If your floors need a refresh, it’s time to refinish
Refinishing hardwood floors takes three to five days for the full process, but your timeline depends on floor size and whether you choose to stain.
Expect to pay $3 to $8 per square foot for professional hardwood floor refinishing, with traditional methods costing less than dustless refinishing options.
Your floor needs 24 to 48 hours to dry after the final coat, but the finish requires two to seven days to fully cure before heavy use.
Hiring a local wood floor refinishing professional keeps your project on schedule with proper sanding techniques and ensures the finish cures correctly for lasting results.
If your hardwood flooring is starting to show its age, refinishing can refresh your space. Unfortunately, your floor will be out of commission while the project is underway—so how long does it take to refinish hardwood floors? The process takes three to five days, but some snags can impact the timeline. Let’s buff out the details to understand how long each step of the project takes.
Your floors are the foundation of a room, and as a result, they see a lot. This includes scratches from pesky pet claws, dents from accidentally dropping things, sun damage, and wear from walking back and forth. Though hardwood flooring is extremely durable and can last anywhere from 30 to 100 years, so much of that has to do with the fact that you can refinish it.
Knowing when to refinish your hardwood floors depends on what they look like and what condition they’re in. Here are some signs that it’s time:
There are lots of scratches or gouges that cut through the existing finish.
Your floors are discolored, whether it’s from an aging finish, sunlight, or stains.
Your floor sustained minor water damage, but the planks didn’t warp.
The finish looks dull.
If in good condition, original hardwood floors should always be considered for refinishing. While sanding can be messy, the result will be beautiful for decades if cared for properly. For historical homes, refinishing original floors also keeps the character of the house intact.
Refinishing hardwood floors takes three to five days in most cases, but certain projects can take longer. During the process, your hardwood floor refinisher will sand down the existing finish, stain the wood, and seal or coat the floor. After the coating dries, you can use your floors again, but it will take a few days to completely cure. Here’s what to expect for a timeline.
Your contractor will need to prepare the space before they begin. This involves moving furniture out of the way and covering cabinetry. For most projects, this happens on the first day before sanding. If you’re refinishing the floors in a large home, prep can take up to two days.
Sanding down your flooring takes about one day. Projects larger than 1,500 square feet can take a little bit longer. During this process, your contractor will completely sand down the old finish, which takes four to five passes with different sanders. Sanding will be the most labor-intensive part of the job.
Staining is optional, but it allows you to customize the color of your floor. This step will add one to two days to the project. Your contractor will need to spend extra time sanding, and you’ll need to wait for the stain to dry. Oil-based stains, which are the most common, take up to 18 hours to dry.
The next step is sealing your floor with a protective coating. This process takes two to three days. Most of that time is spent waiting for the sealant to dry between coats, since most floors require three coats. Oil-based coatings take eight to 12 hours to dry, while water-based coatings take two to six hours to dry.
Before you can use your floor as you normally would, you’ll need to wait for the sealant to dry and cure. It’s recommended to stay off your floors for at least 24 hours after the sealant is applied. You’ll still need to be careful until the coating fully cures, which takes two to seven days depending on the type of coating.
There are a few different factors that influence the timeline of your project, but a local wood floor refinishing pro can give you the most accurate estimate. Keep these factors in mind:
Size of floor: Larger floors take longer to refinish, though most contractors can sand 1,000 to 1,500 square feet per day.
Type of wood: Certain woods, like pine or maple, are more complicated to sand than others, like red or white oak. Thus, the wood species you choose can increase the timeline.
Condition of floor: Your floor will take longer to sand if it’s severely damaged or painted, or if there are thick layers of sealant on top.
Type of finish: Oil-based polyurethane finishes dry more slowly, and your contractor can only apply one coat per day. Compare this to water-based finishes that dry more quickly, and your contractor can apply up to four coats per day.
Climate: If you live in an area with high humidity or cold temperatures, your finishes will take longer to dry.
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Krumlauf FloorsTerrible experience. Walls/trim/floors/cabinets/doors all have drip marks, overspray, etc. Tiling at the fireplace had to be redone by another vendor due to incorrect and shoddy install by Profect. Contractor had his children in our house while he was on site without prior authorization or...
Profect painting & exteriors**Would rate a 0 if i could** NEVER USE THIS COMPANY!!!!! They shattered my tv console and dresser, lost a mirror, and never finished the move. The broken furniture cost me over $600 to replace. They left me with 6+ hours of personal labor moving my 1BR apartment, when I was quoted a FULL...
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Finished Basements Plus Inc.AFS was excellent from start to finish. Jess, the sales associate, was fantastic...very knowledgeable and very professional. The installation crew was excellent. I couldn't be more pleased with the process. Best of all, my new floor looks fantastic!
America's Floor SourceIt was wonderful working with Yordy and his team. They were very professional and are experts in what they do. They have completed the work on time, with better quality and with in fairly reasonable price. We just started with backsplash work , but liking his work, we went on to provide...
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CarifaTileWe hired Jim to replace our hardwood floors with new hardwood. He and his helper Jerry did a fantastic job. Their work ethic is impeccable!! We would highly recommend McColl Floors!
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Unique Hardwood Floor LLCFrom average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
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