Updating Your Hardwood Floors

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to update your hardwood floors, there is no better time to pursue this project than now.  Several options in stains and clear coats offer a wide variety of colors and hues, including environmentally and fume-free versions.

Hardwood is extremely versatile and decorative, and can be used in any room in the house.  Its durability and long-lasting qualities provide motivation to preserve your floors’ quality and design.

Old finishes on hardwood can become dark over the years, and this is a great reason to refinish them.  Pets and children can also wreak havoc on the finished floors, which requires buffing, sanding and refinishing in certain cases.

First, determine what type of feeling you want the room to exude.  Warmer designs will typically require a darker stain, especially if you want to help mask any dirt on the floor.  Darker stains are a great choice in homes with pets and children.

If you want your floors to be the focal point of the room, you may want to be a little more creative and choose a colored stain.  These colored stains are available in every hue from beige to purple, and create a great way to utilize the qualities of hardwood and versatility of colored materials. 

In high-traffic areas, you’ll want to invest in area rugs to protect your newly finished floors.  These provide a great opportunity to bring more color and design into a room with natural wood floors.

After choosing and applying your stain, you need to determine the level of shine you would like in the room.  Higher shine typically will require several coats of your chosen clear coat.

Clear coating is now available in more environmentally-friendly versions than yesterday.  If you or a loved one is allergic to certain synthetic materials, these may be a good choice for you.  Asthma sufferers may also be bothered by the resulting fumes in polyurethane coats, so ask your local professionals which type of topcoat they would recommend.