How To Identify Hardwood Floor Finish

In order to clean repair stain or treat the wood flooring you will need to correctly identify the type of hardwood under your feet.

How to identify hardwood floor finish. How can you properly clean hardwood floors without knowing the finish that was applied. Successfully refinished hardwood flooring can bring a new shine to your old floor. You can however learn techniques to identify a floor finish. Although new scents can be very difficult to express in words many times the scent of an unknown wood may be similar to other known scents.

Examining the condition of the finish relative to the age of the floor is one way to identify an aluminum oxide finish. Find products fast with image search in the home depot app. Many species such as oak pine and fir are easily recognizable. It is absorbed into the floor and then topped off by a coat of floor wax.

Identifying the type of finish that is applied to a wood floor is necessary in order to determine the best maintenance procedures. Hardwood floor finishes have varying levels of ease durability even glossiness. Found on prefinished solid hardwood flooring surface finishes such as polyurethane form a protective layer over the floor and are some of the most common finishes in use today. When it s not hardwood it may appear rather sturdy but just because you ve found a gorgeous wood floor in your living space doesn t mean it is hardwood.

Brush up on the basics of 8 popular options before choosing yours. This time apply a small amount of denatured alcohol to the finish and do the same process. If the finish dissolves congratulations you ve got a waxed floor. You often can tell what kind of wood your floor is made from just by looking at it.

Need help identifying a tool or material for refinishing hardwood flooring. Learning how to refinish hardwood floors involves taking care during the sanding process and the application of finish. If nothing happens move on to the next test. Assuming there is no stain finish or preservative on or in the wood quickly sand saw or otherwise machine a section of the wood in question and take a whiff of the aroma.

Improper techniques can damage wood floors resulting in astronomical repair bills. If the finish dissolves this time then you can be assured you have a shellac finish. Unfinished solid hardwood flooring has a penetrating finish which does as the name implies. How to find out what type of wood floor you have.

Test 2 is it shellac.