The service
What a hardwood floor buff and recoat is
Last updated · FloorIt
A buff and recoat screens the worn clear finish on a hardwood floor and rolls on a fresh coat, in about 3 hours and without sanding. A hardwood floor has two parts: the wood, and the clear finish that protects it. In most homes the wood is fine and the finish is worn, and a recoat replaces the worn finish without touching the wood.
How the job is done
- Check the floor. Hardwood or LVP, finish still on it, no wax or problem cleaners
- Screen the old finish. A buffer dulls the old coat so the new one can grip
- Vacuum and tack. Until the floor is spotless
- Roll on the finish. A two-part, water-based urethane, with a roller on a pole
- Walk through it. Show the homeowner the floor, go over care, and take payment
One person can do an average home in about 3 hours. It works on solid hardwood, engineered and factory-prefinished floors, and on LVP (test a spot first). It is not for laminate, sheet vinyl or painted floors.
How soon the family can use the floor
- 24 hours
- Walk on it in socks
- About 3 days
- Furniture back
- About 7 days
- Fully cured, rugs back
The family stays home the whole time. There's no sanding dust to clean out of the vents, and no week in a hotel.
Recoat vs. sand and refinish
What it fixes, and what it doesn't
- Fixes: brings back the shine
- Fixes: evens out dull traffic lanes
- Fixes: blends in light scratches in the finish
- Fixes: adds years of protection
- Doesn't fix: scratches that go into the wood
- Doesn't fix: bare gray spots or pet stains in the wood
- Doesn't fix: the color. A recoat can't change it
Those floors need a full sand, and we teach you to say so up front.
The finish
The finish is a two-part, water-based urethane, made under the FloorIt label in Cabot, Arkansas. Part A is the finish, and Part B is a hardener you mix in on the job. It hardens chemically and bonds to the screened floor, so it becomes part of the old finish instead of sitting on top. It stays clear and won't yellow, it cleans up with water, and the odor is mild.
That's the difference from the store. Polish is a film that sits on top and peels. One-part poly has no hardener, so it stays softer and chips.
Why it sells
Homeowners commonly pay $1.50 to $3 a square foot for a recoat, against $3 to $8 for a full sand and refinish. It's done in an afternoon, and the family stays home. Every happy customer is also a referral to the neighbors.
Most homeowners have only heard of a full sand or new floors. When they learn they can have the shine back by dinner, without moving out, the choice is easy. Your job at the estimate is to check the floor honestly and explain the options.
Every customer goes on a yearly maintenance plan, so every happy customer is a future job.
Keep reading
- Recoat vs. sand vs. replace: Recoat, sand and refinish, or replace a worn hardwood floor? Prices per square foot, days of disruption, how much wood each uses up, and what the NWFA recommends.
- What is FloorIt: FloorIt helps people start their own hardwood floor recoat business: built in your name, with training, equipment and your first 50 leads. Here is how it works.
- Is it worth it: Honest numbers on a hardwood floor recoat business: what one job is worth, what it costs, what the first months really look like, and what we'll never promise.
- How it works: The FloorIt process step by step: apply, check your area, the partnership call, your business built in about 14 days, training, equipment and your first leads.