Updated 6 November 2026
Furniture and access
- Rooms being refinished need to be completely empty, including small items, plants and floor lamps.
- Take down curtains that touch the floor, and remove items from low closet shelves if closets are included.
- Think about where furniture will live in the meantime — a garage, basement or rooms not being done.
- Clear a path from the entrance for equipment, and let us know about stairs, parking and condo booking rules.
Room sequence
Finish has to be applied so no one gets trapped in a corner, and you need a way in and out of the house. Connected rooms are usually done together so there are no visible lines mid-floor. If you're keeping part of the home in use, we'll plan which entrances and paths stay open and which rooms you can reach on which days.
Ventilation and heating
Finishes need air movement and reasonable temperature and humidity to dry properly. Depending on the finish, we may ask for windows to be opened or for forced-air systems to be paused to keep dust off wet coats. Let us know about HVAC returns or vents in the rooms being worked on.
Pets and people
- Plan for pets to stay elsewhere during sanding and while finish is wet; claws and fur don't mix with fresh coats.
- Odour varies by finish type. If anyone in the home is sensitive, ask about lower-odour options and consider staying elsewhere on finishing days.
- Keep children and visitors out of the work area entirely until we say it's safe to walk on.
Floors hidden under rugs
Lift area rugs before the assessment. Wood under a rug is often lighter (protected from sunlight) and may hide stains, pad residue or damage. After refinishing, the colour difference generally evens out with light exposure over time, but it helps to know what's there before agreeing on scope or colour.
Questions to ask before work starts
- Which finish will be used, how many coats, and why that finish for this floor?
- How will dust be contained, and which rooms will be sealed off?
- Which areas are excluded?
- When can we walk on it in socks, when can furniture return, and when can rugs go back?
- How should the floor be cleaned during the first weeks?
Dry is not the same as cured
A finish may be dry to the touch within hours, which means a coat can be walked on carefully or recoated. Full cure — when the finish reaches its intended hardness and chemical resistance — takes considerably longer. Before then the surface is easier to mark, and rugs can trap solvents and slow curing.
Product data sheets publish specific dry, recoat and cure times, and they differ by product, coat count and room conditions. One professional water-based finish, for example, lists separate figures for light foot traffic, furniture and full cure (see this product specification sheet). Those numbers apply only to that product under its stated conditions, so we don't use them as a universal schedule. You'll get times specific to the finish chosen for your floor.
External links are provided as general reference only and do not imply any affiliation or endorsement.
Bringing furniture back
- Lift furniture into place instead of sliding it.
- Add felt pads to chair and table legs.
- Wait for the recommended time before putting rugs down.
Ready to plan? See what affects the cost of refinishing or request an estimate.