Screen and Recoat in Cary, NC

Cary Hardwood Flooring does screen and recoat jobs on hardwood floors in homes across Cary. We lightly sand the worn top coat of finish and put a fresh clear coat over it, so the wood itself is never touched.

What a screen and recoat is

The screen we use is a sanding pad that looks like a fine mesh. We fit it under a slow, round floor buffer and run it over the whole floor, which roughs up the old finish just enough for the new coat to grip and takes off light scratches in the finish along the way.

Then we vacuum and wipe the floor clean and put on one fresh coat of clear finish. We leave your color as it is, since the stain sits under the finish and we never reach it.

When it works and when it doesn't

We suggest a screen and recoat when the finish is worn but still covers the wood, such as on a floor that looks dull in the walkways, has fine scratches from shoes or pets, or has lost its shine.

We won't use it on deep gouges, gray or dark spots where water got into the wood, or places where the finish has worn through to bare wood. For those, we'll tell you a full hardwood floor refinishing job is the better choice.

We test a small spot first. If a floor has been waxed or polished with a shine product, a new coat may not stick to it, and we'd rather find that out on a hidden corner than across your living room.

Dust and fumes

OSHA, the federal workplace safety agency, says wood dust becomes a possible health problem when sanding and cutting put wood particles into the air. Screening makes much less dust than a full sanding, but we still hook our buffer up to a vacuum and cover air vents in the rooms we work in.

The EPA says paints, varnishes and wax all contain organic solvents that can release chemicals into the air while they are used. Its advice is to make sure you have plenty of fresh air when using these products, and to keep them out of reach of children and pets. We'll talk with you about which finish we use and where your kids and pets can be while it goes on.

Finish rags and fire

The City of Cleveland Heights in Ohio says the most common type of fire that starts on its own comes from stain and oil soaked rags and brushes that are thrown out the wrong way, and it lists varnishes and polyurethane among these products. It says rags with these oil-based products give off their own heat as they dry, and if they are balled up or thrown in a trash can, they can get hot enough to catch fire with no spark at all.

So we never leave our finish rags in your house or garage. We take them away with us at the end of the day.

What changes the price

We price a screen and recoat for your house once we've looked at the floor, and you get that quote in writing.

We set our price by the size of the rooms, how much furniture needs moving, and whether there are stairs or tight corners to do by hand. We also count in any spot repairs to the finish before the new coat goes on.

What to get in writing

Ask for these in writing, whoever you hire:

• Which rooms get screened and recoated.
• The finish by name and its sheen, such as matte, satin or gloss.
• Whether a test spot is done first, and what happens if the new coat won't stick.
• Whether moving furniture out and back in is in the price.
• When you can walk on the floor and put the furniture back.

Questions about screen and recoat in Cary

Get a quote for a screen and recoat

Call us, or send the quote form with your ZIP code and the rooms you want done. We'll look at the floor, do a test spot, go through finish options with you, and give you a written quote. To see the other flooring work we do, go to the Cary Hardwood Flooring home page.