What is included
A scope built around the room.
- 01Full sand and refinish
- 02Screen and recoat
- 03Stain sampling on your floor
- 04Waterborne and oil-modified finishes
- 05Board replacement and patching
- 06Dust-controlled sanding equipment
Recoat, refinish, or replace
Three different jobs get called refinishing. A screen and recoat abrades the existing finish and adds a fresh coat, which works when the wear is in the finish and not the wood, and it is the cheapest and fastest option. A full sand removes finish and a thin layer of wood, which is what deep scratches, pet damage, water marks and a colour change require. Replacement is the answer when boards are cupped beyond flattening, the tongue is compromised, or a floor has already been sanded to the top of the fasteners. We check thickness and tell you which of the three you are actually buying.
How many times a floor can be sanded
Solid three quarter inch hardwood has enough material above the tongue for several sandings across its life, which is why century Toronto homes still have original floors. Engineered flooring depends entirely on its wear layer: a thick sawn layer can be sanded, a thin veneer cannot be sanded at all without going through it. We measure at a vent, a threshold or a removed board rather than guessing, because sanding through a veneer is not a repairable mistake.
Colour is chosen on your floor, not a showroom sample
The same stain looks different on red oak, white oak, maple and fir, and different again under your light. We sand test patches on your own floor and apply the shortlisted colours there so you decide on the real thing. Maple and birch are dense and blotch easily, so they often need a different approach or look better with a clear finish. Popular Toronto choices right now sit in the natural, matte and lightly whitewashed range, but the floor you have will narrow the list faster than any trend.
Dust, fumes and living in the house
Modern sanding runs through dust containment equipment, which removes most of the airborne dust but not all of it, so we still seal openings and protect what stays in the home. Waterborne finishes have far lower odour and cure faster, which is why they suit occupied homes, condos and families with pets. Oil-modified polyurethane ambers over time, costs less and smells strongly for days. We tell you the realistic timeline for walking on it, returning furniture and putting area rugs back down, and the last one is always later than people expect.
Repairs are part of refinishing
Sanding exposes everything: cut-outs from a removed wall, a patch where a register was moved, water damage at a door, split boards under a fridge. Weaving in replacement boards so the repair disappears takes matching species, grade, width and thickness, and it is done before sanding so the whole floor takes finish as one surface. We flag known repairs in the quote and photograph anything found once the old finish is off, before we carry on.
Standards and references
Where we cover
Refinishing across the GTA.
Questions