Fir Flooring - Important Information You Must Read Before Refinishing Fir

 

Do you have fir flooring in your home that needs refinishing? The Vancouver and Seattle areas are well known for their fir floors, which is one of the most attractive flooring options found in numerous homes all through Canada and the United States. These floors have a lot of exceptional characteristics, especially when compared to true hardwood options like red and white oak. Here we are going to shed light on some of the issues you may face when refinishing your fir flooring.

 

Failure to Follow Proper Refinishing Procedures

 

This can damage your floors or give them an unattractive finish. Select the right tools when sanding your fir flooring. Sand the main area of the floor with a large belt sander. Use 60-grit paper to remove the bulk of the stain, and then move on to 80-grit and finally 100-grit for a smooth finish. Wood floors need to be clean before refinishing. A light tinted stain or even a natural finish with just the polyurethane applied will accent your fir floors beautifully.

 

Not Checking to See if There is Enough Wood Left for Refinishing

 

Your fir flooring will need to be replaced if most of the nail heads are visible, because this means the wood has become too thin for refinishing. If only a few nail heads are visible, it’s possible that these nails were not installed correctly, and the wood should be sufficiently thick to refinish the surface. Use reclaimed fir from a salvage facility to replace planks from high-trafficked areas that have worn out.

 

When you first install your fir flooring, it will be yellowish to tan to light brown in color. This can change considerably quickly if your floors get direct sunlight. The grain of fir floors is mostly straight with some waves or spirals in the texture. Nearly all fir flooring has a vertical grain. Finishers must be careful not to over sand Douglas fir floors.