There is nothing quite like walking into a room and immediately feeling that welcoming warmth and elegance that are only possible with hardwood floors. The only struggle is keeping those perfect planks pristine for all your friends, family, and guests through buff and recoat hardwood floors.
Whether you’re getting ready for a family reunion with plenty of feet moving around your wood floors or trying to get rid of those pesky scratches from your pets, learning the ins and outs of hardwood floor refinishing is crucial.
However, you don’t want to break the bank trying to extend the life of your wood floors. While freshly refinished hardwood flooring looks fantastic, spending all your weekends on this project may not be the best move.
This article covers the ins and outs of buffing and recoating and how it differs from hardwood floor refinishing so that it becomes less time-consuming and more of a labor of love.
Read on to learn some tips for making the hardwood floor process as smooth and carefree as possible.
Why Screen Recoat Hardwood Floors?
It doesn’t matter how well-sourced your hardwood floors are.
You could have perfectly maintained reclaimed barn siding or hardwood floor planks from a 200-year-old ship that survived deckhands, captains, and the occasional pirate. You must occasionally maintain these wood floors.
Buffing and recoating are crucial to ensuring your hardwood floor’s lifespan. This wood floor refinishing service will boost that special glow that looks fantastic when you get home and tells a story by adding personality to your living space.
This service is a precursor to complete hardwood floor refinishing and helps prevent wood flooring surface scratches from becoming a bigger problem over the life of your floors.
When to Know it’s Time to Recoat Hardwood Floors?
No “hard and fast” rule exists when deciding to recoat your hardwood floor.
In many cases, an upcoming holiday weekend is a perfect time when the family will be away, and you can get down to business removing deep scratches from your wood grain.
In other cases, you may have scratches or damage from:
- Moving furniture around after a party without padding.
- More significant dog scratches from pet claws on your beautiful floors.
- Shoes with high heels or sharp soles.
- Sand and gravel creeping inside, especially during winter.
- Dropping heavy objects that gouge the wood.
- Using a stiff bristle broom or damaging vacuum attachments.
- Water and accidental spills.
- Constant changes to humidity.
- Lack of regular maintenance.
The most common reasons you’ll want to take the time to reexamine if your hardwood floor needs a little extra TLC from a buffing service are as follows:
The Finish is Worn or Damaged:
Given enough time, beautiful hardwood floors can begin to wear down. You may notice some damage or wear and tear in high-traffic areas of your wood floors or under direct UV light. That will make you reconsider if your entire floor looks too old.
Clear Signs of Color Fading:
Color fading is a constant threat to your wood floor. Sections under windows exposed to sunlight and changes in humidity can make the once new floor brilliant color look more like a less desirable tone that isn’t very welcoming.
The Floor Lacks Shine
A well-maintained hardwood floor has a specific shine you always want on display. When that floor looks dull and lifeless, it loses the personality you love.
A quick buff and recoat may be all it takes to regain that shine in your wood floors.
The Floor Feels a Little Sticky
You want to pay close attention to your hardwood floor cleaning products. Certain hardwood floor waxes and oils will build up and create a stickier residue that feels gross, especially on bare feet. Proper buffing, followed by patient recoating, will remove this residue, making the wood floors smooth again.
Too Many Surface Scratches
The most common reason people choose to buff and recoat wood floors is because of finding too many scratches. Pets, kids, clumsy guests, and many other reasons can begin to harm the overall appearance of your natural wood floors.
Recoating vs. Refinishing Hardwood Floors
Before you begin your hardwood floor journey, it helps to know more about the difference between recoating and refinishing.
Recoating is like wearing a warm jacket to protect your skin in winter. You are adding a layer of finish to the existing hardwood floors.
This service enhances the natural beauty of the wood floors and boosts protection where you need it most.
Floor refinishing services are more involved. In this process, you sand down the entire floor to the bare wood. Once done, apply several coats of finish to rebuild the floor to a strong protection level.
This service is much more time-consuming, and you should only choose floor refinishing services if your hardwood floors show several signs of damage. These damages may be deeper scratches, water from an open window, or severe wear and tear.
While we strongly recommend you work with professionals for a buff and recoat process, you 100% must go the pro route if you’re refinishing. Unless you have direct experience, refinishing can be a challenging task.
What About a Buff and Recoat?
The beauty of a buff and recoat free estimate from our team at HK Floor Recoating is that you are freshening up your hardwood floors without needing deep sanding or weeks of clearance in your family’s scheduling for refinishing.
This valuable buffing service is even more critical to Florida homes because of the humidity, rainy afternoons, and constant socializing that brings unwanted scratches that a new coat can cure.
With the right tools, buffing the surface helps clean away those pesky areas that drive you up the wall when walking around your home. Adding on that extra coat enhances the shine and extends the potential life of your wood floors from pets, foot traffic, and more.
Can You Screen and Recoat Hardwood Floors of All Types?
You can screen and recoat all hardwood floors. This service includes solid wood, reclaimed wood, and engineered wood. It breathes new life by hiding the visible wear and returning your floor to its original glory.
The only catch is you want to check the “wear layer” on the top of the wood floor. Engineered wood can sometimes be fragile. If you get too deep past that wear layer, you can damage the core integrity of your hardwood flooring.
An excellent way to avoid these challenges is to book a consultation with our team at HK Floor Recoating. We can come out to your location around Park Shore, Moorings, Lake Park, Port Royal, Keewaydin, Coquina Sands, Bayview, Cutlass Cove, Cape Coral, Old Naples, Oyster Bay, River Park, Seagate, Royal Harbor, and Bear’s Paw. Once we get a look, we’ll determine if your engineered floor is safe to screen and recoat.
What is the Cost to Screen and Recoat Hardwood Floors?
Unfortunately, there is no way to give this a solid answer. The screen and recoating of your hardwood floors will vary greatly depending on your location, the extent of the damage, your desired outcome, and the project’s overall size.
Generally, you can expect to pay anywhere from $0.85 to $3.50 per square foot. This process is much more affordable than entire floor refinishing, but you should contact our team for a personalized quote to learn more.
The Best Tips for Recoating Hardwood Floors
Now that we’ve covered the basics of a buff and recoat project, let’s look at some tips and tricks you may want to consider to get the best ROI for your hard work and cash.
#1 Choose a DIY or Professional Method First
Before you crack out the specialized coating finish, ask yourself if you want to hire experienced professionals in Florida or complete the project independently. A quality buff and recoat will take some experience, plenty of time for your wood floors to be left alone, and specialized equipment to ensure it unfolds correctly. A professional team like ours at HK Floor Recoating does all this for you.
#2 Always Prep the Area Before You Begin
Preparing the area of your hardwood floors that you want to enhance is crucial to ensuring a quality outcome. Start by moving furniture out of the room using padded feet so it doesn’t create more scratches. You may want to discuss a dust-free process that reduces any extra dust from collecting around your house.
#3 Use Proper Safety Equipment
Whether you’re following the DIY or professional route, ensure everyone has proper safety equipment. This equipment could include PPE, respirators, gloves, eye protection, and more. A safer process protects the individuals doing the work and creates a mindset of being careful through the buff and recoat process.
#4 Repair Any Major Damage First
Before recoating, carefully inspect your hardwood floors for more significant damage. Note deeper scratches or new water damage before any buffing begins. This way, you aren’t sealing in additional damage that may be harder to manage.
#5 – Clean Away any Dust Before Recoating
Recoating makes your wood floor surface look amazing. However, it will also trap any leftover dust that may feel grainy or uncomfortable under your bare feet.
A professional team like ours will take care of this beforehand, but if you’re going the DIY route, vacuum and dust once more than you think necessary – just in case.
#6 – Apply any Coating/Stain in a Small Area First
Start by testing the recoating products on a small wood floor area. This way, you can check their appearance against the room’s lighting and the hardwood floor you have installed. A lousy reaction may damage the natural wood fibers.
#7 – Make Time for the Room to Cure
Every room will cure (dry) at different times. For example, a den with no natural light and little airflow may take longer than a living room with big bay windows. Regardless, you want to ensure your family, pets, and guests do not enter those rooms as the protective coating cures.
#8 – Leave Yourself an Exit
An often overlooked tip that will make you wish you had started differently is to leave yourself an exit from the start. Carefully plan out your buff and recoat hardwood floor route so you aren’t left in the corner contemplating if you can leap a nearby windowsill.
Why Choose HK Floor Recoating
A well-planned buff and recoat hardwood floor plan will leave your wood floors’ surface warm, inviting, and stunning.
At the same time, you can rely on a DIY process that will take a lot of time and can lead to permanent problems if you make an error.
A much easier solution is to call our team at HK Floor Recoating for a free buff and recoat quote. With over 20 years of experience in the flooring industry from Wisconsin to Florida, we deliver premium services designed to transform your hardwood floors into the perfect example of art and function.
Our goal is to be the experienced professionals you rely upon for a new coat of protection that captures the original shine of your natural wood.
With unmatched customer service and attention to the utmost care of your home, we are a cost-effective solution for large dogs, foot traffic, and more.
Let’s schedule a time to meet so our expert team can get a better look at your beautiful wood floors and extend their life for years to come.
Conclusion
Recoating your hardwood floors is a practical way to keep them well-maintained, especially when you have a busy social or family life. Follow these tips, and you should have no problem making the most of your upcoming service or DIY session.
If you need more help, contact our team for a reliable buff and recoat hardwood floor service.
FAQ
What is the difference between buffing and refinishing hardwood floors?
Buffing involves some light sanding, carefully applying a coating, and taking the time to make repairs that are on the surface. Refinishing hardwood floors means sanding them down to the wear layer and then building that back up with several layers of coating.
Can I just buff my hardwood floors?
Whether you should buff your hardwood floors depends on their condition and whether you have any other damage. Sometimes, a simple buffing will do the trick, but you should follow up with a recoating process for complete peace of mind.
Is it better to recoat or refinish hardwood floors?
You will elect to recoat your hardwood floors if they have minor wear, some mild recoloring, or surface scratches. Refinishing is better for deeper scratches and gouges caused by wear and tear.
