Hardwood questions, answered straight.

How long does it take to refinish hardwood floors?

Refinishing 1,000 square feet takes us 4 to 5 days start to finish. Sanding is one to two days. Each coat of finish then has to dry before the next goes on, which is what sets the schedule — not the sanding.

You can walk on it in socks after about 24 hours. Wait 5 to 7 days before you move furniture back, and wait 30 days before you put area rugs down so the finish can fully cure underneath.

How long does a new hardwood floor installation take?

A 1,000 square foot installation takes us 3 to 5 days once the wood has acclimated. Add sanding and finishing if the floor is unfinished, which puts most whole-floor projects at 7 to 10 days total.

Acclimation happens before that clock starts. Your wood sits in your house for several days first, which is the step that keeps it from gapping later.

Do I have to move out during the work?

Most of our customers stay in the house. We work room by room and seal off the areas we are not touching, so you keep a kitchen and a bedroom.

The exception is a whole-house refinish with oil-based finish — the odor is strong for two to three days. If that is the plan and you have small children, pets, or anyone with asthma, we will tell you straight that a few nights elsewhere is the better call.

What do I need to do before you arrive?

Clear the furniture, take everything off the walls in the work area, and pull up any rugs. We handle floor protection for the path in and out.

Leave the closets — we will tell you on the estimate visit whether we are refinishing inside them. If moving heavy pieces is a problem, say so when you call and we will build it into the estimate.

Oil-based or water-based polyurethane — which should I choose?

Water-based finish dries clear, cures faster, and has far less odor, so you get your rooms back sooner. Oil-based ambers over time and adds warmth to oak, and it costs slightly less. Both are durable when they go on correctly.

We recommend water-based for white oak and for anyone living in the house during the job. We recommend oil-based on red oak when you actually want that amber tone.

Solid or engineered hardwood — which is right for a Georgia home?

Solid hardwood is right above a crawlspace or a wood subfloor, and it can be refinished many times over its life. Engineered wood is right over a concrete slab or radiant heat, because it moves far less when humidity swings.

Georgia humidity is the deciding factor more often than budget. A solid floor glued to a slab in this climate is how you end up with cupping.

What is the best wood species for a Georgia home?

White oak is what we install most. It is hard, it takes stain evenly, its closed grain resists moisture better than red oak, and it suits both modern and traditional houses.

Red oak costs less and has a pinker cast with stronger grain. Hickory is harder still and good with dogs and kids, but its color variation is dramatic and not everyone wants it. Walnut is beautiful and soft — we will say so before you put it in a mudroom.

How wide should my planks be?

Wider planks read as more current, and 5 to 7 inch boards are what most of our customers ask for now. Narrower 2¼ inch strip is the traditional look and it is more forgiving of humidity movement.

Above a crawlspace in Georgia we cap solid wood at 5 inches. Beyond that, seasonal gaps get visible. If you want 8 inch boards, engineered is the way to get them without the movement.

Should I refinish my floors or replace them?

Refinish when the floor is solid hardwood with at least 3/32 inch of wood above the tongue. It costs less than replacement and the wood is already there. Replace when boards are cupped past what sanding can flatten, water-damaged through, or sanded so thin the nail heads show.

We check thickness at a floor vent or a doorway on the first visit and tell you which situation you are in. We will talk you out of a replacement you do not need.

Can pet stains and water damage be sanded out?

Surface scratches and light graying sand out completely. Dark pet stains usually do not — urine soaks through the finish into the wood fiber and often into the subfloor, and sanding rarely reaches the bottom of it.

For those we replace the affected boards and blend them in before refinishing the whole floor. That is a normal repair, not a reason to redo the house.

How many times can a hardwood floor be refinished?

A ¾ inch solid hardwood floor can typically be sanded and refinished 5 to 7 times across its life, because each full sanding removes roughly 1/32 inch of wood. That is 80 years or more of normal use.

Engineered wood depends entirely on its wear layer. A 2mm layer might take one sanding; a 6mm layer might take two or three. We measure it before we quote a refinish on engineered.

What is a screen and recoat, and do I need one?

A screen and recoat abrades the existing finish and adds a fresh topcoat — no sanding to bare wood. It takes a day and costs a fraction of a full refinish.

It works when the finish is worn but the wood underneath is not damaged or grayed. Once there are scratches down into the wood, or gray or black spots, screening will not fix it and you need a full sand.

What should I ask a hardwood flooring contractor before hiring them?

Ask these five, and ask us the same ones:

• Who is actually on the job — employees or a subcontracted crew you have not met?
• Is the estimate line-itemed by species, finish, and square footage, or is it one number?
• What is the plan for dust containment, and what gets sealed off?
• How is subfloor flatness checked before installation, and what happens if it is out?
• Who walks the finished floor with me, and what happens if I am not satisfied?

A contractor who cannot answer the subfloor question specifically is telling you something.

Why is the cheapest flooring quote usually the most expensive?

Low quotes get to their number by removing steps you cannot see — skipping subfloor flatness work, cutting acclimation short, applying two coats instead of three, or covering transitions with T-molding instead of scribing them.

None of that shows on day one. It shows in year two as cupping, gaps, peeling finish, or a floor that has to be redone. The second refinish costs more than doing it right the first time.

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes. We are licensed and insured, and we carry LOBA-Wakol Connected Systems certification, which means the adhesive, sealer, and topcoat we use are approved to work together as one warranted system. We work to NWFA-aligned standards.

Ask any contractor for proof of insurance before work starts, including us. A contractor who hesitates is not one you want in your house.

Do you subcontract the work?

No. Christian Rus, our owner, runs the jobs and does the final walk-through on every one. That is the reason we cap our service area at Metro Atlanta and take a limited number of jobs a month.

You will not meet a salesman on the estimate and a different crew on install day.

What areas around Atlanta do you serve?

We work in Metro Atlanta only: Atlanta, Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Marietta, East Cobb, Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek, Duluth, Decatur, Smyrna, Vinings, and Peachtree Corners.

We are not a statewide company and we do not want to be. Staying inside this radius is what lets Christian make it to every walk-through.

Why do hardwood floors gap in winter in Georgia homes?

Indoor humidity drops when heating runs, wood gives up moisture, and boards shrink — so thin gaps open at the seams. They usually close on their own by late spring. This is normal seasonal movement, not a defect.

What is not normal is gaps wide enough to catch a coin, which usually means the wood was installed without proper acclimation. Keeping indoor humidity between 35% and 55% year round keeps the movement small.

Can hardwood go over a concrete slab in Georgia?

Yes, but engineered wood, not solid. We test the slab for moisture first, then glue down engineered planks over an appropriate moisture barrier.

Slab moisture is the thing that ruins these installs. In this climate a slab can read acceptable in October and fail in July, so we test rather than assume.

What about crawlspace homes — anything different?

A lot of older Atlanta houses sit on crawlspaces, and the crawlspace drives the floor above it. If it is damp and unvented, that moisture goes into your subfloor and then into your wood.

We check crawlspace conditions and subfloor moisture content before we install. If the readings are off, we will tell you the crawlspace needs addressing first — even though that is not work we are selling you.