Hardwood Floor Maintenance in Chicago

The existing finish is lightly abraded and a fresh coat applied over it. No sanding to bare wood, no dust of that scale, and the floor is back in service quickly. It works while there is still finish to bond to u2014 not after the wood is exposed.

If the wear is in the finish, a recoat works. If the timber itself is exposed, stained or greying in traffic paths, the finish has already failed and only sanding will correct it. We check the traffic areas rather than the edges to judge.

It depends entirely on traffic, pets and whether shoes come off at the door. Rather than a fixed interval, watch the busiest path in the home u2014 when the sheen there dulls noticeably against the edges, it is time.

Anything wet enough to sit on the surface, and most steam mops. Water works into the seams between boards, and repeated soaking is what causes cupping and finish failure around joints in otherwise healthy floors.

Surface scratches in the finish, yes. Scratches that have gone into the timber will still be visible, because the recoat sits on top rather than removing material. Those need sanding to remove properly.