Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Never Any Dust Left Behind

At Restoration Hardwood we know that no one likes to live in renovation mode. Having your hardwood floors refinished and looking wonderful only to have the rest of your house covered in dust that will take you months to find and clean up is frustrating to say the least. That is why we’ve invested in a dust free sanding system.

Rather than using canvas bags, which frequently develop holes and allow dust to escape, we use a high-powered vacuum system. These are used in conjunction with cyclonic separators and Hepa filters which make the process the best in the industry.

Many companies will charge extra for this service, we include it at no additional cost. We don’t believe in charging our customers extra for good service. If dust free sanding is available, it’s our responsibility to include it and our customers right to expect it on every job.

3 Step Process

1. First we hang plastic and seal off doorways trapping dust in the room that is being sanded.
2. Second we use the highly efficient Red Raider 220 volt vacuum system, which is augmented with cyclonic separators that effectively filter and remove all dust from your home.
3. Lastly we always wipe down all horizontal surfaces in and around the work area as a final guarantee that the sanding is dustless.

About Staining

Staining is only one part of the hardwood floor refinishing process, but it can have the biggest impact on the appearance of your floors. Staining is an excellent way to change the look of hardwood flooring without losing the natural beauty and character of the wood floors. When considering refinishing your floors, you may decide to restore them back to their natural state. In that case no stain would be needed since the sanding and finish coats will make your floors as good as new. In other cases staining is essential in order to drastically change the aesthetic feel in your home.

Custom Stains

Style changes. Fortunately wood flooring is always in style, whether yours are natural or stained a darker tone. Having said that, Interior Design trends will sometimes favour one end of the colour spectrum over another. If change is what your after than nothing adds more class, tradition or originality to your home than a custom stain to your hardwood floors. A custom stain allows you the flexibility of choosing tan, brown or other woodsy colors associated with hardwood or it can branch out to include deep reds or muted grays.

Staining Process

Now that you picked a color that works for you. What’s involved in changing your floor to that color? Unfortunately, unlike painting you cannot simply apply stain over the existing hardwood. Similar to the process of refinishing any hardwood floor, staining first calls for the removal of the existing finish on your floor. All traces of your old hardwood floor finish must be sanded off until you get down to the original wood grain. Following that an extensive and scrupulous sanding procedure must be followed. Once complete, the floors are ready to accept stain and the staining process can begin.

If you think you would be interested in getting a custom stain done on your floors give us a call and we would be more than happy to come by and help you pick out a stain that’s right for you.

Basic Coatings Streetshoe

This Waterborne finish is environmentally safe with low VOC’s, meaning you don’t have to necessarily vacate your home during refinishing. As the finish dries, water evaporates into the air leaving the protective polyurethane coating on the wood. Waterborne finishes are also non-yellowing and will not change colour over time. Available in gloss, semi-gloss, satin and matt.

• Water-Based Pros
• Lower VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds)
• Quick-drying which may shorten the process by up to 1 day
• Long-lasting and more durable than oil-based
• Does not yellow over time
• Less smell
• You may be able to stay in your home during the restoration process

• Water Based Cons
• Not as smooth as oil-based so you can feel more of the wood grain through the finish
• Slightly more expensive than oil-based
• Due to the quick-drying nature of the finish, some floor plans make it challenging to have a flawless finish

Woodline Polyurethane

A premium, oil-modified wood floor finish formulated for interior use on residential and commercial hardwood floors. Slightly amber in colour it enhances the natural tone of wood while providing a tough, protective coat Available in gloss, semi-gloss and satin.

• Oil Based Pros
• Thicker, smoother finish than water-based
• Slightly less expensive than water-based finish
• Ambers overtime for a warmer look
• The longer window for application means the finish will be very smooth every time

• Oil Based Cons
• Higher VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds)
• More smell
• Longer drying time
• Less durable than water based
• You will not be able to stay in your home during the restoration process

Step 1 – Preparation

Preparation is the starting point of every refinishing project for your hardwood floors. Before we get started we make sure that the room is completely empty and that the floors are free of any debris that might interfere with sanding process. The floor is then inspected to ensure that all nails are countersunk and that the floor contains no loose or damaged boards. Any loose or damaged boards will be re-nailed or replaced before sanding begins. The surrounding areas are then sealed off with plastic as an added precaution.

Step 2 – Sanding

Sanding is the next step. We start with the belt sander and edger typically using 36-60 grit sandpaper, depending on the condition of the floor. This will remove the existing finish. We then do a second sanding using 60-80 grit sandpaper. This finer grit sandpaper removes the coarse sanding marks left by the initial belt sanding. The floor is then vacuumed to remove dust that may have collected in nail holes. Once all dust has been removed and any exposed nail heads have been set (in the case of a top nailed floor), the entire floor is trowel filled with high quality commercial grade wood filler. The filler is applied by using a trowel that forces it into the cracks and nail holes and other areas that may be damaged. The floor than undergoes a 3rd and final sanding with belt sander and edger. The 100-120-grit paper takes off a very minimal amount of wood so the longevity of your floor is not really affected. We then bring in the buffer or orbital sander to give the floor a final polish.

Step 3 – Staining

Next, if you have chosen to stain your floor, we will “pop” the grain. This entails wetting the floor with water, which swells or opens the grain. This allows the wood to better absorb the pigment of the stain, adding depth and richness. The stain is generously applied and allowed to soak into the wood grain before the excess is removed. This process is carried out on our hands and knees using rags to apply and remove the stain. Although arduous, we find this method to produce the most consistent results.

Step 4 – Coating

Finally the Urethane finish coats of are applied. This is a 2-3 day process in itself, depending on whether an oil or water based finish is being applied.

Dust check, final inspection. We double-check that all horizontal surfaces within the working area are clean and that all waste has been removed. Our goal is that you won’t even know we were there except for the fact your hardwood floors have been transformed to your specifications and expectations.

1. How much does it cost to refinish hardwood?

The cost of refinishing hardwood floors is dependent on various factors. Most contractors work on a sq ft price, but just as a general guideline. The price per sq ft is adjusted according to the following criteria: What condition are the floors in now? What type of finish would you like to coat your floor with? Would you like to stain your hardwood floors a different color? What is the overall sq ft being sanded? What is the overall configuration of the floor? Open rooms or tight quarters? It is very difficult to quote a sq ft price before seeing the floor in question. To do so over the phone would mean giving a general “ballpark” estimate, which will most likely be inaccurate and therefore, in the end, be of no benefit to you. The best course is to have an on-site, comprehensive, accurate estimate.

2. Does refinishing hardwood create a lot of dust?

Yes. Refinishing hardwood floors creates an extraordinary amount of dust, the question is whether this dust is left behind on your furniture and walls. If the company you’re hiring employs a dust containment system this should not be an issue. We are employing the latest in dust containment methods and equipment to ensure that virtually 99 per cent of dust is contained during sanding. We also put up plastic and if possible use fans to exhaust what little dust may be present from the worksite. When all sanding is completed, we wipe down all horizontal surfaces within the working area as a final measure to ensure “dust-free” refinishing. The end result is “night and day” compared to sanders without dust containment. Dust-free refinishing does not apply to the cutting of wood required for repairs or new floors. We do attach vacuums to these saws when possible, to limit the amount of sawdust created by these tools. Dust containment is also limited when refinishing stairs, which is another reason we hang plastic to contain dust.

3. Are there any smells or fumes associated with refinishing hardwood?

Yes. There are always some fumes or smells associated with the coating of hardwood floors. If you choose to alter your floors appearance with stain, these are oil-based and therefore do have a smell to them. Even when using water-based Poly Urethanes, the first coat is usually an oil-based sealer. This gives the wood a richer look and serves to seal the grain from subsequent coats of water-based finish, which can raise the grain, giving the floor a slightly rough texture. I would compare it to having your residence painted with either an oil or water-based paint. There is an initial smell that soon dissipates over time.

4. How long does it take to refinish hardwood floors?

An average size floor of approximately 600-800 sq ft will typically take 3-5 days to complete. If the floor is in need of repair or being stained, this will add time to the job. If the water-based finish is being used this may make it possible to finish the job a day sooner as we can put two coats of finish on in one day as opposed to oil-based finish which can only have one coat per day applied.