dadamoid

We have oak veneer (approx 2-3mm of oak veneer on tongue and groove base) flooring in our kitchen and living room. It is now about 5 years old. In the dining room where the chairs move around a lot, the varnish has worn away and the veneer has become darker and dirty, probably soaking in a bit of liquid spills too. We are trying to sell our house and don't want to completely replace the floor (as most of it is still looking good).

Is there any way to restore the worn areas to some kind of former glory?

Any advice would be very welcome.

I presume it all depends how deeply any staining has penetrated and whether sanding would be able to expose any clean wood.

Please help.

inspectorD

Try murphys oil soap after cleaning any old wax off. Or call a wood floor re finisher for specific advice with your type of damaged floor.

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Phatboy

You could possibly try to sand the floor with a special type of sander called a ''square buffer'' It is very non invasive, and you can use a super fine(150-220) grit sanding pad.

I wouldnt really recommend this as it will probably take off at a min 1mm of the veneer, but if you are absolutely in a pinch you could use it carefully with good results.

Do not under any circumstance substitute a drum sander for a sqbuff. It will chew through the veneer faster than you can say 80grit. If you can find it a random orbit sander will do the job also, just make sure you stay above 200 grit papers, and youll be ok.

You can find these tools at your local rental centers, but I wouldnt know where to begin in the UK.

PS.
One other option is to cut out and replace the worn section of flooring with sometype of inlaid design. Stars are popular, as well as circles with intricate designs. You can buy these prefabbed on the internet, and you simply cut the old floor out and glue down the new inlay. Presto new floors, that very well may raise the asking price for your home.

Hope this helps.