Can I re-coat my floor instead of re-sanding?
If your floor has not been waxed or oiled re-coating is a great option. It takes less time, is significantly less expensive than re-sanding and creates less of a mess. If you re-coat your floors every few years, before the finish has worn through, you will prolong the life of the surface of your floor and reduce the need for re-sanding.
More recoatings fail than any other process in hardwood floor work. The reason is always the same. Something prevents the new finish from adhering (bonding) to the old. This could be dirt, wax, oil or a hundred or so chemicals that finishes don’t like. A real professional tries to clean the floor with everything in the book before actually buffing (abrading) and refinishing. Seattle Floor Service first washes the floor with solvents. When this is completely dry we then buff the floor with a fine abrasive screen. This abrading process makes the floor surface rough so the new finish will adhere to the old finish.
