How long does hardwood floor refinishing take?

A full sand and refinish usually takes 3 to 5 working days on site. After the last coat, light foot traffic is fine after about 24 hours, and rugs and furniture go back after roughly a week. If the finish is worn but the wood underneath is fine, a screen and recoat is usually 1 to 2 days.

What fills those days

Sanding takes off the old finish and a thin layer of wood, working through finer and finer grits. If you want a new color, stain goes on next and needs to dry before the first coat. Then come several protective coats, with drying time between each.

Board repairs come first. Water-damaged, pet-stained or split boards are cut out and replaced before sanding, which is why we lift a vent cover or check a doorway to see how much wood is left before quoting.

Water-based or oil-based finish

Water-based finishes dry faster and smell less. Oil-based finishes take longer to harden and turn slightly golden over the years, which plenty of people prefer. The choice changes how soon furniture can come back.

Planning around the job

Most people stay home. The work area is sealed off and unusable for several days, and you will smell the finish, especially oil-based. Families with a baby, anyone with breathing trouble, or a house with one bathroom often sleep elsewhere on the finishing days.

Our sanders run with dust collection that catches most of the dust, though no system catches all of it, so expect to wipe down surfaces afterward.

Cool, damp weather slows drying, so we set the dates with the finish and the season in mind and give you them before work starts.

When a recoat is enough

A screen and recoat scuffs the existing finish and adds new coats with no deep sanding. It will not remove deep scratches or gray water stains and cannot change the color, but when the wood is sound it is the honest recommendation, and it takes a day or two.