FAQs

1.) How many different types of wood floors are there? 

            A: There are several different types of wood floors.  The first is a “real” wood floor.  The boards are available in twenty two species in the USA.  It is installed in the floor, sanded, stained and finished.  In most cases, it must be sanded to eliminate the mill marks from when the board was made.  These are known in the industry as “sand and finished” floors.  They come in varieties of hardwood such as oak and maple, and soft woods such as pine and birch.  The next type of wood floor is called “prefinished” as it is factory finished.  So it is just installed in the floor and does not need to be sanded, stained or finished.  These can come in varieties of solid wood, or compressed wood.  The final type of wood floor is the “engineered” board.  They come in numerous varieties, such as ones that have a real piece of hardwood on the surface and composite material under that, to a vinyl “picture” of a floor on top of composite material, to boards that are made completely of plastic and made to resemble wood.

2.) Can engineered and laminate floors be refinished?

            A: Yes!  These types of floors can easily be refinished, including blending in color with a sandless refinishing.  They cannot be refinished with traditional or dustless sanding.      

3.) Why are wood floors so popular?

            A: Wood floors give a “warmth” to a room like no other floor medium can!  That is why so many clothing stores have wood floors—to give you that warm and homey feeling which will make it more comfortable for you to buy!

4.) How often do wood floors need to be refinished?

            A: The finish can be renewed at any time to bring back the sheen and luster to the floor.  While the floor is being used, you never want it to go to “bare” or open wood!  If you see signs of that, you are past the point where you should have refinished.  Even if you have an engineered floor that has a “30 year warranty” that warranty doesn’t cover the sheen or the finish—just the board itself. 

5.) What is the best way to keep a wood floor looking nice?

            A: Use a dry mop regularly over the floor.  This keeps the gritty dirt off the floor that will dull the finish.  Never wet mop your floors.  Spot clean with neutral floor cleaner when needed.  We recommend using the Mr. Sandless Wood Cleaner found here.

            Damp a mop with a very small amount of wood cleaner only when necessary.  Use area rugs to protect high traffic area, most especially by entranceways.  Avoid using rubber back area rugs as these will discolor the floor.  Always use special rug mats to protect the floor from discoloring under all of your area rugs.  Use floor protectors under legs of furniture and chairs.  Trim your dog’s nails regularly.  Perhaps the best advice is to take your shoes off at the door! 

6.) Are there different kinds of sheens and which should I choose?

            A: Yes, there are sheens from high gloss, to semi-gloss, satin and matte finishes.  From a technical perspective, they all do the same job.  So when it comes to “choice” it just depends on what you prefer.  If you want your floor to really “pop” then go with a gloss finish.  Want no shine at all?  Then matte is for you!

7.) Are wood floors really healthier than carpet?

            A: Yes.  Wood floors are easier to clean and do not harbor things like “dust mites” which can build up in a carpet and leave behind droppings that can make you sick.

8.)  My floors are getting dull.  I see all these products online and on television for wood floors.  Should I use these?

            A: No!  In fact, this is one of the best ways to really mess up your floors!  One of the biggest selling products of one of these companies is their stripper to remove their product!  A floor that has lost its sheen can easily be snapped right back to like new condition with a sandless refinishing.

9.) Can I refinish my own floors?

            A: That would not be a wise decision.  Your wood floors are very valuable, so you want to trust your refinishing to a professional! 

10.) I thought sanding was the best method of refinishing.  Isn’t it?

            A: To start with, you can’t sand laminate floors.  While you can sand pre-finished floors, it most likely will never have that look again, as the factory finish will be sanded away, exposing whatever wood is underneath.  That wood could be compressed composite board even.  As for real wood floors, sanding is not the “end all” service.  When you sand the floor, you are actually weakening the floor—taking the floor away as dust!  If the sander is inexperienced, they could sand the floor down to nothing with just one sanding! Along with that, the dust is carcinogenic and so are a lot of the oil-based finishes used by sanders.  Dust from sanding is listed on the FDA’s website as a “known human carcinogen.”

            On top of all of these negatives, most people believe sanding fixes all things that are wrong with a floor.  This is not true.  Sanding often does not remove the problems found in a floor. 

            Take this floor, for example, that was sanded.  There are areas of moisture damage where the board is black.  This is where moisture had penetrated the finish and went into the board, damaging it.  Even though this floor was sanded down—the last time it would be able to be sanded—it did not remove the damaged boards as you see in the after picture.  It would have been far better to have those boards replaced and sandless refinishing, rather than sanding.   

            This is another good example of a sanded floor with problems.  After the sanding and refinishing, you can still see damage in the floor boards.  It would have been better to process this floor with sandless refinishing, and coloring the floor to conceal the damage, than it was to sand it down and have the problems remain.