As an experienced flooring company in Florida, we’ve refinished countless hardwood and engineered hardwood floors. And, although the hardwood floor refinishing process varies slightly from home to home, the questions we’re asked by homeowners are similar. Because we hear the same questions so often, we wanted to answer them in our blog for easy reference for anyone considering refinishing their hardwood or engineered wood floors.
Can I Just Do a Buff and Recoat or Do I Need a Total Refinish?
If you’re unfamiliar floor refinishing, one of the first things you’ll need to discuss with your floor refinishing company is which hardwood floor refinishing process you’ll choose. They will look at your floors and listen to your goals and make a recommendation. If you’re simply looking to refresh the floors and bring back their shine but keep the same color, you may be able to choose the buff and recoat option. In this process, only the topmost layers of sealant are removed and reapplied. However, if you are looking to change the color of your floors or have deep scratches you’d like fixed, you’ll need a complete refinish where we sand your floors down to the bare wood.
How Long Does the Hardwood Floor Refinishing Process Take?
This is the most common question we’re asked. Unfortunately, it’s also the hardest one to answer. As we pointed out in our previous answer, there are two types of hardwood floor refinishing. That fact along with variables such as the size of the flooring area and finish you choose can impact the time. For an average home where we’re refinishing a living room, dining room, and hallways, it averages about five days. However, you may need to plan additional time for the final coat of finish to set. Keep in mind that the hardwood floor refinishing process will take longer in a larger home or a home where you want a specialty finish.
Can We Stay in Our Home While You’re Working?
We do not recommend you stay in your home during the hardwood floor refinishing process. During the sanding portion, we create a lot of dust. Once we begin staining and adding the sealant, the smell can be overpowering. And, depending on the sealant and a few other factors, you may not be able to walk on the floors for 24 hours to several days. It’s best to plan a vacation or house sit for a friend or family member during the refinishing process.
What Do We Need to Do Before Your Crew Arrives?
In addition to removing all furniture, lamps, and area rugs, you also should plan on removing décor and wall hangings in the rooms we’ll be working in. The hardwood floor refinishing process creates dust. And, no matter how often we clean during the process, the dust still settles throughout the home. We also recommend having new or clean air filters if your HVAC will be running while we’re working. (And be ready to change them once we’re finished.)
Let Seer Flooring Answer Your Questions About the Hardwood Floor Refinishing Process
Our experts can help you understand the best process to refinish your hardwood floors or engineered wood floors and answer any questions you may have. Call us today to schedule your free in-home consultation at (727) 469-7963 or fill out our contact form.