skip to main content

Flooring Cleaning Tips

hardwood floor finish help

3 years ago

our hardwood floors are 16 years old and the original finish is basically gone. The floors are dull and scratched. We are listing our home and I am hoping we can find a polish to bring some life back into them as we don't have the time or money to refinish them. I have read many reviews on floor polishes and am worried about making them worse (residue, cloudiness etc.). What is the best product to use? It doesn't need to be super high gloss, just something to give a bit of a lift. Thanks for any advice.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
Sorry but you either leave them alone or get them sanded and refinished. Do NOT add a 'polish' to them. You will ruin them for the next person...and if that person is a flooring person and they find out about it AFTER they take possession of the home, you could be liable for the 'fix'.

Do you have photos of the floor? Are they solid with a site finish? Are they engineered? Are they able to be sanded/refinished?

Please post a photo before you do ANYTHING. It is *possible you can look at a 'buff and coat' but we can't be sure until you show us some photos.
PRO
Johnson Flooring Co Inc
3 years ago
Bona makes a decent product called Refresher but even that might be questionable to apply. You would probably have to order it since it's not usually sold in stores.

In cases like yours I suggest the homeowner pay a floor contractor to give them a proposal to refinish the floor, to be used as a bargaining tool with a prospective buyer if necessary.
Related Discussions
Flooring Pros; Need nail down hardwood floor acclimation/finish HELP!!
Q
Comments (21)
The acclimation you've been recommended to use is generally how we've done floors forever EXCEPT when using wider planks. As was noted above, have the plywood and wood checked. If they're too far apart the area can be dehumidified to bring the plywood moisture down and/or the wood will add moisture if it's particularly dry. Make sure the contractor is putting a vapor/moisture barrier (not retarder) between the concrete and the plywood. I don't recommend any barrier between the wood and plywood. Some pros have been burned using (probably cheap) water based finishes and refuse to use anything other than oil based. Others think you should use only the newest technology finishes and exclusively use water based. We use both. With a stained, hand-scraped White Oak, I would choose oil based polyurethane. No water based finish compares to the durability of oil modified. Considering the cost, it's a no-brainer unless you have special circumstances. As to staples vs. nails, we've used both and seen little difference in the performance. My preference would be for nails but the industry seems to have moved more toward staples.
...See More
Dust in Hardwood Floor finish! Help
Q
Comments (3)
Photos would help. It is very possible the screening prior to the final coat will deal with most of this. Dust containment isn't perfect. Even if the tacking process took care of everything, there is ALWAYS dust in the air. And anything in the air FALLS DOWN. Yep. Gravity works. And if you have a traditional oil based finish with LOOOOONG working times (physically wet for almost 1 hour) and LOOOOOOONG cure times (20 - 30 days to harden fully) then the dust has PLENTY of time to fall out of the air, land on the wet finish and then settle in. So...the final screening prior to the recoat will most likely deal with this. But only photos will tell the full story.
...See More
bad waxy finish on hardwood floors...HELP
Q
Comments (6)
If looks like they tried to make the floors darker by putting a tinted poly coat on top. May the just slopped it down with no regard of what the original coat was. The color of wood underneath looks similar to my mom's oak floors which are all covered with carpet. Last time she had carpet replaced I saw floors. I told her I was surprised they looked so good, finish even looked good. She said the only type of finish was wax that they rebuffed with wax every six months on high traffic areas, been under carpet since early 1960's. Maybe they put poly on top of wax finish. Just adding. She was at the house (built in 59) when the builder was putting the wax on the unstained oak floor. He poured wax on, spread it around and used a buffer. I guess that how they did it back then. The color is very much the same as the color showing through on your floors.
...See More
Help!! need to decide the border of newly finished hardwood floor
Q
Comments (4)
Just keep going with the natural finish. Having slightly darker trim (in the same tones) should be fine. You have enough of the deeper coloured wood to allow the trim to stay darker...it is a way to tie things together. If you wish to change out the trim, you will need to look at changing out ALL the wood tones in the home...ouch! The trim+wood cabinets will allow each one to remain as-is without looking out of place. In design, the INSTANT you 'duplicate' something (colour, pattern, material, shape, etc) you create a 'design element'. Which is what will happen if you leave the darker trim alone. It will duplicate the darker colours of the wood cabinetry throughout the house = Tah Dah! Design Element! Congratulations.
...See More
lindac92
3 years ago
A good hard paste wax containing carnauba will make your floors lovely. Works best with an electric polisher.
SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
Please do NOT use wax over polyurethane! It contaminates the wood to the point the floors can NEVER be refinished. Wax only works on waxed floors.

Related Stories

MATERIALS What to Ask Before Choosing a Hardwood Floor

By Mitchell Parker

We give you the details on cost, installation, wood varieties and more to help you pick the right hardwood flooring

REMODELING GUIDES Contractor Tips: Smooth Moves for Hardwood Floors

By Buckminster Green LLC

Dreaming of gorgeous, natural wood floors? Consider these professional pointers before you lay the first plank

DECORATING GUIDES Finish Your Floors to Perfection With Parquet

By Elements of Style

Add value and gorgeous detail to your home with timeless and elegant parquet flooring in a classic design

HOUZZ PRODUCT NEWS Houzz Pro 3D Floor Planner Helps You Quickly Create 3D Images

Help clients visualize their remodeled spaces in 3D with Benjamin Moore paint colors and wood, carpet and tile flooring

0

HOUZZ PRODUCT NEWS Houzz Pro 3D Floor Planner Helps Clients Visualize Designs

The updated tool shows remodeled spaces in 3D with Benjamin Moore paint colors and wood, carpet and tile flooring

HOUSEKEEPING How to Clean Hardwood Floors

By Bonnie McCarthy

Gleaming wood floors are a thing of beauty. Find out how to keep them that way

FLOORS How to Paint Your Hardwood Floors

By Ventana Construction LLC

Know how to apply nail polish? Then you can give your wooden floors a brand-new look

REMODELING GUIDES Transition Time: How to Connect Tile and Hardwood Floors

By By Any Design Ltd.

Plan ahead to prevent unsightly or unsafe transitions between floor surfaces. Here's what you need to know

Ideabook 911: Help Me Finish My Foyer

By Becky Harris

REMODELING GUIDES Tile Floors Help a Hot Home Chill Out

By Laura Gaskill

Replace your hot-weather woes with a cool feel for toes when you treat your floors to deliciously refreshing tile

Sponsored

More Discussions

Paint off Black Window sill

1

How to remove dried worms from my porch

3

How to remove cooking stains from gas stop burner head

0

Is the black on this brick mold stain or is it natural color?

2

LVP and Dyson Vac

1