Screening Wood Floors

The screening technique of wooden floors revitalizes the pre-existing finish while eliminating the need and expense of refinishing. This option is suitable for floors that have lost their shine but are not seriously damaged. It can also fix minor scratches as long as the wood hasn’t been affected. In this procedure, the current finish is scrubbed with a mesh screen connected to a rotary polishing device, preparing the surface for a new finish layer. This new coating must blend well with the previous one to bond correctly. If you choose to tackle this process yourself, it’s recommended to seek advice from a wood-flooring expert to select the best polyurethane for your floor.

Screening is often called buffing, since the screening is done with a buffer. Screening both smooths the floors a bit, and the abrasive action allows the polyurethane to adhere to the surface better. The screen and recoat process can restore the glow of the floors and give them a refreshed look

 

 

So, every few years, well before the protective coat has grown too thin, you refresh it with another coat. The crucial word is “before;” you have to recoat a floor before you see damage, which is hard for some people because they think they’re leaving money on the table by top-coating what appears to be a perfectly good floor finish.

But polyurethane on floors is kind of like sunscreen on skin: not only do you need to put on a good thick layer before you expose it to the sun; you must re-apply it periodically because it wears off. Once sunburn begins to appear, it is too late to start applying protection. Protection is always less costly than the damage that results from not having it.