When redecorating a home, maintaining the original character is not only beneficial from a design and home value standpoint, but from an environmental aspect as well. In this blog, we will look at the top seven environmental benefits of floor refinishing.
What is wood floor refinishing?
Wood floor refinishing revives worn-out hardwood floors. The process can address basic wear and tear as well as the following:
- Extensive damage from pets.
- Heavy traffic wear.
- Stains such as wine, bleach, chemicals, and more.
Floor refinishing begins with careful sanding to remove stains, blemishes, and unwanted finishes and colour tones to reveal the natural wood beneath. The wood is then restrained in a customized tone to meet your requirements, whether you want medium-toned browns, deep, rich espressos, or a modern finish in greys, whitewash, black, or something completely bespoke.
Once the wood type is determined, we might recommend a neutral finish that allows the natural tones of woods such as red oak to shine through. Additionally, our custom hardwood floor refinishing method incorporates elements that add character.
These additional steps are especially effective for those overly smooth, characterless floors installed in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Dents, scrapes, and other distressing techniques create a hand-hewn, antiqued feel that enhances boring floorboards. Refinishing rejuvenates your flooring and creates the exact look you desire.
1. Wood floor refinishing is all about waste reduction
New flooring produces tons of waste. In Canada alone, the construction, renovation, and demolition process produces roughly 4 million tonnes of waste each year. On an individual basis, the average renovation produces about 60 pounds of waste per square foot.
For flooring projects, the original floors must be torn out first. Then, the subfloor below needs to be assessed. If the subfloors are damaged or unsuitable for the new flooring installation, the subfloor also has to be removed. Although careful removal of hardwood floors allows them to be sold, donated, or repurposed, it is difficult to find a flooring installation company willing to proceed with caution, as time is money.
As a result, all that waste ends up at the local landfill site. All of this waste doesn’t even include the new materials wasted in the floor installation process. The only way to ensure waste reduction is to refinish your floors, as nothing is thrown away.
2. Wood floor refinishing is sustainable flooring
An eco-friendly home always relies on sustainable materials and practices. What could be more sustainable than reusing the original floors? When the existing floorboards and subfloors remain in place, you reduce waste and eliminate the need for additional materials.
If you plan to install modern engineered products, manufacturing these materials has a negative impact on the environment. Most manufacturing processes for synthetic materials use tons of energy and waste water. It also produces greenhouse gas emissions when transporting materials to the factory and then delivering the end product to retailers.
3. Wood floor refinishing improves indoor air quality
If you’re removing wood floors for modern materials such as laminate, not only are you reducing your home’s value, but you’re also releasing volatile organic chemicals, or VOCs, into your home. Your family breathes in the toxic chemicals that are released over time.
For example, new vinyl flooring contains toxin-filled polyvinyl chloride. Also, when the new vinyl flooring is replaced during a remodel, it will last forever in the landfill site, as it isn’t biodegradable.
4. Wood floor refinishing is extremely durable
When you refinish your floors, you improve their durability, offering years of use and enjoyment. This is important, as it ensures you won’t face replacement in the near future. You save money, while helping to reduce waste to preserve the planet.
5. Wood floor refinishing saves resources
The simple act of refinishing a wood floor creates a very positive domino effect felt throughout your community and, in some cases, around the world. Here’s how:
- No manufacturing: Since you are reusing your floors, no manufacturing is involved in the replacement process. This saves resources such as water, wood, fuel for trucks, and natural gas for heating.
- No waste: When there is no waste, you reduce energy-intensive steps to get rid of it, including transportation and large equipment to offload and distribute the waste at the landfill site.
- Conserving forests: Although there is now a better understanding regarding replacing trees as we use them, nothing works better than preserving trees.
6. Wood floor refinishing lowers your carbon footprint
According to Bona, a floor refresh saves 95% of the energy wasted to find raw materials, refine them, transport them, and manufacture them into the end product. Also, the carbon footprint in a typical floor refinishing project is four times lower compared to replacing the floor. It also saves 79% of the CO₂ emissions related to floor replacement, including consumables, waste treatment, electricity usage, and transportation.
7. Wood floor refinishing protects forests
Many of us are unaware of how much our lives are touched by forests. Forests help regulate climates at a time when the world faces the increasing threat of global warming. In fact, each tree absorbs CO₂ at an average rate of 10 kg per year. Trees also produce clean oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, as Mother Nature’s perfect air filter.
Contact the Experts at Revival Flooring
If there’s one thing most real estate agents and designers agree on, it’s that keeping character features in a home, like hardwood floors, is a smart decision. The restored hardwood floors help guarantee visual appeal and increased property value. Hardwood floor refinishing is often the best solution not just for eco-friendly homes, but also for homes of high quality and taste!
The truly bespoke look of wood floor refinishing is an eco-friendly choice that helps maintain the original characteristics and value of your home. Contact Revival Flooring for more details about our hardwood floor refinishing services. You can call us at 705-990-0548 or contact us online
Sources:
- https://www.garbagebinrentals.ca/waste-collection-removal-disposal-blog/749-how-much-waste-will-my-renovation-make-why-to-rent-a-dumpster-or-mini-bin.html
- https://www.bona.com/en/homeowner/news/floor-renovation-for-a-brighter-future/
- https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/how-trees-clean-air?srsltid=AfmBOopQd8Om-Ivn6Srv3lWxqXcXn8yFNNmytmJaxE-8AtbVD7OXEmlY