When people think of wood flooring, they typically think of various kinds of hardwood. Most modern wood flooring is made from oak, maple, hickory and other species of hardwood. Softwood flooring was more prevalent in early homes. Aside from a few exceptions, it’s seldom used today. People who own a home with pine or fir flooring may want to learn whether Floor Refinishing in NYC is an option to remove stains or brighten up the appearance of an old floor.
Newer homes sometimes include flooring of Douglas fir or yellow pine as it conveys a country-style environment. Residents of the New York City area who want to bring a sense of the country into this urban setting may choose softwood floors. Some of the oldest houses in this metro area were built with pine, fir or cedar floors because of the prevalence and affordability of these materials. In addition, wood cutting equipment was easier to use on softer woods until the technology was improved.
This flooring in older homes is more common on upper stories, where foot traffic is not as frequent. Softer woods are more susceptible to scratching and denting. This is especially problematic in homes with floors of eastern white pine, which does not even have half the hardness level of southern yellow pine. In either older or newer homes, softwood Floor Refinishing in NYC typically can be done by professionals with the expertise to do the job properly and return the floors to the state of superior beauty.
The work requires a certain amount of expertise since soft wood is not as forgiving as hard wood. Also, old pine floors usually have face nails that must be pushed further in so they do not damage sanding equipment. Some newer floors of softwood have these nails as well to provide a look of authenticity. An additional consideration involves how many times the floors have been sanded and refinished previously because this cannot be done a large number of times on pine and other soft wood. Technicians from an organization such as New York Wood Flooring can evaluate the flooring and do the job effectively so that no damage occurs and the surface appearance is greatly improved.