Hardwood Floor Refinishing

We start the refinishing process by sealing off the area with blue masking tape and plastic film. Unfortunately some materials like stucco and wallpaper cannot be taped. Please inform us if the paint on your trim is likely to chip off and we will come up with a “Plan B”. We limit the dust as much as possible with vacuum dust collection attached to the machines, but a little should be expected. The next step is to locate a 240 volt power source. This can be a stove plug, dryer plug, or panel box. The sanding usually starts with a course cut from a Hummel, which is a large belt sander. The course grit will remove most stains and flatten the boards. All but a six inch border will be sanded by the Hummel. The perimeter will get sanded with an “edger” which uses a spinning disk of sand paper to get close to the walls. It is a fine line between removing all the old finish off the floor and scuffing the molding, so a little paint touch up may be required after the job is complete.

After the first sand the floor is then inspected for holes, cracks, and gaps. A wood filler is then applied to those areas. The wood filler takes about an hour to dry before it can be walked on. The floor will be sanded a second time with finer grit sand paper to ensure a smooth finish. Anything left behind will be removed by hand with a scraper and lots of elbow grease. Lastly, the floor will be buffed to remove any marks left behind by the other machines. Now it is ready for clean up and should no longer be walked on. The wood will darken when finish is applied, but if that is not enough then, staining is required. Stains come in a wide range of colors and are happy to show you samples.

Finally it’s coating time. We coat the floor with three coats of finish with a light sanding in between coats. Coating is usually a two day process, and the floor can receive light traffic the following day. A choice of products is available depending on your needs. For high traffic areas we recommend a line of products from Glitsa. They produce a two part system, which is available in many sheens. Due to the fumes, vacating the house during the coating process is STRONGLY recommended. If leaving is not an option then a polyurethane is your best bet. Polyurethanes are made in both oil or water formulations. Oil is harder than water but will yellow. It also has a strong smell, but most people tolerate it. Water based finish has the least smell and produces the lightest colored finish.