The One Thing You Should Always Do Before Any Wood Floor Restoration Project

A wood floor brings warmth and timeless elegance into any home. While they are more durable than some other flooring options, wood floors can also show wear and tear over time. Thanks to the versatility of wood, this wear and tear can be sanded away, and the flooring can be refinished, restoring even decades or centuries old wood floors. Wood floor restoration projects can be costly and time-intensive, so before getting started, you should identify your wood floor type and familiarize yourself with its unique form and finish. You may need to adjust your approach to refinishing based on the type of wood and finish on the floor. 

It is especially important to differentiate between solid wood and engineered wood flooring, as engineered wood requires more careful handling and cannot be sanded as roughly or as much as solid wood. Once you know what kind of wood you're working with, you should then determine its finish. Depending on the finish, you might not need to break out the sander, instead focusing on refreshing the oil or wax. Knowing what you're dealing with helps you create a restoration plan to avoid damaging the wood flooring or creating more work for yourself.

You might be wondering whether your floor is oak or cherry, but don't get ahead of yourself — first, you need to determine if it is real wood at all. There are plenty of low-maintenance hardwood floor lookalikes that can easily be mistaken for real wood despite being made of ceramic, laminate, or vinyl. A good way to determine if your floor is real wood is to get on its level and examine the grain pattern. Each plank of a real wood floor will have a unique, unrepeatable grain pattern, so if you notice any repetition, that is a sign of engineered wood or laminate flooring. While you're down there, take note of the grain's appearance, as wood can be distinguished by its grain. For example, oak will have a prominent, dark grain pattern while pine will be noticeably knotty.

The color and texture of your wood floor is often the first giveaway when it comes to pinning down what kind of wood you're working with. Cherry, as one might assume, has a natural red hue, while maple is a warm blond. Because of its versatility and durability, most wood flooring in the United States is oak, which can be separated into two color varieties — red and white oak. Red oak has a pink or orange undertone, but white oak can appear almost green.

Your wood floors will probably be finished with one of three kinds of finish — oil, wax, or lacquer. Oil provides a matte finish that emphasizes the natural qualities of the wood, but it requires maintenance . If the finish has not been reapplied, it could begin to look scuffed. To see if your finish is oil, splash a few droplets of water on the floor in an inconspicuous place like a closet. If they soak into the wood, then you've got an oil finish. 

Wax finishes are often present on older wood floors, as wax was used to seal flooring before modern methods were developed. A wax finish is easy to distinguish by touch. If running your fingers along your floor feels a bit like touching a candle, you've got a wax finish.

Lacquer is the modern solution to protect wood flooring from damage and wear. These finishes are long lasting, glossy, and hard to the touch. Newer homes will probably have a lacquer finish, which will require sanding to be removed before you can refinish the wood. While you can determine what flooring you have on your own, it's always best to consult a professional before starting any restoration project. A restoration professional can tell you what type of wood it is, how much you can sand off of the floor, and what type of finish it has on it.