Prefinished floors

Some wood floors are finished on site. The boards go in bare, and then the floor is sanded and coated in the house. Prefinished floors are different. The boards arrive with the finish already on, and the installer just puts them down.

You can often spot a prefinished floor by the small grooves between the boards. The edges of each board are slightly rounded, called a bevel, so there is a tiny V at every seam. Site-finished floors usually look flat and smooth from board to board.

Many prefinished floors use a factory finish with aluminum oxide in it. It is very hard and resists scratches well. That is good for the homeowner, but it also makes it harder for a new coat to grip. So a prefinished floor needs a careful check before you agree to recoat it.

The same rules still apply. The floor has to be real wood with finish still on it, with no wax or problem cleaners. If you are not sure about a floor, take clear photos in good light and send them to the flooring company FloorIt partners with. They will tell you the product and the steps, or tell you to pass on the job.

Saying no to the wrong floor is part of doing the work well. A coat that does not hold costs you the customer and the referral.

No, you don't need flooring experience to start a recoat business with FloorIt. What the training covers, what the job takes, and the floors to walk away from.