Top 11 questions answered about having your hardwood floors refinished
Posted by Aaron Schaalma
What does it cost to have my floors refinished?
Having your floors refinished is time consuming. No matter if it's a couple hundred feet or a few thousand. It requires the same amount of equipment. You also can't speed up dry times. With taking that all into place we start out at a minimum of $1,600 and go up from there based on the size of the job. To find out more about the cost you can read more here.
How long does the average refinish take?
Our average refinish takes 3-5 days from start to finish. A lot of this depends on what type of wood, condition of the floor, layout of the house, and whether the floor is getting stained. All of these factors play into the estimated time it takes to complete your job.Will I have to leave my house during the refinishing process?
During the hardwood refinishing process you don't have to leave your house. We work with you to let you know of times when you may not be able to walk on the floors (generally only a couple of hours). However, once the final coat is applied, in most cases you’ll need to wait overnight before you can walk on the floors. After the final coat has dried, you will be able to walk on the floor, but only with socks for a couple of days, as the floor is still curing. The alternative would be to choose our UV finish which is fully cured right away via our machine that uses UV light to cure the finish. This allows you to move furniture back into your space and walk on the floor after the curing process.How dusty will my house be from having my floors refinished?
You’ll barely know that we were there refinishing your floors. We have invested in some of the best dust-containment equipment around. Take a look at this video to see how little airborne dust there is.Will my house smell from having my floors refinished?
Generally the smell is very minimal as we try to use low VOC products (Volatile Organic Compounds). Typically speaking, the higher the level of VOC's in a product, the more odors you will have. While we use low VOC products whenever possible, some of the stains we use do have a bit of a smell to them. However, once the stains have dried the smell from them starts to go away.
What colors can you make my wood floors?
The sky's the limit when it comes to what color you want your wood floors to be. From bleaching a floor to remove color pigments, to using reactive stains to create a unique grey color, there are so many choices it can make your head spin! Not to worry, during our consult with clients we help them look at their floors as a part of the whole and not a separate entity. We can help you choose the right color for your home that will help tie together your new floor with your current decor.
What finish is best for my hardwood floors?
Choosing the right type and quality of hardwood floor finishes can be kinda tricky. Let's go through a few things to help make the choices of finish a little clearer. One thing that always comes up is, “what is the most durable finish?”. Durability of finishes can vary so much and depend on different things. However, the biggest single factor in the durability and longevity of your finish is how well you maintain your floors.Water-Based Polyurethane Finishes
We offer a few different water based polyurethane finishes with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) along with hard-wax finishes. These finishes range from a single component finish all the way up to on-site UV cured finish. These coatings protect from above creating a film over top of the wood.Hardwax Oil Finish
Hardwax oil finishes are a little different in how they protect the floor. The oil not only soaks into the grain of the wood and protects within, it also protects from above by molecular bonding to the fibers of the wood. Hardwax oil finishes also typically tend to have a more matte look .Which of these finishes is best for you?
There are many factors in choosing the right finish for your floors, but both will perform well. Selecting the proper finish really depends on what your expectations are for the floor and how much maintenance you are willing to do.Do I have to move my appliances?
A lot of times it is best to move your stove and refrigerator when you are having your hardwood floors refinished. This allows us to refinish the entire floor, so if you ever change out your appliances to newer ones you won't have to worry that its not the same size and that there will be an ugly spot that isn't covered by the slightly smaller appliance.Do I have to remove my baseboards when I get my floors refinished?
This is a very common misconception people have. They think that the machines wouldn’t be able to get up close to the base boards, and that there would be flooring that was unfinished. The machine we use to remove the old finish around the room where our belt sanding machine can’t go is called an edger. The edger gets nice and close to the base without damaging it so you don’t have to remove the base. The only time we recommend removing the base is if the floor is cupped and the base isn’t sitting flat on the floor, or the wood has been sanded a few times and there is a build up of wood showing under the base. Continue reading...How long after my wood floors are refinished can I move furniture back?
Typically, about two days after the final coat of finish is applied the floor is about 80-90% cured and you can move your furniture back on your wood floors. Now, there are a few a few exceptions to this. If you go with UV cured finish, you don’t have to wait to move furniture or rugs back on the floor. The reason for this is that the UV machine instantly cures the finish and it’s as hard as it’s going to get. Another exception is Hardwax Oil. With this type of finish you only need to wait 24-36 hrs after the oil is applied to move furniture back on. We suggest running your whole house fan on your furnace to help with the curing process of both the hardwax oil and the water based finishes.When Can I Put Rugs Back On My Wood Floors?
Putting rugs back onto your newly refinished hardwood floors depends on what type of finish was applied. Lets say it was an oil based polyurethane that was applied to your floor, because it takes almost a month for the oil based poly to cure you need to wait a minimum of 2 weeks before putting your rugs back down. With hardwax oils and water based finishes you need to wait 1 week, but with UV finish there is no waiting period before placing your rugs back in place.
We hope we were able to answer any questions you may have regarding your floor refinishing project. If you'd like to see more refinishing jobs we've done take a look at these 5 amazing transformations! 
