Floor polish

Many homeowners try to fix a dull floor themselves with a polish or restorer from the store. It looks good at first. The floor shines again.

The problem is what polish is. It is a film that sits on top of the floor. It does not bond to the finish below it. Over time it softens, scuffs and peels, and it has to be stripped off later. Some people put on coat after coat for years, and it builds up.

That matters a lot for a recoat. A new coat of finish has to bond to the old finish. It cannot bond through a layer of polish or wax. So a floor with wax on it, or years of store polish, is on the list of floors that need a full sand, not a recoat.

This is why the first step of every recoat job is to check the floor: real wood or LVP, finish still on it, and no wax or problem cleaners. Ask the homeowner what they have used on the floor. Look for a cloudy, uneven or peeling film.

Store one-part poly is a step up from polish, but it has no hardener, so it stays softer and chips. A two-part polyurethane, with a hardener mixed in on the job, hardens chemically and becomes part of the old finish. That is the kind of finish a homeowner should ask a recoat company about.

The equipment you need to recoat hardwood floors: a buffer (rent for about $40 a day), screens and pads, a shop vac, a roller and pole, and a two-part finish.