How to Remodel a Wood Floor

Wood is a common flooring material found in houses around the world, with hardwoods ranging in color, texture and patterns to create a limitless array of options. Over time, however, those floors can fade in color or simply wear out, leaving you with a remodel project on your hands. The complexity of the remodel depends on a variety of factors, but the end result is that you can revamp a wood floor in a number of ways to add new life to your room and enhance the value of your home.

Removal of the Wood Floor

If the floor is damaged beyond repair, remove the existing wood and replace it with something new. The difficulty with removing the wood floor depends entirely on the installation. Floating formats, where the boards are merely snapped together via a tongue-and-groove system and placed on top of the subfloor without being nailed down, are the easiest to remove since they can be disassembled. Floors that have been nailed or glued down to the subfloor, on the other hand, provide a significant challenge. The only option in these cases is to get busy with a hammer, chisel, floor scraper and pry bar to pry and pull the hardwood up away from the subfloor.

Subfloor and Joist Stability

As a general rule, unless your house has suffered water damage, an earthquake or major settling over the years, the joists and subfloor should still be in good enough condition to handle any new wood floors or other finish materials you put in place. Not all floors stand up to the test of time in the same way, however. Always inspect the subfloor and joists after removal of the hardwood floor layer to ensure they are strong enough to handle another finish material. The wood should be free of rot, mold, mildew and termite damage. Any rotten or damaged sections must be replaced with a matching material. Bear in mind that if you need to replace floor joists under a load-bearing wall, you must contact a structural engineer with regard to shoring up the wall while you replace the joists.

Underlayment Requirements and Concerns

Any new material that is put down must be installed according to manufacturer and industry specifications. While you can always put down a new layer of hardwood that matches the finish height (thickness) of the original wood, opt for an entirely new flooring material if you desire. Some materials require underlayment between the subfloor and the material itself, such as with carpet and its associated padding, or tile with its associated concrete or fiber board underlayment. These underlayments add height to the finish installation, creating a finish height difference in any areas where the new flooring matches up to existing flooring, such as in doorways. Thresholds and transition strips are often the best choice in these cases, although some materials, such as tile, come with bullnose edging to help manage transitions. Consider total finish height when remodeling a floor to ensure everything matches up.

Refinishing Vs. Removal

A complete demolition and removal is not the only way to remodel a wood floor. The quickest and easiest option if you love your hardwood floor’s pattern and finish but just want to touch it up is to refinish the floor. The simplest way to do this is to restain the floor with the same color of stain you used the first time. Remove any finish from the floor with a disc sander using an 80- or 100-grit pad, and then simply reapply stain and a new layer of finish as per manufacturer instructions. If you want to change the color of the floor, sand the top layer of wood down with the same machine and pads until you reach unstained wood. From there, use finer grits of pads to smooth the floor down and then restain the floor with the color you desire and apply a coat of finish to wrap things up.
https://cooljonny.com/blog/Home/How-to-Remodel-a-Wood-Floor