Expert: maura macaluso - 5/3/2008

Question
I just had a hardwood floor (lyptus wood) installed in my upstairs hallway. Unfortunately, I do not like the color of the floor (looks different than it did in the showroom.) I would, therefore, like to change the color. Would resanding damage my floor (I heard it would affect the beveling.) Also,how many times can a floor be sanded and refinished over its lifetime.

Thanks! I look forward to your response.

Answer
Hi Mary Ann,   

My answer to your question really depends on exactly what your floor is composed of.  If it is real Lyptus wood planks which were fitted and installed over some sort of subfloor, then the answer is pretty straightforward.  Your floor can be refinished as many times as the thickness of the planking will allow, within reason. It would all depend on how much wood is removed in each successive sanding.  Assuming the flooring was 3/4 in. I would estimate the floor could be refinished at least 3 times over its lifetime.  When changing the color, more may have to be sanded down when changing the color because each time you will need to get it all the way back down to bare wood. But it could certainly be done once or twice without fear of doing any damage.

It becomes a major issue if what you are dealing with is a pergo type manufactured floor. Sometimes these floors are not truly wood, or only use wood veneer for the top layer.  Even if they are sold as "real wood" it can be composed of layers of wood fibers such as plywood is. If that is the case, refinishing may not be possible at all. Even if they are composed of real solid wood, the interlock system would pose a problem if they are sanded down too much but I would say you should even be able to refinish these solid wood floors at least once.
My best advice to you is to get in touch with the manufacturer and find out what the floor is composed of and ask what the proper procedure is for refinishing it. You also may negate any warrantee that you may have if you proceed on your own. Also in the future, when deciding on the color of anything you want in your home, the first thing to do is to take either the object, or a sample outside in the daylight, this will be the items true color.  Next take it into your home to see how it vibes with the rest of your decor.  Never pick the color in the store as most stores have harsh florescent light which can alter your perception of color. Even after you have followed this procedure in picking a color, know that colors can vary from one lot to another directly from the manufacturer.  Good Luck with your project and thanks for the question.