Hardwood Refinishing near you

A screen-and-recoat, also called a buff and coat, lightly abrades the existing finish so a new coat can bond, then adds fresh finish. It doesn't reach the wood, so it can't remove deep scratches, greyed traffic paths or old stain, but it's quicker, far less dusty and uses up none of the floor's thickness.

A full sand-and-refinish removes the old finish and a thin layer of wood with progressively finer abrasives. It flattens uneven boards and leaves bare wood ready for repairs, a new stain colour and a completely rebuilt finish.

Engineered hardwood can only be refinished within its wear layer, the real wood on top of the core. A thick wear layer can take more than one full sanding; a thin one may allow a single careful sanding or none, and some engineered floors are designed only to be recoated. Solid floors have limits too, since each sanding removes wood above the tongue, but they're usually further away.

Before quoting, a finisher should find out what's there: lift a floor register or threshold to see a board's edge, check the product information if you still have it, and look for signs of earlier sanding. Sanding through the wear layer exposes the core and can only be fixed by replacing boards, so with a thin layer, a recoat is the safer choice.

Stain sets the colour; the finish protects it. Because some species take stain unevenly, a good finisher applies samples on the actual floor and lets you approve them in the room's own light.

A full refinish usually follows the same order: repairs and board replacement, sanding with a large drum or belt sander and an edger along the walls, filling, fine sanding, vacuuming, stain if chosen, then several coats of finish with light abrasion between them.

Sanding throws off a large amount of fine dust. Sanders linked to a dust-collection system or a high-efficiency vacuum capture much of it at the source, but containment still matters: plastic sheeting over doorways, return-air grilles covered, the heating system's filter checked after the job and thorough vacuuming between steps, because dust left behind ends up trapped as specks in the finish. Ask how the crew handles dust and what cleanup is included.

Floor finishes, stains and some fillers give off volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Health Canada lists varnish and glues among the building materials that release them, says exposure to some VOCs can cause fatigue, nausea, dizziness, headaches, breathing problems and eye, nose and throat irritation, and recommends more ventilation and low-emission products, noting that some varnishes emit fewer VOCs than others.

Plan airflow with the finisher: windows open when outdoor conditions allow, fans exhausting air outside, and the label's flammability warnings followed for solvent-based products. Children, pets and anyone sensitive to odours are better off elsewhere while coats go on and the smell is strong. In winter, when windows stay mostly shut, a low-odour water-based finish is often the more livable choice.

Health Canada says a home built before 1960 probably contains lead-based paint, and it mentions stairs and railings among the painted surfaces of concern. Have painted floors and stairs tested before any sanding: Health Canada's advice is not to sand, heat-gun or torch lead-based paint, and to keep children and pregnant women away from the work area.

Original hardwood found under old vinyl tiles or linoleum raises a second issue, since the Quebec government lists vinyl tiles, linoleum and adhesive coatings among materials that may contain asbestos. Health Canada advises having a professional test before renovating and hiring a qualified removal specialist if asbestos is found, so don't lift the covering or sand the glue left on the wood until the results are in.

A finish that's dry to the touch can take socks, then shoes, well before it's fully hard; curing continues for much longer and depends on the product, the number of coats, temperature, humidity and airflow. The label and the finisher give the timings for foot traffic, furniture and rugs. Rugs come back last, because they can trap vapours and mark a finish that hasn't fully cured.

Plan the logistics before the crew arrives: empty the rooms, clear closets that will be sanded, decide where the furniture will go and work out another route through the house if the only one crosses the floor. Some households stay elsewhere for the sanding and finishing, or refinish in stages so part of the home stays usable. When furniture returns, lift it into place with felt pads already fitted.