Wood flooring is one of the most beautiful and durable flooring types you can put in your home, but like any surface it does require upkeep from time to time. We are often asked, “Can I refinish my engineered hardwood floor?” The answer to that question isn’t as easy as yes or no.
Engineered wood floors are different from hardwood floors because of how they are made. What makes them engineered is the thin layer of the hardwood veneer glued to the base layer which is often MDF or layers of plywood. This difference is the major reason that refinishing engineered hardwood flooring is a different process than refinishing a true hardwood floor.
Before starting a refinishing project on your engineered wood floor, it’s best to know as much as possible about the product installed. The two things you must know before starting is how thick the wear layer is and if the flooring has been refinished previously.
What is a wear layer?
Different brands of engineered wood flooring have different thicknesses of veneer on top which is known as the wear layer. The wear layer ranges from about one millimeter to as much as five millimeters in thickness. If the floor you are looking to refinish has only a 1mm wear layer, you can’t sand to remove deep scratches and refinish the flooring but you can recoat it. If your flooring has a wear layer of 2mm or greater, you can sand and refinish the flooring at least once and the greater the wear layer, the more times it can be refinished.
What if my engineered hardwood flooring has been previously refinished?
Whether your home has hardwood or engineered wood, most homeowners refinish their wood flooring about every 15 years. If you have engineered hardwood flooring and it has only a 1mm wear layer, we don’t recommend you refinish it at all. However, if your engineered wood floor has a 2mm wear layer, you can generally refinish it once or twice. A 3mm wear layer can be refinished up to three times and a 4mm or greater wear layer should not be refinished more than five times.
Refinishing engineered wood flooring is a great solution for most homeowners. If you are unsure about your home’s flooring and if recoating or refinishing would be best, contact one of our team members at Seer Flooring at 727-785-1930. We’ll help you determine the best course of action regarding recoating or refinishing engineered hardwood flooring in your home.