Finishing

finished flooring | Anderson Hardwood Floors

Only the finest water and oil based polyurethanes are used at Anderson’s. This assures endurance and beauty for your wood floor.

If we are finishing with water-borne finish, once the sealer is dry, we will apply the second coat of finish. We will arrive the next morning, buff, vacuum, and tack the floor before applying the third and final coat. Light foot traffic is allowed 4–6 hours after the final coat is applied.

If you choose an oil-modified polyurethane, the drying time is 8–10 hours between coats and generally extends the process by 1 day.

Bona is our choice for fine finishing results. It is a family-owned Swedish company that started in 1919. They supply us with everything from sealers, floor stain, finishes, and cleaning products to sanding machines. We are positive that when you choose Bona finishes, you will be happy with the results.

Protect Your Floor

Felt pads are recommended for all furniture that will be on the floor; this includes chairs and bar stools.

Refinishing

Baseboards/Base shoe

Before the hardwood floors can be refinished, you may need to prepare your home by removing the baseboard and all furniture and appliances. We can help you relocate your fridge to a place where it can be plugged in, but your stove will not be able to be used while we refinish your floors.

Repairs

Sometimes in older homes it is necessary to replace or weave in new wood to the existing hardwood due to water damage, pet stains, or areas where previous cold air returns were located. Most times, these repairs are unnoticeable.

Plastic Off Areas

Before the sanding begins, we will plastic off areas of the house that are not being refinished. This plastic barrier helps to protect against dust.

Sanding

Sanding hardwood floors for refinishing involves numerous steps. The sanders start with a more aggressive sandpaper to remove old finish and debris, then they make several additional cuts with the sanders at higher grits to produce a smooth, even surface.

Depending on the size of the area you are refinishing, this process can take one day or multiple days. We follow National Wood Flooring Associations sanding guidelines with each step for the best results. The final step is to vacuum and dry tack the wood in preparation for coating.

Coating

Anderson Hardwood Floors offers both water-borne and oil-modified urethanes. The process and schedule for applying finish vary based on the product you’ve chosen and the manufacture’s dry time. Some products allow you to walk on your hardwoods by the end of the day, while others require you to be completely off the wood areas throughout all the coating steps. Pets need to be off the floor during the coating, regardless of finish choice. We will provide you with a schedule for your project so you will know when you can and cannot be on the finish.

Putting Your House Back Together

After the final coat, we can help put your house back together. All existing base or new base shoe will be installed. You will be responsible for the final fill and touch–up of all trim work.

To complete your hardwood floor project, we may have removed your toilet, pedestal sink, or dishwasher. If so, you’ll need a plumber to reinstall these items as our insurance does not cover the installation of plumbing. But we’re happy to arrange a plumber for you, and you will be billed directly by them for their service.

Protecting your Hardwood Floor

Protecting your newly refinished hardwood floors is the most critical component to keeping your investment looking new. We recommend you put felt pads on all furniture including chairs, bar stools and ottomans.

Rugs should be left off the hardwood until the finish has had a chance to completely cure. The waiting period is 72 hours (about 3 days) to three weeks depending on the finish used.

Maintaining Your Hardwood Floors

We recommend you have your floors buffed and re-coated occasionally to maintain the integrity of your finish. Keeping up with regular maintenance will prevent the need to refinish your floors again. The frequency you’ll need to do this will depend on your lifestyle, pets, children, and other factors. Some people need this done in 4–6 years, while others can wait 6–8 years.

All furniture must be removed from the hardwood areas for this process, but we won’t need to remove trim or appliances. In most cases, you can be on the floor later that night or the next day. You can contact us to set up a time for us to come out and assess your need for this service.