Project example: a screen and recoat for an 800 sq ft condo floor — what happens and what it costs

The scenario

Picture a second-floor condo with a living room, a dining area and two bedrooms, about 800 square feet of oak. The finish is dull but unbroken, with a few light scratches near the dining table.

The owner wants it done in a single day, because the association restricts work hours and the neighbors below hear every sound that comes through the structure. A recoat fits: it needs a buffer and a roller rather than a drum sander, and it makes much less noise and dust.

Before anything is coated, the installer tests a small patch for wax or polish. A cleaner with silicone or oil soap would have kept a new coat from bonding. The patch is clean, so the whole floor goes ahead.

What the job involves

1. Furniture is moved out, and the floor is vacuumed and cleaned.
2. A test patch shows that the new finish bonds, with no wax or polish present.
3. A buffer with a fine screen pad dulls the finish evenly.
4. Dust is vacuumed and the floor is wiped.
5. A coat of finish is rolled out and left to dry.
6. Socks only at first; rugs and furniture follow the finish maker's times.

Materials and prep

• Floor buffer and fine screen pads
• Vacuum and tack cloths
• Waterborne finish and a roller
• Felt pads for the furniture legs

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Moving furniture out and back — +$150–$500. Furniture moved out and back is included as a flat line.
• One extra finish coat, whole floor — +$250–$900. A second coat is a separate line.
• Gap filling, whole floor — +$600–$2,200. Gap filling is a separate line and calls for sanding, not a recoat.

Why it is done this way

A recoat costs about half of a sanding, because it removes nothing and takes about a day. For a condo the quieter process is also a practical reason to choose it.

The test patch for wax and polish is the real condition for the job. A recoat on top of a waxed floor can peel.

The arithmetic in the calculator is a per-foot rate times 800 plus the furniture line, and that makes a recoat the easiest job to compare between quotes. A condo job also depends on people the installer never meets. The neighbors below hear a buffer far less than a sander, but a cart wheel or a dropped tool still carries through a floor. A short notice to the board and the neighbors a few days ahead, with the hours of work and a phone number to call, usually prevents the complaints that delay a second visit. Parking and elevator or stair access for the equipment are worth confirming with the management office as well, along with where the crew may stage tools and where the used pads and plastic go.

What would change the price

• The patch shows wax or polish and the job turns into a sanding.
• Worn-through spots are found in the traffic path.
• The owner wants a darker color.
• A second coat is added.
• The association asks for written approval and a notice period.