Restoration, Bringing Your Flooring Back to New; What It Is, the Process, and the Cost

August 18, 2023
LVT Designs and Styles

Flooring can lose its lustre and experience wear and tear over time. You may want to learn more about flooring restoration if you’re seeking ways to restore its former beauty and functionality.

At All Floors Trade Centre, we aim to empower homeowners and property owners like you with the knowledge to restore your flooring successfully.

What Is Flooring Restoration?

Flooring restoration is a process usually done by professionals to renew and revive different types of worn-out flooring, whether they may be wood, LVT, stone, or concrete.

This is executed to recreate the flooring’s original beauty and ensure it stays safe and functional. It’s a cost-effective way to enhance a place's overall aesthetics and value compared to floor replacement.

Why Is It Worthwhile to Restore Old Floors?

There are many reasons why floor restoration can benefit homeowners like you. The main perk is that your damaged, old flooring will look new again.

If you’re still contemplating whether to perform floor restoration, you should look forward to these perks too:

  • Enhances the property value and appeal
  • Preserves the character and historical value of homes
  • Creates a safer environment for the family
  • Creates opportunity for customisation
  • Causes minimal disruption
  • Time efficient compared to floor replacement
  • Avoids further repair cost
  • Chance to take advantage of modern flooring techniques
  • Could be eligible for tax deductions or immediate tax relief

What Is the Process for Restoring Floors?

The process can look different from one floor to another. However, you may find that the usual steps generally include:

Step 1: Assessment

Floor restorations always start with a thorough assessment of the flooring’s condition. Here, a professional will inspect the floor’s surface to determine what needs to be done in a specific area.

The furniture and appliances will be removed from the room. If you had carpet installed a long time ago, you might also need to pull them back to reveal the real state of the flooring.

Step 2: Pre-Cleaning

A proper floor restoration doesn’t start until the canvass is clean. Professionals will need to remove any dirt and debris from the floor. If needed, any existing coatings and finishes should also be removed.

Floor cleaning can require quick sweeping or hoovering. In some cases, specialised cleaning agents should be used.

Step 3: Repair

Necessary repairs should be addressed depending on the result of the assessment. It typically accounts for most of the work, as it involves fixing various damages, imperfections, and wear that may have occurred over time.

This can involve fixing cracks, re-sticking loose materials, and fixing chips on the floors. Patching may be done in case there are deep cuts, set-in stains, or areas where the protective coating has worn away.

Step 4: Sealing and Buffing

Sealing is done depending on the floor type. This protects the floor from stains and moisture.

Once the seal is dry, the floor is buffed to produce a smooth and even surface.

What Kind of Flooring Can Be Brought Back to Life?

Certain types of flooring can be restored to regain their beauty and functionality. We’ll talk about different flooring types and how they can be revived.

Wood Flooring Restoration

Wood flooring restoration revitalises various types of wood and brings out their natural beauty.

Wood flooring is prone to damage. Some common causes include rug pads made from hard materials, wet cleaning, or friction from certain shoe types. But the good thing is that they’re fairly easy to restore.

Here are several types of wood flooring that can be renewed:

  • Solid wood
  • Reclaimed wood (oak, ash, chestnut, and black walnut)
  • Tobacco wood flooring
  • Parquet

The process of wood flooring restoration includes the following:

  1. Fixing hardwood gouges and dents
  2. Applying wooden filler that matches the floors
  3. Sanding the floor using drum floor sanders or other types of sanders

Floorboard Restoration

Floorboard restoration refers to repairing wooden floorboards that may have experienced wear and tear over time, including water damage, stains, scratches, and gouges.

Unlike wooden flooring, floorboards are thinner, narrower, and commonly used in older homes. These floors often feature pine, oak, or maple wood.

A lot of floorboard floorings can be repaired to look new, such as:

  • Hardwood floors
  • Engineered wood flooring
  • Laminate flooring

Here are the common steps for restoring floorboards:

  1. Identifying the damaged area
  2. Prying off baseboards that need replacement
  3. Applying an appropriate stain or finish

Laminate Restoration

Laminate restoration requires repairing several fused layers, including a photographic top layer designed to mimic wood, stone, or other materials.

Laminate flooring is popular due to its durability, easy installation, and cost-effectiveness. However, it can be damaged by water exposure, scratches, dents, peeling, chipping, and buckling.

Here are the types of laminate flooring that can be restored:

  • Wood-look laminate flooring
  • Stone-look laminate flooring
  • Tile-look laminate flooring

These are the steps for restoring laminate flooring:

  1. Fixing minor scratches with a specialised wax pencil
  2. Replacing individual laminate board if needed
  3. Addressing mould issues caused by excessive moisture
  4. Filling gaps with coloured sealant
  5. Restoring shine using a mop of washing-up liquid

Stone Restoration

Stone flooring restoration aims to revive the durability and timeless beauty of natural stone floors.

Stone flooring can sustain damage from scratches, stains, water intrusion, chemical exposure, and wear and tear.

However, over time, certain types of stone flooring would need restoration, such as:

  • Marble
  • Granite
  • Limestone
  • Slate

The restoration process generally involves the following:

  1. Cleaning with a pH-neutral stone-specific cleaner
  2. Repairing specific issues like cracks or chips using epoxy
  3. Honing or polishing to achieve the desired finish
  4. Sealing with a high-quality stone sealer for protection

Tile Restoration

Tile restoration involves renovating damaged living room, kitchen, or bathroom tiles.

These tiles, though durable, can crack, chip, or misalign due to heavy impact or improper sealing or installation.

Most types of tile flooring can be repaired, including:

  • Historical tiles
  • Ceramic tiles
  • Resin tiles
  • Carpet tiles

To restore tile flooring, professionals will:

  1. Clean the tile surface thoroughly to remove dirt and debris
  2. Repair the damage by filling cracks or replacing damaged tiles
  3. Seal the tiles to prevent future damage

Concrete Restoration

Concrete restoration is done to reconstruct the concrete to its original condition.

Concrete floors can suffer damage from heavy impact, acidic cleaners, improper sealing or installation.

Here are the common types of concrete flooring that can be repaired:

  • Polished concrete floors
  • Garage floors
  • Stained concrete floors

And here are the steps for restoring concrete flooring:

  1. Cleaning the concrete surface thoroughly
  2. Repairing cracks or holes with concrete patching materials.
  3. Applying a concrete resurfacer or skim coat for a smooth surface

How Long Will It Be Before the Restoration Needs to Be Done Again?

The duration before another restoration can be done depends on various factors and may not be the same for different types of flooring.

Some flooring types, like wood, are strong enough to be restored every seven to ten years. Meanwhile, concrete and tile flooring can last longer, sometimes even a decade.

It will depend on certain factors like:

  • Quality of the previous restoration
  • Exposure to moisture
  • Foot traffic
  • Type of materials used

How Much Does It Cost to Restore Flooring?

The cost of floor restoration can vary.

Professionals may charge around £4 to £25 per square metre for wooden floors. Tile installation alone can range from £15 to £70 per square metre, excluding removal. On the other hand, stone flooring restoration may cost between £150 and £500 per square metre.

The average cost of laminate flooring removal is approximately £14 to £20 per square metre, while laying new laminate flooring can be around £20 to £30 per square metre.

These numbers are just the average costs in the UK. Depending on the company you'll hire, you may score a cheaper or more expensive deal.

Each company offers its level of service, including the quality of the material they’ll use, their expertise, and their techniques.

A professional’s hourly rate also causes the price of floor restoration to vary. For instance, the minimum wage in London is higher than in other areas, so you may pay more if hiring professionals from there.

Some key factors determining the average cost include the total area to be restored and the extent of the damage.

Do You Need a Pro, or Can You Do It Yourself?

It’s possible to repair minor damages on your own, but it’s better to seek professional help from experts like us at All Floors Trade Centre for severely damaged floors.

DIY floor restoration offers advantages such as:

  • Having the creative freedom to tailor the restoration to your preferences
  • Not having to wait for the availability of a professional

But take note of the following when doing it yourself:

  • Errors can lead to more damage and even safety risks
  • You’ll have limited access to resources
  • It can be time and energy consuming

On the other hand, you can enjoy these advantages when hiring a professional:

  • You can save on overall costs (professionals have access to cheaper materials by buying in bulk)
  • You’ll save time
  • You have quality assurance

Here are the only possible drawbacks of a professional flooring restoration:

  • You may need to invest a good amount for a downpayment
  • Professionals' availability might delay the project.

What Will Happen if My Floors Can't Be Refinished?

You may need to do a floor replacement.

In such cases, you can consult with professionals like All Floors Trade Centre to find suitable flooring options that fit your needs and preferences. We can work together to find replacement flooring that’ll work for you, whether it’s vinyl, LVT, carpet, or real wood.

Conclusion

Many homeowners can opt for flooring restoration when they want to bring back their floor’s natural charm and functionality without the hefty cost of replacement. Now that you know the step-by-step process of restoring floors, you can confidently start your renovation journey.

Reach out to us at All Floors Trade Centre today. With our expertise in all LVT flooring, we’re equipped to handle extensive repairs and restoration for Kent and London households and commercial areas.