Refinishing pine floors is restoring

Want an example of refinishing Pine floors? They are everywhere, flooring well over a hundred years old, some much older, being turned into the showpiece of a restoration. North and South, Southern yellow pine floors were the standard for centuries because it is both durable and beautiful. White Oak and others, all newcomers.

Rustic, Classic and Modern

Pine floors truly fit within any style, from modern to rustic. If you need examples of the durability of Southern Pine, look no further than the Antique Reclaimed pine market. Many times durability gets confused with pine being a “softwood”, while true you should understand two important additions to that statement. First, not all Southern Pine is the same, not even close. Second, the character of Southern Pine allows for easy blending of even the worst scratches, simply by hiding them. 

Refinishing pine floors allows the owners to upgrade from Southern Pine to Antique Reclaimed Pine without buying anything at all or tearing anything out for that matter. An example we offer folks goes like this; One owner buys LVT the owner Southern Pine, in ten years one has an asset worth $30,000, what does the other one has? Another floor cover, whatever the hottest new trend may be in ten years and the privilege of paying to have the old one torn out. Now most homeowners go on oblivious to what they have given up when they buy that first floor, not you because now you know the truth. Real wood is the only choice. So refinishing pine should never be option number two, do not even consider doing anything else until you see what is under the finish.

Finish the refinish 

Finishing is part of refinishing, get it. Of course you do, we want to simplify this process that some advice givers make confusing. Relax, the hard part is over as the “re” part of refinish seems to cause the most difficulty for some. Anyone can finish a floor, but not everyone can make your floor look its absolute best. Maximize the value of your investment by creating a showpiece for your home.

Choose finish type with desired characteristics

Is it easy to maintain? What about chemical or VOC’s? Clear or tinted? The number of choices outside of Home Depot can be a little intimidating. Start with your goals, protection from dogs? Does that mean protection like a bar top or easy to fix? The plot thickens, right? Our company finishes Southern Yellow Pine using Monocoat, Bona and Tung Oil finishes all of which create wonderful floors but they are very different. For a discussion on finish the finishers comfort zone or style should play big part in decision. If your local professionals have track record with a certain finish type which fits your goals, perfect. We are here to help and walk you through the entire process customized to your project.  If you are ready, contact me today and we can get started. If not keep researching your floor, it is an investment, keep that in mind!

Preparation for Refinishing

Preparation for the room is an essential part of refinishing pine. We suggest one room at a time, tape it off to control the dust, you will be glad you did.  Refinishing any type of floor is messy and you don’t want the dust and debris to end up all over your home. Face nailed flooring, the look of antique pine. Countersink any nails that have worked their way up to keep them from damaging the sander, logical. Maybe the most important, clean the floors. You must remove as much of the dirt and debris as possible before sanding. (Tremont Nail Company, if you are interested)

Refinishing pine floors requires removing the old one

You need a floor sander, buffer and the finish of your choice; the “sander” can be machine or human”. This is one area that we urge clients to use someone with experience, it might be a friend or relative but do not practice with your floor. However, do not search for installation professionals, you need a specialist. Confused? Yup, it gets that way now that everyone wants us to buy floor covers, we call them leases. If you are a DIY; depending on the floor you will need several different grades of sandpaper to reach the smooth surface desired. Practice in closet, best advice we can provide along with give us a call to see if SYP Direct has a local professional. 

Step One

Choosing the right professional for this project starts with the requirement they refinish not replace. Remember your floor refinished properly can become the showpiece (again) of the house, or it might be torn out for laminate. This is not a decision to take lightly, hold your ground and get a second opinion.  So where do you search for a true refinish specialist? If you search Google you get so many results, what about Angie’s List? 

Buying real wood flooring online can lead you to Angie’s list for an installation professional. Remember, Angie get her money, i.e. the customers are contractors or brands who advertise. Who will tell you the truth about pine and real wood floors in general? SYP Direct presents the A List, a resource without agenda. The amount of misinformation passed off as a “resource” designed to help you find your floor, by our totals, about 95% of it.