Frequently Asked Questions

This depends on what type of products we will be using (based on your preferences): oil based, or water-based.
Oil based tend to take longer – often 3-4 days plus drying time (longer if for larger jobs) and water-based tend to dry faster, so it’s often 2 days (longer for larger jobs).

On average, you can walk on the floors approximately 24 hours after the application of the final coat. We recommend that for hours 24-48 that you wear socks only – no shoes, no bare feet.

Wait 24-48 hours after the final coat before placing your furniture back. Always place furniture, do not drag. If you need to drag, use moving blankets or professionals where possible.
Note: area rugs will have to wait one week (7 days)

It’s best to wait two days before cats walk on the floors. Dogs should stay off the hardwood floors for a bit longer.

There are a couple different options you could choose. Most of our customers use other parts of their home – areas that may have tile or carpet. Sometimes, customers move it to the basement or garage. A few of our customers use a storage container (such as PODS).

The water-based products we use have hardly any smell to them at all.

We use the latest advancement in dust containment technology machines, which provides 99% evacuation of dust from the entire floor sanding process. We invested thousands of dollars to make sure our equipment meets your needs.

We come across this often. If you have some areas that have pet stains or water damage (i.e. they have turned black), then the best thing to do is replace those hardwood boards and weave in.
If you have oak flooring, it’s important to match the species of oak as well as grade. From there, after we sand and refinish, the floors should integrate well and look seamless. This does cost a bit extra for labor and materials, but it is usually the better way to go (unless you hardwood is very old and/or very difficult to match). Alternatively, you could choose a darker stain to cover up the darker portions of the hardwood.

See above…this is usually very solvable as we can usually weave in additional wood, especially if you have oak flooring.

Anyone who has experienced the pollution created by conventional hardwood sanding knows the answer to this question. Dustless sanding provides a healthy, clean, efficient and revolutionary alternative for home and property owners.

No. Just like most other products, there is a great deal of difference between finishes. There are several that produce good results, but contain very large amounts of toxic chemicals. There are very few manufacturers that seem to have made a genuine effort to be health conscious, environmentally responsible, and produce a durable, high quality product.

We use the safest finishes in the flooring industry.

To get the best results when restoring your floors, we make sure to use the best products, such as Pallmann and Bona HD products which strive to produce the next generation of waterborne sealers and finishes that meet or exceed environmental standards. The stains and finishes from those brands are water based and low VOC (Volatile organic compound), so are virtually odorless and are safe for you and your family.

Yes, you can go from light to dark, or dark to light or anywhere in between. We can easily change the stain color. When refinishing the floors, wood flooring will be sanded down to the natural wood color allowing you to choose whatever stain color will work best for you.

A screen and recoat is synonym for floor buffing. It’s a non-invasive method where you buff/abrade the hardwood floors so that you can add an extra coat of polyurethane. It allows you to add sheen to floor and an extra layer of protection. It works if your floors are in good condition from a color perspective. It will not solve scratches through the color, but if your floors are in good shape, it will protect the color longer. It’s an affordable cosmetic maintenance method that isn’t messy. You have the option of making the floors shinier or less shiny – you can choose from matte, satin, semi-gloss or glossy finishes.