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Chamberlin Flooring
Chamberlin Flooring

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Just looking dull

Buff and recoat for hardwood floors in Somerset, WI

When the shine is gone but the wood is fine, we buff the old finish and roll on a fresh coat. It’s the quickest, lowest-cost way to make a hardwood floor look cared for again.

Price a recoat(715) 954-7833
A fresh coat of finish going down on a maple floor
A fresh coat going down

The short answer

A buff and recoat, also called a screen and recoat, refreshes a hardwood floor without sanding it to bare wood. We lightly abrade the existing finish with a buffer, clean the floor and apply a fresh coat of finish. It brings back the shine and adds a new layer of protection, but it does not remove deep scratches or change the color.

What will it cost?

See a ballpark for your own floor in about a minute.

Answer four quick questions online. No one comes out unless you book it, and your exact price comes after a free in-home estimate.

Price a recoat

When a buff and recoat is enough

A recoat works when the finish is worn but still covering the wood.

  • The shine is gone in the paths you walk most
  • Light surface scratches that haven’t cut through to bare wood
  • The finish looks hazy or tired even right after cleaning
  • It’s been years since the floor was last finished and you want to protect it

When you need a full refinish instead

  • Gray or bare spots where the finish is worn through
  • Scratches you can catch a fingernail in
  • Pet stains or water marks in the wood
  • You want a different color

How we do it

Our process, step by step

  1. We check the old finish

    A recoat only works if the existing finish is sound and a new coat will stick to it. We look at that first, at the free estimate.

  2. We clean and buff

    The floor is cleaned, then buffed with an abrasive screen so the surface is dull and even.

  3. We vacuum everything

    Every bit of dust comes up before finish goes down, so the new coat dries smooth.

  4. We roll on fresh finish

    A new coat of finish goes over the whole floor, wall to wall, and then it dries.

From our jobs

See more of our work
  • An older maple floor with a worn, dull finish before a recoat
    Dull and worn, before
  • Fresh finish being applied across a maple floor
    Fresh finish going down
  • Red oak floor with a new glossy coat of finish
    The shine, back

Buff and recoat, explained

Recoat or full refinish?

The difference is how deep the work goes. A full refinish sands off everything down to raw wood, so it can remove damage and change the color. A recoat stays in the finish layer, so it can only renew what’s there.

A simple test: look at the worst spot in your busiest hallway. If the wood there is still the same color as the rest and just looks flat, a recoat will probably do it. If it looks gray, dark or bare, the finish is gone and the floor needs a refinish.

How often should hardwood be recoated?

There’s no fixed number. It depends on how hard the floor is used. A busy house with kids and dogs wears through finish much faster than a quiet one. The goal is to recoat before the wear reaches the wood, because once it does, a recoat can’t fix it.

Recoating on time is the cheapest way to own a hardwood floor. Each new coat pushes the next full sanding further into the future.

What a recoat can’t do

A recoat won’t take out deep scratches, dents or stains, and it won’t change the color. It also may not bond to floors that have been waxed or treated with polishes and oil soaps, which is why we check the old finish before we quote one.

If we get to your house and a recoat won’t give you a result we’d be proud of, we’ll say so and price a refinish instead.

What affects the price

A buff and recoat costs well under a full refinish, because nothing is sanded to bare wood. The size of the floor is the main factor, and stairs are priced by the step.

For a ballpark on your floor, answer four quick questions in our instant estimate.

Buff and recoat: common questions

Have one we didn’t cover? Call (715) 954-7833.

What is a buff and recoat?

A buff and recoat, also called a screen and recoat, is a refresh for hardwood floors that are dull but not damaged. The existing finish is lightly abraded with a buffer, the floor is cleaned and a fresh coat of finish is applied. Nothing is sanded down to bare wood.

Refinish or buff and recoat: which do I need?

If the finish is dull but the wood isn’t damaged, a buff and recoat usually does it. Scratches you can feel, gray or bare spots, or a color change mean a refinish. Not sure? We’ll tell you which it is when we see the floor.

Will a buff and recoat remove scratches?

It hides light surface scratches that sit in the finish. It will not remove scratches that cut into the wood, dents or stains. Those need a full sand and refinish.

How long does a buff and recoat take?

It’s the quickest job we do. Many floors are buffed and coated in a day, plus drying time before you walk on them. We confirm the timing for your floor at the estimate.

How much does a buff and recoat cost?

A buff and recoat is the lowest-cost way to renew a hardwood floor, well under the cost of a full refinish. The price depends mostly on the size of the floor. Our instant estimate gives you a ballpark for your own floor in about a minute, and your exact price comes after a free in-home estimate.

Related services

Where we offer buff and recoat

Anywhere within about 50 miles of Somerset, WI, on both sides of the St. Croix River. See the full service area.

See what your floors would cost.

Four quick questions. No one comes out unless you book it.

Get my price(715) 954-7833