ᐅ Refinishing hardwood flooring: Is it the wood?

Hello dear house-building experts,
I found a floor in a room of a recently purchased house that I am not happy with in its current condition. Unfortunately, it is inconsistent, with some areas appearing grayish and others showing a nice wood tone. There are no major damages. I assumed it was laminate flooring, so I thought replacement was the only option. Then I removed a profile strip and started to doubt that.
It doesn’t really look like what I would expect from typical laminate flooring. From the cross-section, it seems more like engineered hardwood flooring to me. Unfortunately, I am a complete beginner in this area and can only rely on information from Google.
Would it be possible to sand this floor with fine grit and treat it with hardwax oil to achieve a uniform, attractive appearance again?
Thank you and best regards

It could be engineered hardwood flooring. At least the core layer is most likely made of real wood. Sanding is definitely possible (though not as often) – and could be worth it. As a wood enthusiast, I would say: Go for it!

I agree with you; this looks like standard pre-finished parquet. Of course, you can’t really judge the quality from that alone. Pre-finished parquet comes in everything from low-cost options to high-end products. It also depends on how much effort you want to invest and whether you want to do sanding inside the house, how important the room is, how you plan to use it, and what you like, among other factors.

All of that would be part of my considerations. For example, here I have a second-choice pre-finished parquet floor for €25 per square meter (around $25 per square meter), so it’s worth thinking about whether the effort for sanding, oiling, and so on is justified.

You might also want to look at OSMO finishes; they offer products that you can even apply without sanding, such as decorative wax. I used that on my entire floor of solid wood planks.

In general, I think the key questions are whether the current floor is well-installed and if I would like it. If the answer to both is yes, I would keep it and refurbish it with paint, oil, or similar treatments.

Thank you for the replies. At the moment, I don’t like the floor as it is. I will try to work on it and report back on the results. It will definitely take some effort, but renting equipment for one day is still manageable. If it doesn’t work out, I can always stop and start over.

The idea of decorative wax also sounds interesting. For example, I could apply decorative wax in “oak” color. Then, as recommended, add a clear layer of hardwax oil afterward. Would that work without sanding? As mentioned, there are no major damages visible... but if the surface is uneven before coating (partly grayish, partly tending toward beech), can I even out the appearance with the decorative wax, or will the differences still show through?

It’s impossible to fully assess the surface to provide an accurate recommendation. Sanding can be done quickly, creates a lot of dust, and always surprises you with how beautiful an old floor can become.

The picture quality is quite poor. However, it does give a realistic impression of the overall look in "beech/gray." If it helps, I can try to take better photos.