So we FINALLY bought our first home last Wednesday and planning several remodels, which one of them is fixing up the hardwood floors before we move in. I've been doing A LOT of research and reading, and I think I have a good basic understanding of the whole process, but I just want to make sure I'm not mis-understanding something or leaving a step out, so here it is and correct me wherever I am wrong.


The difference between re-finishing and screening/buffing & re-coat is: Re-finishing you are actually sanding down to the wood and leveling it out, getting rid of bumps, getting rid of scratches, etc. Then you stain it with whatever color/tint you want, then after it dries and cures you put a layer or two of clear coat to protect the floor. Screening/buffing and re-coating the floor you are just lightly sanding the clear coat off to expose the wood, then applying a new clear coat.

Did I get those two processes correct?


I'm thinking all we need is a screening/buffing and re-coat. The floors are in pretty good shape, and not really and scratches or gouges in it. I have a few questions on this process though:

1. Do you have to sand all the way down to expose the wood throughout the floor, or do you just have to rough up the topcoat a bit for the new clear coat to adhere?

2. Is it very important to match the new clear coat with the old, ie oil vs water based? I want to use a water based for less VOC and toxins, but I'm assuming (any good way to tell?) the existing is an oil based.

3. Is this a good floor sander to use? http://homedepotrents.com/diyTools/floo ... uff_sander


Last question: Does anyone have any reviews for a zero VOC and zero toxin floor finish? So far I've found several, but the only ones I can get locally are Bona (MyBonaHome.com) and AFM Safecoat (AFMSafecoat.com). Leaning towards the Safecoat DuroStain as the stainer and Safecoat Polyureseal BP as the sealer but I can't find any reviews anywhere.



Thanks for any info you can provide!

You sounds like you understand the different processes. Buff and recoat will not remove scrathes that are deeper than the top finish layer. The buffer that you included the link to is exactly what you should use if recoating. These square buffers are much easier to use than the orbital type for those without prior experience. I would use 220 sanding screens on the buffer. With recoating you are not trying to take off the finish, just roughing it up and buffing out scratches. You can put a waterbased finish on top of the existing finish. However, I would suggest using a sanding sealer for the first coat to make sure ithe finish will bond. I prefer Bona traffic. Traffic is not 0 voc, but it is low. Rubio monocoat is a pretty good 0 voc product. However, I would not suggest using it if you are just recoating because I don't have experience with using it over other finishes.