Decorating Your Home for Spring

If you'll be refinishing your hardwood floors soon, you'll need to decide on the type of finish you want. During the process, the contractor repairs your floors if needed and gets them in good shape for the new finish. Once the new finish is applied, the beauty of your floors shines through and your floors look good as new. Here are some options for finishing your floors.

When You Have A Historic Home

If you have a historic home and you want to maintain the natural look of the wood flooring, you might want to use a wax finish or a penetrating sealer. These were traditional choices before newer sealing products were developed. A penetrating sealer seeps into the wood to seal it for protection against moisture. This type of sealer doesn't coat the top of the wood, so you might want to combine it with wax.

Wax is applied to the top of your flooring to provide a layer of protection without adding gloss or sheen. Your contractor can even add color to the wax if you want to change the color of your flooring. One advantage of using wax is that it dries fast so you can quickly resume normal use of your home. Plus, it is one of the less toxic options.

When You Want High Gloss

If you love the look of a glossy floor that reflects light, then a water-based polyurethane finish might be what you want. It provides a clear, glossy coating to your floors that doesn't yellow over time like an oil-based finish might. Plus, the water-based finish cures quickly and has a lower amount of volatile organic compounds that pollute the air. That means you can get back in your home much quicker after having your floors refinished.

When Your Floor Needs Extra Protection

An acid-cured finish is durable and long-lasting. This is a good choice in areas that get a lot of foot traffic or when you have exotic wood flooring. This finish is made with alcohol and is cured with acid. The result is a shiny surface that offers better protection than polyurethane. However, this floor finish is more expensive, and it emits high levels of volatile organic compounds while it cures. You may have to leave your home for several days until the air clears and it's safe to return home. Although the finishing process is more complex than a simple polyurethane finish, your floor will have superior protection while allowing the beauty of the grain to show through.

To learn more about hardwood floor refinishing, contact a company like Kenton Carpet Care.