Refinishing flooring can be a great option, whether you are refinishing existing hardwood floors, or are part of a lucky few to find existing hardwood hiding beneath carpeting it is best you understand what it entails before you start the project.
You first need to determine if you are going to use oil based polyurethane or water based polyurethane. The oil based does take a bit longer, and entails a bit more work but it also last longer than the water based option.
Oil based polyurethane takes a minimum of 24 hours between coats to dry. Figure closer to 32 hours living in South Florida in a very humid climate. The water based needs an average of 4-6 hours to dry.
Oil based polyurethane depending on square footage is about 4-6 day job, the water based is half the time at 2-3 days total. In the opinion of our installers the places that will do it in one day are not necessarily the best option. It is very important to have each coat dry thoroughly before applying the next.
Darker stains in either will take longer to dry!
Tips & Tricks:
- Typically, companies should be able to sand about 1,000 square feet per day.
- After completion of the job, allow 24 additional hours until it is walked on.
- When first walking on the floor for the first 3-4 days only walk on the flooring wearing socks. Oils from your feet can interfere the flooring and shoes are still too hard to walk on the flooring with until it is COMPLETELY dry.
- If you are a dog owner keep in mind that your four legged friend’s nails can create divots and scratches until the polyurethane is dried. Keeping him out of the room is the best option but if not you can get doggy booties.
