They are charming, elegant and provide thermal comfort to environments. Wooden floors are highly durable, give personality to the decor and are a good option for those who want natural elements at home. And the best part: daily maintenance, contrary to popular belief, is extremely simple (forget the wax and mop!). But from time to time, it is necessary to revitalize the material. Scratches and natural wear and tear require a restoration process. The good news is that it is easy, practical and leaves the floor looking new again, like a new Tile installation in St augustine
There is a way?
Is the floor scratched , worn, stained, or missing parts? You can change its appearance and ensure protection for years to come. “The conventional restoration process is sanding, scraping and varnishing again”, details the CEO of Parquet SP, Gustavo Wentz, specialist in installation and restoration of wooden floors. “But it’s not always necessary to do all of that, many times a superficial application solves the aesthetics and protection without harming the wood so much”, he adds.
What is your floor?
When planning the revitalization of the wooden floor, it is first necessary to know the material that will be restored. There are solid wood floors , engineered floors — which are made up of part solid wood and part plywood — and even multistructured floors , which are made up of several layers and structures.
Among the subtypes, the application can be on the floor or on tacos, with parquet, versailles or random length. The universe of types of wood is also quite wide. Among the different species used in the manufacture of the material are oak, cumaru, ipe and peroba, among others. The main difference between one and the other is the tonality, the “print” of the wood and the hardness — which indicates the durability according to the traffic where the floor is.
As a rule, the lighter it is, the “softer” the wood will be — recommended for areas with low traffic intensity. Dark woods, on the other hand, tend to be harder and are recommended for environments that receive many passers-by. To adapt the style of wood to the needs of the decoration project, there are specific treatment and painting services, which give the material other tones and styles. It is possible to give the appearance of aged wood, lighter or darker. In addition, the material used to protect the wood also directly interferes with the durability that the floor will have.
The first step is to assess the need for spare parts. In older homes, it is common for parquet and parquet floors to come loose. “Very humid areas or problems at the time of installation can cause the pieces to come off the ground. For this reason, when applying the blocks, it is important that the subfloor is flat and completely clean , free of dust or imperfections”, warns Wentz. This also applies to reapplication at the time of restoration. You’ll need to remove any excess glue left over from the loose piece before putting on a new one.
Once this is done, the level of damage will indicate the need for restoration. In some cases, a surface sanding can solve the problem . On the other hand, if the varnish is already very worn and has scratches, the ideal is to do the complete process. “It is necessary to remove all the ‘old’ varnish in order to apply a new protection”, highlights Wentz. In the sanding process, wax residues and scratches that may have reached the wood, passing from the original varnish, also disappear. The floor is “raw” and that’s where a new layer of varnish comes in, giving the wood shine and protection.
Regardless of the type of wood used, the protection applied will determine the useful life of the floor. “The recommendation for applying varnish varies between two and eight milligrams , according to the intensity of traffic in the environment”, explains Wentz. “For homes, up to eight milligrams is reasonable, because above that the varnish scratches easily. For commercial areas, the recommendation is two milligrams below”. On average, a well-maintained floor can last up to 60 years without needing new restorations.