After you are done refinishing your hardwood floors, you must wait before walking or putting furniture onto the flooring. You should wait at least 24 hours before walking on the floors with no shoes on. If you have a dog, try to keep them off the floors for at least 24 hours, too.
5 days is more ideal! As with oil based poly, do not allow pets (especially dogs) onto a floor newly treated with a water based poly for at least one week after completion. There is one water based product on the market that fully dries and cures in 24 hours… e.g., safe for furniture, normal traffic, etc.
We recommend waiting a minimum of 24 hours before you walk on your floors– and 48 hours is even better. Start with socks only and keep pets off the floors for a few days. Wait at least two days for water-based finishes and four days for oil-based finishes before carefully putting furniture and back into the room.
For oil-based polyurethane, it can take up to 24-48 hours for the finish to dry and up to 72 hours for the fumes to dissipate completely. Therefore, it is recommended that you stay out of your home for at least 72 hours after applying an oil-based polyurethane finish.
The floor may be walked on after 24 hours, but remains susceptible to scuffing or marring until completely cured. Furniture can be moved back in carefully after 3 days. Do not replace area rugs until the floor has fully cured – 7 days.
Even if it's not causing migraines, it's still uncomfortable to live in a house where the floor is being refinished and there are strong odors in the air. If yours is a professional space, it can compromise work quality and work productivity of the employees as well.
The reason for waiting seven days to put your rugs back in place is that both film and hard-wax finishes need air to cure (this is different from drying). Putting your rugs back down early will lock the moisture into the finish, preventing it from hardening, and can have some undesirable results.
If you have hardwood floors that are simply scratched or faded due to time and wear and tear, refinishing can deliver a huge return on your investment. In fact, you can expect to recover 100% of the cost you spent on refinishing them.
Q: When can we walk on the floors? A: It is recommended to stay off the floors for up to 24 hours after the final coat is applied to the floors. For the first 48 hours we recommend that you wear socks only, no shoes or bare feet.
If you are in the market to have your hardwood floors refinished this summer, then you might want to consider having it done while you are on vacation. Better yet, use your need for refinishing as an excuse to go on vacation!
Dog urine can cause damage to your hardwood flooring, whether it is sealed or unsealed. If it leaks down into the subfloor, then it can cause even more damage and cause the subfloor to break down, which is never good.
Question – What is Polyurethane foam and why does it pose a risk to my dog's health? Polyurethane foam is cheap foam stuffed with highly toxic chemicals. The toxins are extremely unsafe to our dogs and they cause many proven health risks.
Many dogs struggle to walk on hardwood floors either because they don't have enough paw traction or simply because their ancestors never had to walk on them. Of course, shiny household floors didn't exist before dogs were domesticated.
Budget. Generally speaking, it is almost always less expensive to refinish your hardwood floors than to replace them.
Wood floors are one of the best investments you can make. They're durable, versatile, and most buyers love them. According to real estate experts, the average ROI for installing hardwood floors is about 70% to 80%, and wood floors can boost the sales price of your home as much as 2.5%.
How often can I refinish my floors? Depending on a floor's thickness and the experience of the flooring professional, a floor can be sanded around 4-6 times in its entire life. Hardwood floors can be refinished every 7-10 years, making the 4-6 refinishes more than enough.
As a rule of thumb, the more you wait, the better. 48 hours are generally enough to let the refinished floors dry and then move the furniture back in place. Very important: Never slide or scoot furniture across your hardwood floors! It would be a shame if you just refinished your floors and immediately scratched them.
Refinishing hardwood floors increases your home's value tenfold. It could very well be one of the best decisions you can make for yourself. If you want to sell your home, then consider refinishing the hardwood floors or installing new ones.
Floor resurfacing involves applying a new layer of material on top of your existing flooring, while refinishing involves sanding down the surface of your floors and applying a new stain or finish.
Natural rubber is safe to use on hardwood floors. A rug with plastic or artificial rubber backing contains glue or adhesives, and unfortunately these are harsh on hardwood floors. They can scratch and ruin the wood, incurring damage costs.
If your wood floors extend into multiple rooms, then just refinishing one room will impact the appearance of your completed project. Your floors won't be uniform, which can take away from your home's appeal and even its value.
The curing process takes approximately 3 days (80% cured after 1 day, 100% after 3 days). The floor may be walked on after 24 hours but remains susceptible to scuffing or marring until completely cured. Do not replace area rugs until the floor has fully cured.
The U.S. Green Building Council reports off-gassing of oil-based finishes can last for months or even years. Some lower-VOC, water-based products largely finish off-gassing within a few days." Still, "largely" finished means they're still off-gassing those toxic VOCs for who knows how long.