Floor-ology / Refinish Vs. Recoat

Refinish Vs. Recoat

What’s the difference between a refinish and a screen and coat?

It is important for our customers with hardwood floors to understand this so that the life of your floors can be extended.

Refinishing hardwood floors involves sanding and finishing the floor with multiple coats of finish over a series of days. When you sand a hardwood floor you actually go down to bare wood and take a small amount off the top.

Screen & Coat is a repeat of the process that is completed while applying the coats of finish to the hardwood. It is a screening (mild abrasion) of the topcoat of finish in preparation for a new layer of topcoat urethane. This process “renews” the top protective layer of finish. It will remove or minimize a lot of the fine scratches and wear which has taken place to your floor.

However, if improper cleaning solutions have been used (those with oil or waxes), the screen and coat will not bond to the existing finish. These oils or waxes act as a contaminate (sort of like spraying “Pam” on a pan), and it will not allow a bonding to the prior coats of finish. It is important to know what products are being used on your floors for cleaning. Contact us to find out what products are best for your floors.