What to do next, Hardwood Re-Coat or Refinish.
Hardwood maintenance keeps your flooring in premium condition, however, the time comes when further attention needs to be considered, due to marks, scuffs, thinning of the finish in high traffic areas, moisture damage, pet claw marks, indents from high heels, furniture moving and a host of other over time use issues.
Are we soon enough, for a re-coating and if so what needs to be considered before deciding this will be the solution for your desired results?
Considerations to be addressed are, type of wood flooring, how old the floor is, has it had a refinishing or re-coat before and how long ago and by whom if possible and what maintenance products or procedures the floor has been subjected to, including aspirations from cosmetic products and the like.
Once all the variables have been determined as to the supplied information, test procedures and understandings agreed to have been settled then and only then will the floor be a candidate for a re-coat application.
This re-coat application will require more than one process and all needed procedures will have a bearing on the cost. Either way, a re-coat will come in at a fraction of the cost, reflecting less than half the value of a total refinishing.
If the re-coating cost is over half the cost of refinishing, it is recommended that a full refinish application be considered, as the savings will not translate over a long enough time, before another re-coat needs to be done.
Most times, however, most clients who request a hardwood refinishing professional, have waited too long to have a money saving re-coat application.
It is not uncommon to let the needs of flooring of any kind slip past the threshold of maintenance verses virtual replacement or replacement. ( virtual replacement means a refinish may cost as much as a new floor, however the tear-out/disposal cost is the savings)
The refinishing processes required, are similar in all cases, however the cost is different from one floor to another, as variances in use issues, type of finish and type of wood needing to be considered.
All of these considerations, again will have a bearing on the cost to produce the end desired result.
Research your professionals well, before deciding on who will actually do the project in any application.
Some things to really understand are, the contractors years of experience with the services they offer, testimonials from clients you can actually call, word of mouth, the type of wood, coloration (vital, as dark stained wood requires a full understanding of wood, sealers, stains, pigments, and finishes) and most important, the lowest price does reflect the lowest quality.
More often than not, as I have heard and seen in this industry of flooring over the last 35 years is, the contractor gave us a great price but… and in the end we were not happy and had to do… and the contractor did not reply to our calls…which cost us more in time, frustration and capital in the end, as we hired another to get it done right.
Sometimes, clients have even gone around more than once with several contractors, still believing that another contractor who could do it for less would be the answer.
The end is, Research well who you will have in your home and understand what is to be the expected outcome of the final product along with what is to be done if what is desired turns out to be less achievable. This less achievable understanding should also be a part of the final agreement.
It is not unprofessional to bring awareness to the potential for a needed change to the process, as during the process of re-coating or refinishing, the actual state of the wood, finishes, residuals and the like will become manifest.
It is highly unprofessional for someone to sell an undisclosed project awareness plan and then proceed after to begin to explain that issues to refinishing are common considerations that need address.
Most low price contractors will pontificate their ability and results with little or no understanding for the client up front, as to the limitations, all in these services will come across, sooner or later and mostly when unexpected, due to a lack of knowledge.
In the end, you the consumer or client are responsible for the decision you make and the end result will be yours.
WOODSHOP 55 HOBBIEST 