Our newly installed hard wood floors were recently finished with 3 water based coats (one coat of BonaSeal and 2 coats of Bona Mega Clear HD). We were not completely satisfied with the final product as it was not as smooth as we had hoped for. The floor contractor has offered us a third coat of finish which he said would solve the problem and is asking $1100 for approx. 1100 Sq. feet or about a $1 a square foot. Is this a fair price? How much will an extra coat of finish extend the life of the finish until we need a re-finish or a new top coat? Thanks in advance for your advice and insight!

This really depends on area of the country and going rates. We would generally charge slightly less but it depends on going rates in your area. Maybe call some local places and just ask them how much it would cost for a screen & recoat, and then you would get a more accurate picture.

Debbie Gartner aka The Flooring Girl
http://TheFlooringGirl.com
Westchester County NY

Depends on your local like Deb said. If your in CAlifornia or NYc then a buck a foot is right. If your were in East, Tn like me it would be closer to .50/.75 a foot. Now if your were in Chicago or Atlanta I hear they will do it for a days wage plus the cost of the finish.

Thank you for your advice. How much will an extra coat of finish extend the life of the finish until we need a re-finish or a new top coat? Is it worth it just on the durability factor alone?

your not adding any durability but your are buying some more wear out time. A third coat will give you a average 3-4 more years time before needing any attention

My first thought is that if the floor isn't smooth, then the company you hired might be skipping steps. Many contractors take advantage of customers by not buffing in between every coat.Instead they put multiple coats of water base down in the same day so they can get out of Dodge faster.

If I had done your job, I would have sealed on one day and then returned the next day and buffed ,vacuumed and re coated. Then I would do the final coat the next day after repeating the buffing process.

Normally, Mega should lay out almost as smooth as oil urethane and Bona Traffic or Basic Coating's Street Shoe should be every bit as smooth as oil .

Ask your flooring contractor how exactly he coated your floors but don't ask him if he buffed between every coat .Wait for him to offer that information.