them with a new coat of polyurethane. In contrast, buffing only involves the polyurethane sealer and does not touch the wood.
Buffing
What does buffing do to hardwood floors?
Buffing mainly addresses the damage and imperfections in the sealant layers that are protecting your hardwood floors. You may want to buff your floors instead of sanding them if the finish of the floor is looking dull and scratched. You can also buff floors made of other materials, like engineered wood flooring, to bring back their luster.
How long you should go between buffing your floors depends on the traffic that the floor gets every day. In many cases, hardwood floors will need buffing once every three years to keep them in great shape.
Pros of buffing
- It restores the beauty of hardwood floors.
- It preserves the colour of hardwood floors.
- It extends the lifespan of hardwood floors.
- It increases the durability of your hardwood floor.
- It protects the floor from regular scratches.
Cons of buffing
It requires experience to correctly apply a new coat of polyurethane smoothly and correctly.
Buffing is not a cure-all; if there is damage to the wood or discoloration, buffing will not correct these problems.
Sanding
What does sanding do to hardwood floors?
Sanding and refinishing hardwood floors gives you the chance to completely restore old, damaged flooring. It also gives you the chance to change the colour of your hardwood flooring with a stain.
The process of floor sanding refers to removing the top surfaces of the wooden floor by use of abrasive materials. Hardwood floors should only require sanding when the finish has been completely worn through in any location, or to repair deep scratches or other damage to the wood.
On average, a hardwood flooring finish lasts approximately ten years. But with proper care and maintenance, it can last much longer.
Pros of sanding
- It improves the value of a home. By sanding your hardwood floors it will increase a home selling value because it makes the floors look beautiful and new again.
- It removes damage that has occurred to the floor over time and helps prevent further damages.
- It gets the floor clean and smooth. It also removes scratches and dents, hence no place for debris to settle; making it easier to clean.
Cons of sanding
- It requires a lot more time than buffing.
- It can be dusty, but your technician should be able to clean it up very nicely.
- Sanding should be done sparingly since it removes a thin layer of wood from the floorboards. There is a limit to how many times a hardwood floor can be sanded before it needs to be replaced.
Conclusion
If your hardwood floors are looking lacklustre but there is no damage to the actual wood then buffing is the option for you. But if there is damage to the wood then sanding is the route you will need to go in order to fully restore your hardwood floors back to their former glory.
Still unsure?
