Junckers-type floor -- restore or replace?

gwinnie

We have a Junckers-type floor (a wooden floor but as thin as laminate) in a very heavily-trafficked part of our home (the room is our office/kitchen/dining space and where our two big dogs are) which has taken a tremendous battering over the last five years, and now never looks clean anymore no matter how many times I hoover and mop. My friend has had an Amtico-type floor (a type of heavy duty vinyl that is more robust than lino -- you have to look close to tell it's not wood) laid in her kitchen. We are getting rid of the office chairs, and will have a shoes-off-indoors policy, but is it possible to try and restore the floor? TBH I dread the mess that sanding makes, having hired a sander before, also I worry that the boards are too thin. Or should we just rip it up and go for vinyl, which will be warm underfoot but more hygienic and practical than carpet (bearing in mind the space includes our kitchen/diner)? Also cost is as ever an issue. Any thoughts gratefully received!

tawnyowls

You should be able to sand down and revarnish - most engineered boards will allow at least 1 or 2 sandings. However, it will make a mess, as you rightly point out. An orbital sander (looks like a floor polisher, but with sanding discs intead of polishing cloths) is safer to use, as it won't gouge like a belt sander can (very important with veneers!) and in my experience, is a lot less messy. However, they can be quite hard to track down in hire shops.

Otherwise, you could go for the cheaper version of Amtico (Karndean), or possibly consider ceramic tiles? Karndean/Amtico are quite expensive when fitting costs are taken into consideration (needs specially trained fitters), but they do feel warmer underfoot than tiles.

gwinnie

Yes, gouging was a problem with the other floor we did (normal boards). I am reluctant to rip up the boards, from an environmental pov, if it can be restored, so will research on orbital sanders!

Seren_2

If you decide to have Amtico be carefull when you get an estimate, John Lewis quoted me £800.00 more than an interior design shop, I rang JL to see if they had made a mistake, they said if I bring the estimate in so they could see it was the same measurments, design etc., they would do it for the same as the lower estimate

poppet

its a few mm of real wood on top of a ply base which is installed "floating".
It can be refurbished but much depends on how deep the damage is of course. If the damage has penetrated deeper than the actuall wood wear layer than it wont be possible. if it has gone that deep then you will need to re-sand and re-seal your floor. Once done it will look as good as new and last another five years without doubt.
Theres the DIY method as you described, hiring a sander, its alot of work and there are no guarentees you'll get it looking as it should.
Then theres calling in the proffesionals - to get a specialist floor sanding company to come out and sand and seal your engineered will set you back about £25/30 per sq mtr depending on where you live - and if you choose your company carefully, will look the dogs doo-dars when its finished.

How to choose a good company? Look in the yellow pages under floor sanding, also look under flooring services. I would want to know how old the sanding machines are and which ones they use - in my proffesional opinion Bona are the best machines and also the best coatings.

Coatings??? The wood floor will only last as long as the coating that is put on top of it. Its all well and good having a very expensive wood floor, but if it isnt protected correctly, it wont last. No one used varnish anymore...well no proffesional does anyway. Its old fashioned, cracks and peels and is a !!!!!! to re sand should you need to. Oil is very high maintanence and wax again is a very old fashioned way of finishing a floor and cloggs sanding disks up terribly. The modern option is llacquer and preferably Bona lacquer who are leaders in the proffesional market.
https://www.bona.com

Hope that helps and good luck

ps in case you were wondering where i get my inforation from... H and I own a hardwood flooring company.

poppet

amend to "if it HASNT gone that deep..."