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Can Engineered Hardwood Floors Be Refinished?

Yes, some engineered hardwood floors can be refinished — but not all of them.

This is one of those questions where experience really matters.

Unlike solid hardwood, engineered hardwood has a layer of real hardwood on top of a plywood or engineered core. That top layer is called the wear layer.

If the wear layer is thick enough, many engineered hardwood floors can be professionally sanded and refinished.

If it's too thin, sanding too aggressively can go right through the hardwood veneer and permanently damage the floor.

That's why the answer isn't simply yes or no.

At Only Wood Floors, we've specialized in hardwood flooring since 1984, and before telling someone they need a new floor, we want to determine whether the floor they already have can be saved.

Watch: Can Engineered Hardwood Floors Be Refinished?

What Is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?

Engineered hardwood is real wood flooring.

The difference is in how it's constructed.

A solid hardwood floor is generally made from one solid piece of wood.

An engineered hardwood floor typically has a real hardwood wear layer on top, bonded to multiple layers underneath.

That construction can make engineered flooring more dimensionally stable, but it also means there is only a certain amount of real hardwood available to sand.

That's what we have to determine before refinishing it.

How Do You Know If an Engineered Hardwood Floor Can Be Refinished?

There are several things we look at.

1. Thickness of the Wear Layer

This is probably the biggest factor.

The thicker the real hardwood layer is, the more material we have available to work with.

Some engineered floors have a substantial wear layer.

Others have an extremely thin veneer.

Two floors can look almost identical from the top and be completely different once you look at their construction.

2. Has the Floor Been Sanded Before?

Every time a hardwood floor is professionally sanded, a small amount of wood is removed.

If an engineered floor has already been refinished, we need to determine how much usable hardwood remains.

3. How Flat Is the Floor?

A relatively flat floor generally requires less aggressive sanding than a floor with significant unevenness or damage.

This becomes especially important with engineered hardwood because we don't have unlimited wood to work with.

4. How Deep Is the Damage?

Surface scratches and finish wear are one thing.

Deep gouges, pet damage, water damage or severe discoloration can require more sanding or individual board repairs.

The deeper we have to sand, the more important the thickness of the wear layer becomes.

How Can You Tell How Thick the Wear Layer Is?

Sometimes we can identify the flooring manufacturer and specifications.

Other times, we can inspect an exposed edge of the flooring.

That might be at a floor vent, transition, doorway or another location where the construction of the plank can be seen.

Experience helps here.

We don't want to guess and start sanding.

We want to know what we're working with first.

What Happens If You Sand Through the Wear Layer?

This is exactly why engineered hardwood needs to be evaluated before refinishing.

If someone sands through the hardwood wear layer, they can expose the material underneath it.

At that point, sanding isn't going to fix the problem.

That's why engineered hardwood should not automatically be treated exactly like a traditional 3/4-inch solid hardwood floor.

The sanding process needs to match the floor we're working on.

Does Engineered Hardwood Have to Be Replaced When It Gets Scratched or Worn?

Not necessarily.

We've seen homeowners assume that because they have engineered hardwood, their only option is replacement.

That's simply not always true.

Depending on the construction and condition of the floor, refinishing may allow us to remove the old finish, surface scratches, wear and discoloration and give the existing floor an entirely different appearance.

Before spending the money to tear out a hardwood floor, it's worth finding out whether it can be restored.

Can Engineered Hardwood Floors Be Refinished a Different Color?

In many cases, yes — if the floor can safely be sanded to bare wood.

Once the existing finish and color have been properly removed, there may be options for changing the appearance of the floor.

But the species of wood, construction of the flooring, existing color and condition of the floor all matter.

We need to see the actual floor before promising a particular result.

What About Prefinished Engineered Hardwood With Aluminum Oxide?

This can be a completely different animal.

Many factory-finished hardwood floors use aluminum-oxide finishes, which can be extremely difficult to sand compared with traditional site-finished polyurethane.

That does not automatically mean the floor can't be refinished.

It may simply require more time, different abrasives and a different sanding process.

This is one reason we charge more for certain prefinished floors.

The important thing is knowing what you're dealing with before starting.

What If Only Part of My Engineered Floor Is Damaged?

You may not necessarily need to replace the entire floor.

Depending on the flooring and the damage, individual boards or sections may sometimes be repaired or replaced.

Water damage, pet damage and isolated damaged boards should be evaluated separately from the condition of the entire floor.

One of our basic philosophies after more than 40 years in this business is pretty simple:

Don't replace more than you have to.

If we can repair something properly and save the rest of the floor, that's the first option we're going to look at.

Should I Refinish or Replace My Engineered Hardwood Floors?

That depends on the floor.

Before deciding, we look at:

Wear-layer thickness
Overall condition
Previous sanding
Water or pet damage
Deep scratches or gouges
Loose or damaged boards
Aluminum-oxide or other factory finishes
What you want the finished floor to look like
Whether refinishing makes financial sense compared with replacement

Sometimes refinishing is the right answer.

Sometimes replacement really is the better option.

The important thing is knowing which situation you have before spending the money.

Can You Tell From Pictures Whether My Engineered Hardwood Can Be Refinished?

Pictures are a great place to start.

Send us several pictures of the floor, including close-ups of damaged areas.

If you know the manufacturer or have leftover flooring, send us that information too.

If there's an exposed edge near a floor vent, transition or doorway, a clear picture of that can also be helpful.

We may need to inspect the floor in person before making the final determination, but pictures can often tell us quite a bit.

Don't Replace Your Engineered Hardwood Until You Know Whether It Can Be Saved

We've been specializing in hardwood flooring since 1984.

We've watched flooring products and finishes change dramatically over the past four decades.

We've worked on traditional solid oak, engineered hardwood, prefinished flooring, aluminum-oxide finishes, hand-distressed flooring and floors most homeowners assumed were beyond saving.

Our philosophy hasn't changed:

Before you replace it, find out if you can save it.

Engineered Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Southern California

Only Wood Floors provides hardwood floor refinishing, repair and restoration throughout:

Orange County
Los Angeles County
Riverside County
San Diego County

We work with homeowners throughout Southern California to determine whether their existing hardwood floors can be repaired, restored or refinished instead of replaced.