When an engineered wood floor has lost its luster and is showing deep scratches and stains, you might start thinking about refinishing, the process of restoring a floor close to its original condition. During the sanding process, a thin layer of flooring that usually contains the scratches and dents is removed. A finishing coat is then applied to restore the sheen. The question we hear often is, can you refinish an engineered wood floor? The answer is you probably can, but it largely depends on the wear layer.
The wear layer is the top solid part of an engineered hardwood floor that will wear away as your floor ages. It is the only re-sandable part of a floor—sand past the wear layer, and you get to the plywood core. Most wear layers on today’s engineered hardwood floors vary between .5 to 6mm. A thicker wear layer means your floor can be sanded and refinished more often, increasing the lifespan of the floor.
Here are the general guidelines to keep in mind:
.5 to 1mm wear layer: cannot be sanded and refinished; only recoated with a layer of urethane.
2mm wear layer: can be sanded and refinished 1 to 2 times.
3mm wear layer: can be sanded and refinished 2 to 3 times.
4 to 6 mm wear layer: can be sanded and refinished 3 to 6 times.