Bring a worn hardwood floor back.

Refinish or replace?

Scratches, gray traffic lanes, pet marks, and a finish that has gone dull or orange are usually surface problems. Under the worn coating there is often plenty of good wood. Keeping it means keeping an original part of the house, and it spares you the demolition and disposal that come with tearing a floor out.

Replacement starts to make sense when boards are badly damaged across a large area, when the floor has been sanded so many times that little wood remains above the tongue, or when the floor is not really solid wood at all. Thin engineered veneers and laminate cannot be sanded the same way. If you are unsure what you have, a photo of a floor vent or an exposed edge usually answers the question.

What a hard refinish means

A hard refinish removes the old finish and the top of the worn wood by sanding, then rebuilds the surface with new coats of finish. It is the step that deals with deep wear, discoloration, and scratches that have gone past the coating. It is also the point where a floor can change color, since bare wood will accept a new stain.

It is different from a lighter maintenance coat, which only freshens the surface of a finish that is still sound. A floor with wear through to the wood generally needs the full treatment, because a new top coat will not hide damage below it.

Our sanding process

Everstrong sands with Lägler equipment — the Hummel belt sander for the main field and the Trio multi-disc for levelling and fine work — paired with a Bona dust containment vacuum system. The sanding stages themselves are not fixed: the grit sequence depends on the wood species, the condition of the existing floor, and which finish the project is going to receive. We determine the sequence after seeing the floor.

Dust control matters as much as the sanding. The vacuum system captures the great majority of airborne dust at the machine, but no sanding job is entirely dust free. Expect some fine dust to settle in the work area and adjacent rooms.

Stains and finishes

We work with Bona and DuraSeal products, and we also apply Swedish finish (acid-cured conversion varnish) for projects that need the hardest, most durable surface available.

The right combination depends on the look you want and how the room is used: with or without stain, with or without a sealer, and water-based, oil-based, or Swedish finish — in either a standard or a two-component formulation.

A note on Swedish finish: it produces the toughest and longest-lasting surface of the three, and it brings out depth and warmth in the grain that water-based finishes do not. The trade-off is the application. It has a strong odor during and after application, the house needs to be vacated while it cures, and the cure period is longer than with other finishes. If you are considering it, tell us early so we can plan the schedule around your living arrangements.

If your floor only needs refreshing rather than a full sand, a light recoat is an option: we buff the existing finish and apply a new coat of lacquer over it. This works only when the existing finish is still intact and has not worn through to bare wood.

What affects the result

Every old floor has a history. Previous sanding, past repairs, water stains, nail holes, and pet damage all affect how the wood will look once it is bare. Some marks come out completely. Deep stains may lighten but remain, and they are often easier to live with in a darker color. Species matters too, because oak, maple, and fir each take stain differently.

Timeline and drying

There is no single answer here, and any contractor who gives you one without seeing the floor is guessing. The schedule depends on the square footage, whether the floor is being stained, whether a sealer is used, and which finish goes on top — water-based finishes behave very differently from oil-based ones, and two-component and Swedish products differently again.

Ask us for the specific timeline for your project before you plan around the work. See the preparation guide for what to expect day by day.

How we price your project

Every project is quoted individually. We do not publish square-foot rates, because the real cost depends on things we can only assess properly on site: the condition of the existing floor, how much preparation or repair is needed, whether the floor has been sanded before, the species and the finish you want, and the layout of the rooms.

Send us the approximate square footage, the rooms involved, and a few photos — including the worst areas, not just the best ones. We will follow up with the questions we need answered and arrange to see the floor.

Tell us about your floor

Mention any stairs, pet stains, or water damage, and whether you would like to keep the current color or change it. Pick Hardwood refinishing as the flooring type in the form below, or call or text if that is easier.

If you know when the floor was last sanded, or suspect that it has been sanded several times, mention that too.