Services
Floor Sanding and Refinishing in New Orleans
We do floor sanding and refinishing in New Orleans homes and businesses. We take worn wood floors back to bare wood and build new stain and finish on top. If the finish is only dull and still intact, a screen and recoat may be all the floor needs, and we check which one fits before we quote.
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Full sand or screen and recoat: which does your floor need?
This page is for owners of solid or engineered wood floors that have gone scratched or gray. It explains the difference between a full sand and a screen and recoat, how the job runs, and what our humidity and older houses add to it. For stain colors, sheens and finish choices, see our hardwood floor refinishing page.
The two jobs look alike from the doorway but solve different problems. Here's how to tell them apart.
Screen and recoat
The National Wood Flooring Association calls this a maintenance coat: the existing finish is cleaned, lightly sanded and given a fresh coat of finish. It suits a floor whose finish is dull but still intact, and the color stays as it is.
Full sand
NWFA recommends a complete sand and refinish when the floor has deep scratches, dents or other damage. It's also the route to a new stain color, since the old finish has to come off first.
How many times can a floor be sanded?
There's no fixed number. NWFA says it depends on the thickness of the wear layer, the flatness and condition of the floor, and the skill and equipment of whoever sands it. Engineered wood can only be sanded as far as its wear layer allows, so we check that first; see our engineered wood page.
Laminate, vinyl and factory-finished floors
Check the product's install guide before anything abrasive touches it. We follow what the maker says.
When neither fits yet
Cupped, loose or water-damaged boards go to flooring repair first. Sanding over the damage only hides it for a while.
Built for New Orleans
How a full sand runs, step by step
Here's the sequence for a typical full sand and refinish.
Walkthrough and moisture check
We look for loose boards and raised nail heads, check moisture and plan which rooms you'll lose and for how long.
Sanding passes
Coarse to fine passes with a large sander, then the edges and corners with smaller machines and hand work.
Dust control
The floor is vacuumed and tacked between each stage so dust doesn't end up sealed into the finish.
Stain and finish
Stain is optional, and finish coats go on after it. NWFA notes that water-based finishes are normally clear and dry quickly.
Drying time
NWFA says a finish applied on site needs drying time during which you can't walk on the floor, so we plan the order of rooms around it.
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How it works
Floor sanding and refinishing in New Orleans: humidity and older homes
Our climate and our housing stock both change how a sanding job is planned.