Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Durham Region
Hardwood floor refinishing sands existing wood floors down to bare wood and applies new stain and protective coating, restoring worn or scratched flooring without replacing the boards. It's often paired with stair refinishing so the whole floor reads as one continuous colour.
What's included?
- Room-by-room condition assessment before sanding
- Sanding to bare wood across the full floor area
- Stain application, matched to adjoining stairs where applicable
- Protective topcoat and cure time
- Furniture moving and site protection coordination
Before & after
How does it work?
- 01
Assessment
We check board condition, gaps and any water damage across the floor before quoting the work.
- 02
Prep
Rooms are cleared and protected, and any loose or damaged boards are addressed first.
- 03
Sanding
Floors are sanded in stages from coarse to fine grit to remove the old finish and surface wear.
- 04
Stain and finish
New stain and protective topcoat are applied, with cure time before the floor is walkable.
What do clients say?
Durham Stairs — 5/5 on HomeStars · Read reviews on HomeStars
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Frequently asked questions
Can hardwood floors and stairs be refinished at the same time?
Yes, and it's the most common way to get a perfectly matched colour between the floor and the staircase, since both are sanded and stained in the same visit with the same materials rather than matched after the fact from a sample.
How many times can a hardwood floor be refinished?
It depends on the thickness of the wear layer above the tongue-and-groove joint — solid hardwood can typically be sanded several times over its life, while engineered hardwood has a thinner wear layer and can usually only be lightly sanded once or twice, if at all. We check this during the assessment before recommending a full sand.
Do all rooms need to be empty during refinishing?
Yes, sanding equipment needs a clear floor, so furniture has to be moved out of the rooms being refinished. We'll talk through the logistics — whether that's moving furniture to another room, a garage, or a pod — during the assessment.
How long until I can walk on refinished floors?
Light foot traffic is usually possible within a day or two after the final coat, but furniture and rugs need longer before going back to avoid marking the finish while it fully cures. We'll give you the exact schedule for the specific finish used on your job.
Can you fix squeaky floors during refinishing?
Sanding itself doesn't fix a squeak, which usually comes from subfloor movement rather than the finish, but refinishing is a good time to address it since the floor is already exposed. We'll flag squeaks we find during the assessment and can address the accessible ones as part of the same visit.
What's the difference between screening and a full sand-down?
Screening lightly abrades just the top coat so a new finish coat bonds to it — quick, but it only works if the existing finish and wood underneath are both in good shape with no deep scratches or wear-through. A full sand-down removes the finish entirely and takes the wood back to bare, which is what's needed once wear has gone through the finish into the wood itself. We'll tell you which your floors actually need, not default to the bigger job.