So, you just bought a new (to you) home and you want to keep those beautiful hardwood floors preserved as long as possible. Or maybe you’ve been in your home for years with your floors, and you want to make sure they are there for more years to come. Either way, you want to make a decision on how to do it.

We get it, it’s a big decision. But, luckily you’re doing your research ahead of time to plan for this, rather than going for it without a plan and then having to postpone your project even longer because you weren’t prepared.

You can do it yourself if you’re up for it, or you can have your floors refinished by a professional team with minimal interruption to your home. It really depends on what will work with your timeframe and budget.

So how long can you expect it to take to refinish your hardwood floors? The simple answer is, it depends. We know, not the answer you were looking for. 

You have a few things to consider:

• The age of the hardwood.

Newer hardwood floors will be easier to sand down, whereas older floors have had more time to harden, adhere to the sealant, and may have some damages that need to be repaired. So before you start, you need to consider how old your floors are, and what condition they are in to begin with.

• The size of the area.

Obviously the more hardwood flooring you are refinishing, the longer it will take. It is always a good idea to measure out how much total square footage you will be replacing. A general rule of thumb is that a team can sand anywhere between one thousand and two thousand square feet of hardwood per day.

• The type of finish you are putting on the floor.

Oil-Based polyurethanes can take twice as long to dry as water-based. If there is any stain going on the hardwood it can also add an extra day to the project. On average it can take three to five days for oil-based, and up to two days for water-based. There are other finishes that can be done on hardwood floors, but they require timelines unique to them.

There are also other little things to consider like, how much furniture you will have to keep moving, any damage spots in the floor that need to be repaired before the floors can be refinished, and all of the dust being cleaned up before the refinishing process can start.

All in all, it can be a big undertaking. But with some dedication and hardwork, you can have those beautiful refinished hardwood floors be in your home for years to come, looking good as new.