There is a point when a hardwood floor stops responding to touch-ups and wants a proper reset. Maybe sunlight has bleached the planks under the windows, maybe pet scratches have made a gray halo at the entry, or maybe a previous owner tried a quick fix with a shiny poly that’s now peeling like old paint. Refinishing brings the wood back to life, but the best results start days before the crew carries in the sanders. Preparation shapes the job’s speed, safety, and the final look just as much as grit sequences and finish chemistry. After years working alongside hardwood floor specialists, through tidy bungalows and sprawling homes with four dog beds and two toddler gates, I’ve learned that a smart prep plan saves hours and preserves sanity.
This is Truman’s field-tested checklist for getting your home ready. It’s written from the perspective of what crews actually see and need on site — not a wish list, but a practical guide that keeps the work on schedule and the outcome predictable. Whether you’re already on the calendar with a hardwood floor refinishing company or just starting to search hardwood floor refinishing near me to vet your options, use this as your playbook.
Start with a walk-through: what your floor is trying to tell you
Before anyone unspools a cord, take ten minutes and walk every room that’s getting refinished. Look at light paths, thresholds, vents, and the bottoms of door casings. You’re not trying to diagnose like a contractor; you’re just capturing conditions that affect plans and expectations.
High-traffic lanes tend to show deeper abrasion while edges and under furniture may have richer color. That contrast can intensify after sanding if you’re changing stain color, so decide ahead whether you want uniformity across rooms or you’re comfortable with a subtle story in the grain. Note any previous repairs like face nails, patched boards, or transitions to tile that have a lip. Those are places the crew will feather carefully. Also check stairs; if they’re included, count them. I’ve seen jobs slip a day just because a client mentioned “a few steps” and we arrived to a 14-tread staircase with three landings.
Use blue tape to flag specific concerns: a popped board, a squeak by the fridge, a gap by the baseboard that collects grit. Crews can fix many of these on the fly with screws, adhesives, or wood flour filler, but knowing in advance helps allocate time and materials.
Empty the field: furniture, rugs, and the tricky things you forget
The fastest refinishes happen in clear spaces. Every piece you can remove reduces edge work and stops dust from settling on upholstered surfaces. Most clients handle furniture and rugs themselves or hire movers for a half day. A practical rule of thumb: if it fits through the door easily, move it out. What stays complicates sanding paths.
Aquariums, billiard tables, and full bookcases sit in a different category. I’ve watched a pool table warp when someone tried to slide it across an oak floor. If you have specialty items, schedule a pro to disassemble and re-level them. For grand pianos, a three-wheel piano dolly and blankets protect both the instrument and the floor. Even then, the piano should leave the work area.
Kitchen islands on casters, refrigerators, and ranges create tight spaces and drip risks. Plan now where appliances will live during the job and after. A standard French-door fridge weighs 250 to 350 pounds; when rolled, its tiny wheels can dent softer species like pine and cherry. Use rigid panels or moving boards to distribute weight, and never drag across bare wood once sanding starts. If a water line connects to your fridge, shut it off and cap the line to prevent drips on freshly finished planks. Minute water drips telegraph as white halos under oil-based poly and tacky spots under waterborne finishes.
Closets often get overlooked, yet they take time to empty when the crew is ready to sand. If the closet floor will be refinished, remove everything from the floor and the first shelf where dust tends to collect. Take down low-hanging garments so nothing touches the floor during coating. Clients who prep closets save a surprising amount of time.
Protecting what’s not getting refinished
Refinishing changes dust patterns. Modern vac-equipped machines pull in most sanding debris, but tiny particles find air currents. Good prep seals off adjacent rooms, HVAC, and possessions.
Airflow is the first thing to plan for. If your HVAC supply or return sits in a refinishing area, turn the system off during active sanding and apply magnetic or taped covers over vents. Running the system invites ultrafine dust into ductwork and redistributes it across the home, and you do not want that circulating into a freshly coated surface. If it’s a very hot or cold week, talk to your crew about a schedule that clusters sanding during off-peak hours with short bursts of climate control to keep the house within finish manufacturer specs. Most waterborne finishes like a room in the 60 to 75 degree range with relative humidity under 55 percent. Oil-modified polys have wider tolerances but cure slower in high humidity.
Doorways to rooms not being worked can be zippered with plastic. A painter’s tape perimeter with a center slit works fine for a few days, but a zippered barrier saves daily retaping. I keep rolls of low-tack tape for sensitive trim and use higher tack where the wall is durable. If you’re worried about paint pull, test a small section.
Electronics, art, and textiles appreciate a dust break even with vacuum sanding. Remove or cover TVs, speakers, and computers. Pull framed art from walls that meet the floor being sanded because vibrations can rattle nails loose. If you’ve ever seen the dust outline of a canvas when plastic shifts overnight, you learn to tape covers on the back too. Bedding and drapes can be bagged or moved to rooms far from the work.
Pet and kid logistics: less chaos, fewer paw prints
Pets and little ones love novelty, and refinishing unseats routines. Plan their week early. Dogs need a quiet place away from noise and fumes, and cats are Houdinis when a plastic barrier looks like a toy. The best setups I’ve seen: a trusted boarding option or a relative’s house for the most intense days, typically sanding day and the first coat day. If the job runs three to five days, you can often bring pets back after the final coat cures enough for light foot traffic, but only if there is a safe, non-finished path to food, water, and outside.
Child gates and strollers bump into wet finish at the worst moments. Clear alternate routes to kitchens and bathrooms ahead of time. If your only bathroom sits inside the project zone, talk with the crew. I’ve coordinated half-day pauses for family necessities, but that needs to be planned so it doesn’t trap a wet coat or break the sanding sequence.
The moisture and climate check most people skip
Wood is a living material. Even sealed, it exchanges moisture with indoor air. High humidity swells boards; dry air shrinks them and opens gaps. Refinishing locks current dimensions under new film. That’s why the smartest crews check moisture and ambient conditions before sanding and again before coating. You can help by stabilizing your home’s climate.
Aim to maintain your normal lived-in temperature and humidity for at least 72 hours before the job. If you’ve been away and the thermostat was set to extremes, bring it back gradually. Running a dehumidifier in a sticky Georgia summer can make a dramatic difference in how a waterborne finish levels. Target a stable 40 to 55 percent relative humidity where possible. In winter, avoid over-drying the home with space heaters that blast one corner; that can create uneven curing and new gaps as boards shrink. Window ACs often drip condensation — make sure that water doesn’t find its way under a plastic barrier or onto a newly cured floor.
Restoration on homes with crawlspaces benefits from checking the crawlspace for standing water. I’ve walked into jobs where an unseen leak in the crawl made the living room cup up like potato chips. If in doubt, a quick moisture meter check in a few boards can prevent headaches.
Choose your finish wisely: sheens, color, and cure behavior
Preparation includes decisions. Finish type and color determine not only the look but the schedule and odor profile. Here’s where experience really matters, trumanhardwoodrefinishing.com Truman Hardwood Floor Cleaning & Refinishing LLC because the best choice for an active household with a big dog and a toddler can be different than for a quiet, shoes-off household.
Waterborne polyurethane is the go-to for speed and low odor. Good systems let you sand and apply two to three coats in a day or two, with light foot traffic after several hours per coat and furniture back within two to three days. It ambers very little, which preserves pale species like maple and keeps gray or natural stains true. High-end two-component waterbornes add abrasion resistance that rivals traditional oil in busy areas.
Oil-modified polyurethane imparts a warm amber tone, which many clients love on red oak and hickory. It can deepen character and make old floors read rich and classic. The trade-off is longer cure time and stronger odor. Expect overnight dry times between coats and several days before moving furniture. Rugs need to wait at least a week, sometimes longer, to prevent trapped off-gassing that leaves yellowish rectangles.
Penetrating hardwax oils fall in a different category. They soak in rather than creating a thick film. Repairs are simpler, and the feel underfoot is natural. They demand more maintenance but forgive localized wear because you can buff in product without abrading the entire room. If you go this route, prep matters even more for dust control since the finish is thin and reveals the sanding quality.
Sheen affects the way scratches telegraph. Matte hides daily life better, satin gives a gentle glow, semi-gloss and gloss demand more upkeep and amplify any sanding swirls or subfloor telegraphing. Decide sheen before the crew buys materials, and if you’re unsure, ask for a small test board or a closet swatch.
The day-by-day cadence you can expect
Every home and scope varies, but refinishing tends to follow a rhythm. A typical 600 to 1,000 square foot main level might run three days for waterborne systems and four for oil-modified poly. Add a day for complex staircases or extensive repairs.
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Day one brings heavy sanding. The crew sets up, tapes plastic, and runs cut, field, and edge passes with progressively finer grits. If there are pet stains that sand deep into the wood, you’ll discuss whether to replace boards or live with a faint echo. After vacuuming and tacking, stain goes down if you’re changing color. Stain wants even coverage without lap marks, which requires low airflow and a clear space for consistent drying.
Day two belongs to build and protective coats. Waterborne crews often apply two coats with an abrasion between them for adhesion and smoothness. Oil crews apply one coat a day. This is the point when you really want foot traffic managed, because a hair or crumb can ride into a wet coat and live under the finish like a fossil.
Day three is for the final coat and any detail work on transitions, shoe molding, and vents. Once the last coat flashes off and can be walked on in socks, you can re-enter for limited use. The floor continues to harden for days. You’ll feel a difference after 24 hours, but serious weight like sofas and solid wood dining tables should wait as directed by your specific products. Rugs go last, because they trap solvents and moisture; give them a week whenever possible.
Spot repairs, transitions, and where to stop
If you’re refinishing one room and not the next, the transition line matters. A tidy stop at a doorway with a T-molding or a metal transition strip can make sense, but in many homes the cleanest look is to carry the refinish to logical breaks, often the entire open plan. Otherwise, you get a crisp new floor meeting a tired neighbor, and your eye will always go there. Budget realities are real, yet I’ve rarely heard a client regret including adjacent rooms once the furniture is already out.
Repairs deserve frank talk. Black pet stains that penetrate through the wear layer won’t sand out fully and can turn gray when bleached by the sander’s heat. Replacing boards yields the cleanest outcome, but old floors come with color variation. A skilled installer will feather boards into random locations rather than one tidy rectangle, which helps camouflage the repair. Face nails on repaired tongue-and-groove boards can be set and filled, but under high sheen they can catch light. That’s another reason matte and satin become allies in older homes.
Stairs are their own craft. Each tread and riser has edges that drink stain quickly, nosings that catch dust, and a traffic pattern that concentrates along one side. If the stairs are painted on risers and stained on treads, consider repainting after the treads cure since tape can lift fresh finish if used too soon. If you have open-sided stairs with spindles, the labor increases and so does the time. I’ve seen two-person crews spend a day on nothing but spindles and nosings.
Safety, power, and practical logistics
A refinishing day brings cords, vacuum lines, and machines that need dedicated circuits. If your home has outlets wired on sensitive GFCI circuits near sinks, the vacuums can trip them, which stalls sanding. Identify a couple of reliable circuits and clear access to the panel in case a breaker pops. If you work from home, plan for noise; sanding drums and edgers hum like small planes, and even the quietest waterborne finish has a solvent note while it flashes.
Parking and access matter more than you’d think. Crews unload 200 to 400 pounds of equipment and trays of finish that don’t love being carried through rain. Reserving a driveway spot and clearing a path saves time. If you live in a high-rise or a condo with elevators, check building rules for work hours, floor protection from the front door to your unit, and whether mechanical ventilation in the hallway will interfere with finish flow.
Dust extraction improves every year, but a small amount of airborne dust remains inevitable. Crews will vacuum between grits and tack floors before coating. Your job is to minimize new dust: avoid opening exterior doors in the coating hour, keep HVAC off, and resist the urge to peek or walk through with socks to “just check.” Those sock fibers love fresh urethane.
Aftercare starts before the first machine rolls in
Think ahead to the first week after the job. Gather felt pads for furniture feet so you can apply them while moving pieces back. Pre-cut pads for chair legs that see daily use. If you own a robot vacuum, schedule a vacation for it. The brushes can scuff a tender finish, and the wheels can imprint patterns before full cure. Regular vacuums with soft hardwood attachments are safer.
Buy a couple of breathable area rug pads. Avoid solid rubber pads under rugs for the first month; they can imprint or discolor under pressure on uncured finishes. Look for natural felt or open-weave pads that allow airflow. If you love a heavy doormat by the back door, consider a temporary runner that won’t trap solvent.
Cleaning routines should be gentle. Dry dusting with a microfiber pad keeps grit from acting like sandpaper. Damps mops with a lightly wrung pad and a manufacturer-approved cleaner maintain clarity. Skip steam mops — they drive moisture and heat into the finish, which shortens its life and can turn edges white.
Shoes matter. Grit embedded in treads acts like 80-grit sandpaper. If a shoes-off policy isn’t in the cards, a mat at each exterior door and a quick wipe of soles can be a compromise. High heels concentrate pressure to a tiny point; even cured finishes can dent through to the wood. That’s not a finish failure, it’s physics.
Common curveballs and how to dodge them
Renovations rarely go exactly as planned. A few of the most common surprises:
The previous finish was wax, not poly. Wax clogs sandpaper and contaminates new finish if missed. If a drop of mineral spirits on a hidden corner softens the surface and a white cloth picks up a yellowish smear, suspect wax. Mention this to your hardwood floor specialists. They’ll adjust with a deeper cut and solvent wash.
Sunroom boards cup right after sanding. Direct sun heats the boards, the ambient air is humid, and the sander exposes fresh, thirsty cells. If you see this, pause and stabilize the space. Window coverings, AC, and time often calm the issue before coating.
Stain color shifts compared to the sample on your old finish. Freshly sanded wood absorbs differently than a topcoated sample board. Always approve color on raw sanded wood that matches your species, preferably in your light. A closet is a good place for a two-square-foot swatch if you’re nervous about experimenting in the main space.
Neighbors complain about odors in multi-unit buildings. Even low-odor waterborne finishes have a scent. Seal under doors with towels or draft stoppers during coating and ventilate out a window with a fan exhausting to the outdoors. Clear this with building management to avoid triggering smoke alarms or negative pressure that pulls dust in from common areas.
The last coat dries with tiny bumps. Those are usually micro-dust nibs or raised grain. Most waterborne systems allow a light de-nib with a white pad after full cure, then a maintenance coat later if desired. If the bumps are pronounced, tell your crew quickly; they may be able to abrade and recoat within the recoat window without starting over.
A realistic timeline for being “back to normal”
Crew schedules quote dry and cure times, but living schedules hit differently when your bedroom is taped off and the coffee maker sits on a folding table in the garage. For waterborne finishes applied in steady conditions, you can usually walk in socks within three to four hours of a coat, move light furniture after 24 to 48 hours, and return to typical traffic by day three or four. For oil-modified poly, expect overnight for each coat to dry, two to three days before moving furniture, and a week before laying rugs. Full cure for max hardness lands around one to two weeks for waterborne and two to four weeks for oil-modified. Treat the floor kindly during that window, and it will pay you back with years of easier maintenance.
Why a pro like Truman makes prep and finish sing
The same choices that simplify your prep often match what seasoned crews prefer. Vacuum-integrated belt sanders, HEPA dust extractors, and low-VOC waterborne systems reduce disruption and keep neighbors happy. Crews that take the extra fifteen minutes to adjust doors, shave a sticky transition, or tighten a squeak save you future aggravation. That mindset is what sets apart a reliable hardwood floor refinishing company from the rest.
If you’ve been looking for hardwood floor refinishing near me and want a team that treats prep as carefully as sanding, you’ll notice it in the first site visit. The estimator will ask about pets, schedules, vent locations, and which rooms you want to include. They’ll point out places where furniture can land temporarily without boxing you into a corner. They’ll talk about sheen in the afternoon light of your living room, not under a shop lamp. That level of attention is not fluff. It’s the difference between a floor that looks good on day one and a floor that still looks good after two winters and a birthday party that ran late.
Truman’s short-form prep checklist you can tape to the fridge
- Empty rooms completely if possible; arrange movers for pianos, pool tables, and appliances, and cap fridge water lines. Seal off non-work areas and HVAC vents; stabilize temperature and humidity to lived-in levels 72 hours before work. Plan pet and kid logistics for sanding and first coat days; establish safe routes to essentials without crossing work zones. Confirm finish type, color, sheen, and timeline with your crew; approve stain on raw sanded wood in your light. Gather post-job supplies: felt pads, breathable rug pads, microfiber mop, and manufacturer-approved cleaner.
When you’re ready to talk specifics
If you want a straight answer about your particular floors, a site visit beats any article. Grain tells stories that photos miss, and every home has its quirks. For homeowners in and around Lawrenceville who want hardwood floor specialists who show up prepared and leave you with a floor you don’t have to baby, here’s an easy starting point.
Contact Us
Truman Hardwood Floor Cleaning & Refinishing LLC
Address: 485 Buford Dr, Lawrenceville, GA 30046, United States
Phone: (770) 896-8876
Website: https://www.trumanhardwoodrefinishing.com/
You don’t have to memorize every detail in this checklist. If you handle the big pieces — clearing rooms, planning pet and kid routes, stabilizing the climate, and aligning on finish — the rest falls into place with a crew that respects the craft. The payoff is a floor that looks right in the morning light and holds up to life, not just photos.