Did you move furniture around to accommodate your holiday decorations and realize that your floors are faded? Or did moving the couch lead to scratches in your wood floors? Believe it or not, with everything that families have going on this time of year, we get a lot of calls from homeowners asking all sorts of questions about wood floor refinishing. Here are the top three we’ve heard recently.
How Often Should I Refinish My Wood Flooring?
Although the hardwood or engineered wood floors are meant to last, their finish isn’t. You can expect the topmost layer to wear off somewhere between about eight and fifteen years. Prefinished wood flooring tends to look good and last longer than floors finished after installation. This is due to the finishing process that can be accomplished in a factory. However, traffic in and out of your home, pets, and children can impact how long your floor’s finish will last. One easy way to know if your finish is worn off is to intentionally drop about a tablespoon of water onto your floors and see if it beads up. If not, your finish is likely worn out. (Don’t forget to clean up the water promptly.)
Can You Do Dustless Wood Floor Refinishing?
Although many companies advertise dustless wood floor refinishing, there really is no such thing. There are, however, two different processes. The first one is what is often referred to as dustless. It is also called screen and recoat or buff and recoat. In this process the flooring company removes only the topmost finish layers and then cleans and reapplies the finish. The second process is a total refinish and because the flooring company completely sands the floors down to the wood, there’s more dust. A total refinish is the only option if you want to change the color of your floors, remove deep scratches, or replace a section of the flooring.
How Long Does Floor Refinishing Take?
That very much depends on both the process you choose and the materials. For example, a total refinish may need four or five passes with the sanding equipment. However, a buff and recoat may only need two. If your wood floor refinishing includes changing the floor color with new stain, keep in mind that we’ll need 12 – 24 hours between coats for it to dry. And, whether you choose oil- or water-based finish, you’ll have a different drying time for each of the two to three coats. Usually about 12 hours for oil-based and three for water-based poly. Of course, we recommend waiting to walk on your floors for at least 24 hours. Also, plan on keeping furniture off the floors for 5 days and rugs off for 30 days.
Still Have Questions? Seer Flooring Has Answers
As one of the most experienced flooring companies in the Tampa Bay area, we’re here to help you understand which process is best for your floors. We do offer both screen (or buff) and recoat and total wood floor refinishing from Pinellas through Sarasota Counties and throughout the greater Tampa area. Call us today at (727) 469-7963 to schedule your free estimate for engineered or hardwood floor refinishing.