Hardwood floor recoating and maintenance:

While some floors need complete sanding, many can be refreshed by screening. A recoat is a thorough cleaning process that takes off the top coating of the finish but does not remove the wood. Then a new fresh coat of finish is applied.

Recoating is appropriate if the floor is only slightly scratched, the finish has not worn through, and it does not have a wax (or other chemical) build up that may cause problems with new finish adhesion.

Recoating is a simple, low-cost technique that will refresh your wood floor. The process will prolong the life of protective finish layers and decrease the number of times the floors have to be refinished.

The process Recoating a hardwood floor should not be confused with refinishing a hardwood floor. Refinishing hardwood floors involves extensively sanding the floor to expose the wood - necessary when there are deep scratches, damage, or if the floor has been waxed.