What to expect:
Hardwood flooring refinishing timeline

The timeline to refinish a hardwood floor will vary based on the job size (square feet) and footprint (layout of the floor plan). Generally, a refinishing project takes three to six days.
Below is a general timeline of what you can expect:

Prior to refinishing start date:

• • Homeowner receives a written proposal
  • Woodchuck Flooring and homeowner determine calendar date to installation to begin
  • Homeowner to vacate rooms of all household items and furniture

Day 1:

• • Hardwood flowing materials and refinishing equipment delivered to home
  • Tools set up
  • Refinishing may begin on day one pending on job size

Day 2 – Day 3:

• • Sanding days: Rough sanding & fine sanding runs 1 – 2 days depending on job size and foot print

Day 4 – Day 6:

• • Finishing days: All floors to receive 3 coats of polyurethane; allowing one cost per day to allow time for overnight drying. In July/August overnight dries may take longer as humidity in the air causes the floor to need additional dry time. Final visits are the last finishing day
  • Floors are closed to foot traffic during the finish process while the floors are wet

Planning:
Things to consider as you plan for your new hardwood flooring refinishing project

When planning your refinishing project there are two key options to consider: floor staining and polyurethane selection. Floor staining options are available should you want to augment the color of your wood floor. Staining your floor is all a matter of preference. Ours is to leave the floor natural, free of stain, as polyurethane alone can bring out the true beauty of a wood floor.

There are two polyurethane type we apply to floors:

Oil based finish/polyurethane – most common choice:

• • Advantages: deeper, thicker coat, richer in appearance and more affordable
  • Disadvantages: higher VOC (volatile organic compounds) – stronger smell, longer dry time

Water base finish/polyurethane:

• • Advantages: lower VOC – less smell, faster dry time
  • Disadvantages: not as deep and rich in color, material cost is higher

THE WOODCHUCK Refinishing PROCESS:

In the hardwood floor refinishing process, we apply various colors and finish to achieve the look you desire for your hardwood floors. Most commonly, these are natural finishes with either oil-based or water-based polyurethanes. Finishing is more than just laying a coat of polyurethane on the floor. For example, staining a large hardwood floor requires a level of attention to detail and experience so you achieve uniform coloring (uniformity is important so you don’t see one area lighter or darker than another).

The first step in refinishing is to make an informed selection to your finish choice. If you’re contemplating refinishing your floor yourself, keep in mind there are some things you can only know with years of hardwood flooring experience, such as maple floors don’t take stain well but it can be successfully accomplished if you know of “water-popping”.

When most companies stain a floor, they only put two coats of polyurethane on top of their stain colors. By industry standards, this is acceptable because the stain is a “sealing” stain. When we refinish hardwood flooring, we choose to put three coats of polyurethane on top of the stain color because though the stain is a sealer, we see it more as color. Additionally, applying this third coat will give you greater depth and protection which will add years to the life of your floor.

Whether you choose to stain or go natural with your floor, it is polyurethane (water or oil) that protects the floor. It is important to vibrate the edges and buff the floor between each coat to prepare the surface to receive a coat and to remove any incidental debris from previous coats.

After the hardwood floor refinishing process is complete, the beauty of your hardwood floors are protected for years to come!