Flooring · Service

Floor refinishing, and how much floor you have left

Sanding a wood floor back to bare and refinishing it is the best value in the whole flooring industry — right up until there is not enough wood above the tongue to sand. That measurement comes first.

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In short

What is floor refinishing?

Floor refinishing means sanding a wood floor down past its old finish and any surface damage, then applying new stain and protective coats. A full sand-and-finish removes a thin layer of the wood itself, so it can only be done a limited number of times — what governs is how much wood sits above the tongue. A lighter screen and recoat refreshes the finish without touching the wood, and suits floors that are dull but not damaged.

Triggers

Signs you need floor refinishing

The finish has worn through to bare wood in traffic lanes, in front of the sink or at the top of the stairs
The floor looks permanently dirty after cleaning because the finish itself has gone cloudy and micro-scratched
There are surface scratches you can feel with a fingernail but that do not go deep into the wood
Pet urine or spills have darkened the finish but the boards underneath are still sound
You want a different colour, and the boards are a species that takes stain predictably
Boards are structurally fine but a previous refinish left drum marks, waves or an uneven sheen
You have carpet over hardwood and want to know whether what is underneath is worth uncovering

Seeing something not on this list? Browse flooring problems by symptom →

The job

How floor refinishing actually works

Wear-layer assessment

The installer lifts a vent register or a threshold to see the board in cross-section, and measures how much wood sits above the tongue. That thickness, not the surface appearance, decides whether a full sand is possible at all.

Watch for: A quote for a full sand on an engineered floor with no wear layer measurement. Engineered boards have a thin real-wood veneer over plywood, and sanding through it is unrecoverable.
Deciding between a recoat and a full sand

If the finish is intact and only dull, a screen-and-recoat abrades the top of the existing finish and lays a new coat over it — far cheaper, one day, and it consumes none of the wood. A full sand is for wear-through, colour change or deep damage.

Watch for: Being sold a full sand for a floor that only needs a recoat. Ask directly: "is the finish worn through anywhere, or just dull?" Recoating cannot fix bare spots or stains, but if there are none, it should be on the table.
Repairs and preparation

Loose boards are refastened, damaged boards replaced, protruding fasteners set below the surface, and gaps assessed. Base shoe is usually removed. The room is emptied and doorways sealed with plastic.

Watch for: Nail heads not set before sanding. A single proud nail will gouge the drum sanding belt and drag a line the length of the room.
Rough sanding

A large belt or drum machine takes the first cut with coarse abrasive, running along the boards. An edger works the perimeter the big machine cannot reach, and a scraper handles corners.

Watch for: Cross-grain sanding marks or a dished-out perimeter where the edger was held in one place. Both show up permanently once stain goes on and cannot be corrected without another full sand.
Intermediate and fine sanding

Successive passes with finer abrasive remove the scratch pattern from the previous grit. A buffer with a fine screen usually blends the field and the edged perimeter into one surface.

Watch for: A crew skipping grits to save time. Coarse scratch left in the wood is invisible on bare timber and glaringly obvious the moment stain hits it.
Staining, where you are changing colour

Stain is applied and wiped back. Species matters enormously here — some woods take stain evenly, others blotch badly and need a conditioner or a different approach.

Watch for: No sample done on your actual floor. Stain colour on a manufacturer chip has almost nothing to do with how it lands on your species and your sanding. Insist on a test patch in the room, viewed in daylight.
Finish coats

Typically two to three coats of a waterborne or oil-modified finish, with light abrasion between coats. Waterborne dries fast and stays clear; oil-modified ambers over time and takes longer between coats.

Watch for: Coat counts left vague. Get the number of coats and the product name written into the quote, because the difference between two coats and three is most of the floor's service life.
Cure and re-entry

Dry to walk on and fully cured are different things by a wide margin. Light stocking-foot traffic usually returns within a day or so; furniture, rugs and pets wait considerably longer depending on the product.

Watch for: Rugs going back down early. A rug over a finish that has not fully cured traps solvent and can leave a permanent outline of the rug on your new floor.

Money

What does floor refinishing cost?

Refinishing is typically quoted per square foot and lands well below the cost of replacing the same floor — which is most of its appeal. A screen-and-recoat costs a fraction of a full sand-and-finish. Stain colour changes and extensive board repairs add. See the Cost Guide for ranges.

See the full floor refinishing cost guide — by material, size and region →

Straight answer

When floor refinishing is the wrong call

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

There is not enough wood above the tongue. On a floor that has already been sanded two or three times, another pass can expose fasteners and reach the tongue. Have it measured through a vent opening before anyone quotes.
The floor is engineered with a thin veneer. Many engineered products have a wear layer too thin to survive a drum sanding. Some can take one light sand; many can only be recoated. The manufacturer's spec decides this, not optimism.
Boards are cupped and the moisture cause is still active. Sanding a cupped floor flat while it is still wet means that when it dries and flattens, you get crowning instead — and you have spent your wear layer to get there. Dry it out first, then reassess.
The floor is laminate or vinyl plank. Neither has real wood to sand. Laminate is a printed layer over fibreboard, and vinyl plank is a printed film under a wear coat. Refinishing is not a thing on either, whatever a general contractor tells you.
You cannot vacate the space. Every room being refinished must be empty and closed off, and the whole area is out of use for several days. In a one-bathroom house with the only bathroom past the work zone, this is a genuine problem worth planning around.
Pet urine has penetrated to the subfloor. Deep black staining and odour that survives sanding is in the wood and sometimes below it. Board replacement, and sometimes subfloor sealing, is the honest answer — sanding alone will not remove the smell.

Your options

Types of floor refinishing

Refinish vs replace

The comparison this page exists to inform — worked through properly in the Comparisons archive.

Wood material guides

Solid hardwood, engineered hardwood and bamboo — what each can and cannot take.

Floor colour guides

Light, medium, dark, whitewashed and natural oak tones on real wood.

Compare flooring options side by side →

Straight answer

Can I do this myself?

Sanding dust from floors finished before 1978 can contain lead from old paint or finish residue at the perimeter, and the dust from any large sanding job is a respiratory hazard on its own. Containment and respiratory protection are not optional, and rental counters do not supply either.

Reasonable to DIY

Emptying and prepping the rooms, and removing base shoe carefully if you want to reuse it
Lifting a floor vent and photographing the board edge so you can discuss wear layer with a pro
Doing your own screen-and-recoat on a small, undamaged floor with a rented buffer — the low-risk end of this work
Applying maintenance coats on a hardwax-oil floor, which is designed for owner recoating

Call a licensed pro

Any full drum sanding. A rented drum sander held stationary for two seconds leaves a dish you cannot sand out
Colour changes, where blotch-prone species and edger blending decide the whole result
Floors with an unknown existing finish, since some old finishes react badly with new products
Anything where the wear layer is marginal and one wrong pass ends the floor

Before you sign

What to check when hiring for floor refinishing

How much wear layer does my floor have, and how did you check?

The one question that decides whether this job should happen. It requires lifting something, not looking at the surface.
Does this floor need a full sand or would a recoat do?

A refinisher who volunteers the cheaper option when it fits is telling you something useful about the rest of their advice.
How many finish coats, and which product?

Coat count and product family determine durability and cure time. Both belong on the quote in writing.
Will you do a stain sample on my floor before committing?

Species and sanding change stain colour dramatically. A sample on your boards in your light is the only reliable preview.
What dust containment do you use?

Dust-containment sanding systems are common now. Ask what happens at doorways, returns and the HVAC system regardless.
When can we walk on it, and when can rugs and furniture go back?

Two different dates. Getting the rug date wrong permanently marks the finish.
Are baseboard and shoe removal and reinstallation included?

A common exclusion. Refinishing up to a shoe moulding that stays put leaves a visible old-finish line at the wall.

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Local pros

Floor Refinishing near you

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Related work

Often done at the same time

Hardwood Floor Installation

When the wood has run out

Flooring Repair

Localised damage, not whole-room wear

Floor Leveling

Getting flat before refinishing a wavy floor

Flooring Installation

The full replacement route

All flooring services →

FAQ

Floor Refinishing — questions people ask

Still have a question? Talk to our team →

How many times can a hardwood floor be refinished?

It depends on the thickness above the tongue, not on a fixed number. A full-thickness solid floor that has never been sanded has room for several passes over its life; a floor already sanded a few times may have very little left. The only way to know is to look at a board edge through a vent opening or at a threshold.

What is the difference between refinishing and a screen and recoat?

A recoat abrades the existing finish lightly and adds a fresh coat on top — it renews appearance and protection without removing any wood, and it is usually a one-day job. Refinishing sands through the finish and into the wood, which is what allows colour changes and removal of deep scratches and stains. Recoating cannot fix bare spots, stains, or colour.

How long does refinishing take?

Sanding a typical few rooms is often a day, with finish coats over the following days and drying between them. Waterborne finishes compress the schedule considerably; oil-modified finishes stretch it. Full cure — the point at which the finish reaches its final hardness — continues for days or weeks after you are walking on it.

Can engineered hardwood be refinished?

Sometimes once, lightly, and only if the wear layer is thick enough. Many engineered products carry a veneer too thin to sand at all and are designed to be recoated instead. Check the manufacturer specification for your specific product before anyone brings a sander into the room — this is a one-way decision.

Do I have to move out during refinishing?

You have to be out of the rooms being worked on, and realistically out of any space you would have to cross them to reach. Many households stay in the house and work around it in phases; many find the fumes from oil-modified finishes reason enough to leave for a couple of nights. Waterborne finishes are markedly lower odour.

Will refinishing remove pet stains?

Surface discolouration in the finish, yes. Black stains where urine has soaked into the grain frequently survive sanding, because the staining goes deeper than the wear layer you can afford to remove. In those cases the options are board replacement, or accepting the marks and choosing a darker stain that hides them.