Wooden floors are known for being extra solid and sturdy. However, they are unfortunately not everlasting. Although with time you are going to notice many changes in the way your floor naturally looked when just installed, many of these changes don’t mean that the floor itself is in bad condition. In some other situations, you may not even notice the issue until it is already too late and your floor has to be replaced. Being aware of the most common wood floor issues and the main causes of these issues and challenges for your floor is the best thing you can do, so you are able to properly react to any change you notice and react on time, which is essential. We know that wood floor repairs are not the cheapest service in the world, however replacement is way more expensive. In addition, when you invest in a wooden floor, you have to be aware that this type of flooring needs regular maintenance and care for keeping its flawless shape and look.

Frequent maintenance routine, however nothing very complex, expensive and time-consuming. Making sure you clean your floor properly on a daily basis and ask for a consultation and re-finishing your local wood flooring company every now and then have to be just enough care. However, if you tend to neglect to maintain good condition and ignore the first signs of problems, you are most probably going to end up with a floor in need of replacement. Today we will explain the most popular signs that your wooden floor is hopeless and needs a replacement and when and why refurbishment and repair can save the day. Have a look below!

When your wood floor has to be replaced and cannot be repaired?

The best thing with wooden constructions is that it can be improved and repaired. This quality and benefit comes also for wooden floors and sanding, gap filling and re-finishing are among the most popular improvement services. However, sometimes even these are not enough to save the floor. Most commonly moisture and water are the biggest enemies of wood, however way too frequent traffic and no maintenance can also lead to replacing.

Your wooden floor needs to be replaced when:

  • Boards that have begun to lift and get loose. Although loose and lifted boards can sometimes be fixed, they can also get cracked and broken and this is when they have to be replaced. Fortunately, you can replace only the damaged spots and not on the whole floor.
  • Boards that have started to cup, bow, sag or bend. Normally this happens when the bare wood suffers way too much moisture and excess water damages.
  • Noticeable gaps appearing between boards. Although the gap filling method shows very successful results, it usually works for gaps with certain sizes and everything bigger than this is unsalvageable damage.
  • Discoloration of the boards beyond the colour development and maturation. Although colour changes are normal with time, some serious discolouration could be a sign of way too old wood or excessive exposure on direct sunlight that makes the boards thinner and easy to broke.
  • Warping and swelling of the floor. These issues are usually caused by moisture.

When refurbishment and repairs can save the day and your floor?

  • Problems on the surface of the floor. Scratches and dents, smaller gaps, uneven patches and bumps.
  • Worn off finish and color.
  • Chips and other minor surface and finish damages.
  • Slight corrugation.
  • Slight color changes.