Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I get a Buff & Coat® on my wood floors? How do I know when it's time?
Hardwood floors are your homes greatest asset and it only makes since to protect them and keep them in good condition. Wood floors are easy to care for and with proper maintenance, they can last for hundreds of years. Maintaining the protective finish on your floors is the most important thing you can do to protect your floors and prevent the hassles and expense of sanding. Once the protective finish has worn away from the wood, what wears away next? Not only does a worn floor look bad, but, dirt will begin to be pushed into the wood grain causing stains and accelerating the damage -- cutting into the life of your floor.
The more damage your wood floor suffers, the more likely you will need to go through the ordeal of sanding to correct it. This is even worse if your floors are engineered or laminate, because (depending on the thickness of the wear layer) you may not even have the option to sand. If you keep up the protection on your floor this will not be an issue because with Buff & Coat® you can put off sanding indefinitely.
Buff & Coat® is maintenance for your wood floors. Our goal is that you never have to have your floors sanded again! Depending on the unique environment and traffic volume in your home, you can expect your new protective finish to last anywhere from 5 to 15 years. Years from now, if/when your floors start to show signs of wear, we can replace the top coat and keep your floors looking beautiful and easy to care for.
You should have our Buff & Coat® service performed whenever your floors begin to show issues like these:
- Dull sheen or cloudy
- Scuffs and scrapes that do not come up with cleaning
- Fine scratches associated with years of pet traffic and/or toys
- Wear through - most noticeable in high traffic areas (will discolor over time)
What happens during the Buff & Coat® Hardwood Floor Renewal?
To begin we clean the floor using a special solution to remove any waxes and oily residues that may be on the floor. We then lightly abrade your floors with our specially designed equipment that prevents dust in your home. This removes surface scratches and scuff marks and prepares the floor for a new coat of finish. Finally, we add a new protective finish coat that will make your floor look virtually new again.
What results can I expect from my Buff & Coat® Renewal?
The Buff and Coat Floor Renewal Process will bring back the beauty to your floors while addressing issues like:
- Restore the protection that wears away over time (especially in high traffic areas)
- Remove or mask scratches from pets, children, furniture, and general wear and tear
- Correct a cloudy or hazy appearance
- Fix a dull sheen or change the sheen altogether (for example, go from matte to gloss)
- Make your floors easy to care floor again
All this can be accomplished while leaving your home cleaner than when we arrive and usually in one day.
What will the Buff & Coat® process NOT do for my floors?
There are some things that the Buff and Coat process alone will not accomplish. If you have any of the following issues with your wood floors, we will discuss other options with you:
- Boards that are buckled or cupped
- Fading / bleaching from sun damage
- Stains such as where liquids have been for long periods (pet urine, roof leaks, planters)
- Color differences (usually due to excessive wear on exposed bare wood)
- Areas that are deeply scratched or severely damaged
How is Buff & Coat® different from traditional refinishing?
Traditional floor refinishing creates not only sawdust, but also millions of fine dust particles that cannot all be contained. This particulate can quickly fill a room and attaches to walls, trim, light fixtures, window blinds and on and on. Your furniture will need to be stored for at least a week and in most cases you will have to be out of your home for a few nights.
A typical sand and refinish job takes a full day to completely sand, longer for some jobs. Even if the floor is small enough to sand & stain on the first day, three additional days are needed (one for each polyurethane coat). This is a dusty, time consuming process that will leave you displaced for several days since you cannot walk on the floor during this time.
The Buff & Coat® process usually takes only one day. With Buff & Coat®, our dustless hardwood floor renewal system can provide a new protective coating without sanding your floor down to bare wood. Additionally, our top coat will cure harder and wear longer than the coatings used by most traditional refinishers.
How long will my newly refinished floor last?
Buff & Coat® uses commercial products, even on residential floors. Our products are rated highest in scratch and wear resistance compared to the other leading brands. Most flooring contractors use the cheapest products that will 'get the job done' when they sand a floor to maximize their profits. The Buff & Coat® finish is a much harder, more durable urethane finish that will stand up to scratches and general wear and tear better.
While our standard wood floor finish is commercial grade, we also offer a heavy duty finish. Ask about it if you are concerned about 'heavier than most' type of traffic and wear. While we usually use this product in restaurants and hotels, it can also be used in homes for an even harder wear layer.
Every floor is a unique with its own care and wear patterns. So, while we can’t say exactly how long our products will last on your floors, know that they are among the best on the market and should hold up much longer than what you had before.
When can I move furniture back onto the floor? Walk on it?
You can walk on your wood floors two to three hours after we have finished. Be gentle and avoid shoes until the finish can fully cure; but there is no need to stay at a hotel or with relatives. Don't place rugs for a week or two and we recommend waiting 24 hours before placing any furniture back on the floor.
How many of your team members will be in my house during the Buff & Coat® process?
Usually there are just one or two techs that will be working in your home, however depending on the size of the job, there could be three or four people working in your home.
Why is water based polyurethane better than oil based polyurethane for wood floor finishing?
There is a good bit of debate on which is better. It seems many ‘old school’ pros prefer to use what they have always used and of course there are some who will prefer oil based simply because it is cheaper and simple to use. Waterborne finishes in general may have gotten a bad reputation early on because there are those who sell cheap and inferior products and like any new technology, early versions can be far from perfect.
Over the last decade, finishes have evolved quite a bit. Modern waterborne technology shows better wear and chemical resistance than oil modified polyurethane finishes. Our waterborne polyurethane is a much harder product. It dries much faster and has virtually no odor. Oil based products take much longer to dry and have a strong odor. They both do a great job of sealing the floor but our products do a much better job of protecting the floor.
Ultimately it is the homeowners choice and there are conditions where one type of product should be used rather than the other. We will discuss the differences with you as they relate to your wood floors and the work you are considering.
Why should I choose Buff & Coat® over your competition?
Buff & Coat® was born out of decades of wood floor experience and research. Our proven system works with site finished as well as pre-finished wood flooring. That means whatever kind of floor you have whether it is cork, bamboo, engineered or hand scraped we can help you with them. There are companies out there that claim to enhance wood floors without sanding, but they use products that are designed for cabinets that they adapt to use on floors. We are your wood flooring specialists and our products and techniques have been designed and refined to support our promise of giving you great looking floors that can last a lifetime, without the hassle.