Hardwood Screen & Recoat (Buff)
Handis hardwood screen-and-recoat is the light refresh that puts new finish on an existing hardwood floor without sanding through to bare wood — adhesion test patch on a closet floor to confirm the existing finish will take a new coat, light random-orbital screen with a 120-to-150 grit on a buffer to flatten and key the surface, vacuum and tack-cloth between screen and recoat, one or two coats of Bona Traffic HD or matching-finish-line polyurethane, plastic-zip walls and HEPA-filtered work-zone air — from $1,500 for a single 250-to-400 square foot room. The work for a floor that is dull at the surface but the wood is sound and the existing finish has not failed. Faster, cheaper, and less disruptive than a full sand-and-refinish. The right service when the floor needs a refresh, not a reset.
Service
What Does a Screen & Recoat Include?
A hardwood screen-and-recoat is the refresh trade for a floor that is dull at the surface but has a sound existing finish — covering adhesion test patch on an out-of-the-way location to confirm the existing finish will accept a new coat, light random-orbital screen of the existing finish with a 120-to-150 grit sanding screen on a buffer to flatten and key the surface, dust vacuum-and-tack between screen and recoat, one or two coats of polyurethane (Bona Traffic HD or matching-finish-line topcoat), plastic-zip wall containment at every doorway, HEPA-filtered work-zone air, and full Pacific Northwest cure-time scheduling. Handis covers screen-and-recoat from $1,500 on a single 250-to-400 square foot room. Whole-floor screen-and-recoats scale up from there.
Adhesion Test Patch Before the Bulk Screen
The screen-and-recoat depends on the new poly bonding to the existing finish — and that bond can fail if the existing finish is a non-poly product (wax, shellac, or oil-only), if the existing finish has a contaminant on it (cleaning-product residue, silicone polish), or if the existing finish is too aged to chemically bond. We do an adhesion test patch on an out-of-the-way location (a closet floor or a corner) on the first visit — screen, recoat a small square, cure 24 hours, scratch-test. If the patch passes, we commit to the bulk screen. If it fails, we recommend a full sand-and-finish instead — and we will not push a screen-and-recoat that will fail at year one.
Light Random-Orbital Screen, Not Sand-to-Bare
The screen step is exactly that — a light random-orbital screening of the existing finish surface with a 120-to-150 grit sanding screen on a 17-inch buffer, just enough to flatten the surface and key it for the new poly to bond. No drum sander. No edger. No sanding down through to bare wood. The dust generated is at a fraction of a drum-sanding job and the room stays largely clean — but we still run plastic-zip walls and HEPA-filtered work-zone air because even buffer-screen dust will migrate without containment.
Vacuum and Tack-Cloth Between Screen and Recoat
After the screen, we vacuum the floor thoroughly (HEPA vacuum on every square foot, not just a quick pass), then tack-cloth the entire surface with a lint-free microfiber damped in mineral spirits or a compatible water-based cleaner depending on the topcoat line. Any screen residue left on the surface telegraphs through the recoat as a dull spot or a fish-eye — and the recoat does not hide it.
One or Two Coats of Polyurethane
Topcoat goes on after the screen and tack — Bona Traffic HD (premium water-based, lowest off-gas, best clarity, fastest cure), Bona Mega ONE (mid-tier water-based, excellent value, single-component), or the matching finish line if the existing finish is known and we want to match it for future compatibility. One coat is the standard for a mild refresh; two coats is the upgrade for a floor that has seen more wear and the second coat extends the life by another 5 to 7 years before the next screen-and-recoat or refinish.
Faster Cure Window Than a Full Refinish
Water-based polyurethane cures 24 hours to recoat (between coats) and 7 days to full traffic. A single-coat screen-and-recoat reaches full traffic in 7 days. A two-coat reaches full traffic in 8 days. Total project time including the screen is 2 to 3 days of work plus the cure — versus 4 to 6 days plus cure for a full sand-and-refinish. Faster, cheaper, less disruptive. The right service when the floor needs a refresh.
How a Screen & Recoat Works
Six sequential steps from the adhesion test patch through the cure-window sign-off — the actual sequence we follow on every hardwood screen-and-recoat.
Adhesion Test Patch at the Closet
Screen a small square at a closet floor or out-of-the-way location, apply a small recoat patch, cure 24 hours, scratch-test for bond. If the patch passes, we commit to the bulk screen. If it fails, we recommend a full sand-and-finish — the existing finish is not screen-and-recoat-compatible.
Containment — Plastic-Zip and HEPA-Filtered Air
Plastic-zip walls floor-to-ceiling at every doorway out of the work zone. Supply registers and return grilles sealed. HEPA-filtered work-zone air on any zone connected to forced-air HVAC. Lighter containment than a full refinish but still standard.
Light Random-Orbital Screen on the Buffer
Bona 17-inch electric buffer with a 120-to-150 grit sanding screen runs the entire floor area in random-orbital pattern. Just enough to flatten the existing finish and key the surface for new poly bond. No drum sander. No edger. No sand-to-bare.
HEPA Vacuum the Entire Floor
Vacuum the floor thoroughly — every square foot, not just a quick pass. Pay special attention to the perimeter and the corners where screen residue collects. Any residue left on the surface telegraphs through the recoat as a dull spot or a fish-eye.
Tack-Cloth With Mineral Spirits or Water-Based Cleaner
Tack the entire surface with a lint-free microfiber damped in mineral spirits (for oil-modified topcoat) or a compatible water-based cleaner (for water-based topcoat). The tack pass removes the last micron of screen residue and prepares the surface for clean topcoat adhesion.
One or Two Coats Polyurethane, Cure Window
First coat rolled and edge-cut. Cure to recoat window (24 hours for water-based). If two coats are in scope, screen the first coat lightly with 150 grit, vacuum and tack, apply the second. Final cure 24 to 48 hours no-walk, 5 days no-furniture, 7 days to full traffic.
Screen & Recoat Pricing
Final pricing depends on square footage, the number of coats (one for mild refresh, two for more wear), and whether the existing finish is screen-and-recoat-compatible (an adhesion test patch confirms). Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Tell us the room (square footage and species), the existing finish (water-based, oil-modified, wax, or unknown), and whether you have noticed any dull-or-failing spots — we will quote the adhesion test, the screen, the coats, and the full cure calendar.
Why Handis for Hardwood Screen & Recoat
Screen-and-recoat is the most overlooked hardwood service because most homeowners assume a tired floor needs a full refinish. It often does not. A floor that is dull at the surface, scratched only at the very top of the finish (not into the wood), and has a sound existing poly under the dullness is the textbook screen-and-recoat candidate — and the refresh runs at less than half the cost of a full refinish with no full-dust event and no 14-day no-rug window. The honest first call is the adhesion test on the closet floor — if it passes, screen-and-recoat is the right service; if it fails, we say so and the alternative is a full refinish. Not every dull floor needs a sander.
Adhesion test patch on the first visit
The screen-and-recoat fails when the existing finish does not chemically accept the new coat — wax, shellac, oil-only finishes, or surfaces contaminated by silicone polish do not bond. We do the adhesion test on the closet floor on the first visit and cure 24 hours before committing to the bulk screen. The 24-hour wait saves the floor from a year-one peel.
Right service for the right floor
Not every dull floor needs a full refinish — and not every floor with surface scratches survives a screen-and-recoat. Wear-through into the wood, deep scratches, dings, finish failure — full sand-and-refinish. Surface dullness with the existing finish sound and intact — screen-and-recoat. We will tell you on the first visit which one your floor actually needs and recommend the right service, not just the one with a bigger invoice.
Plastic-zip and HEPA-filtered air even on screen
Screening generates less dust than drum sanding, but unfiltered buffer dust still migrates into the rest of the house without containment. We run plastic-zip walls at every doorway out of the work zone and HEPA-filtered work-zone air on every screen-and-recoat — lighter than a full refinish containment but still standard, never skipped.
Vacuum-and-tack between every coat
Any screen residue or surface contaminant left on the floor telegraphs through the recoat as a dull spot or a fish-eye — and the recoat does not hide it. We HEPA-vacuum the entire floor (every square foot, not a quick pass) and tack-cloth with a lint-free microfiber damped in mineral spirits or a water-based compatible cleaner before every coat. The vacuum-and-tack is what makes the recoat read flat instead of pebbly.
Name-brand topcoat compatible with the existing finish
Bona Traffic HD, Bona Mega ONE, or the matching finish-line topcoat if the existing finish is known and we want to match it for future compatibility. We do not use shop-brand contractor poly because the bond predictability and the long-term clarity differ measurably from the name-brand lines.
One-year workmanship warranty
One-year workmanship warranty — if the screen-and-recoat fails inside a year due to our work (peel from inadequate screen, fish-eye from contaminated surface, dull spot from missed tack pass), we come back and fix it at no extra charge. The warranty does not cover damage from improper care (aggressive cleaning chemicals, abrasive scrub pads, putting an area rug down inside the no-rug window).
Estimate
Tell us the room (square footage and species), the existing finish (water-based, oil-modified, wax, or unknown — we will test on the first visit), whether you have noticed dull-or-failing spots, and the coat count (one for mild refresh, two for added durability). We send a clear estimate with the adhesion test, the screen, the coats, and the cure calendar.
Customer Reviews
Recent screen-and-recoat reviews from real Handis customers.
Screen-and-recoat across our great room and hallway, about 700 square feet in our Madrona home. Floor was dull from 12 years of traffic but no wear-through into the wood. Tech ran an adhesion test patch at the closet first to confirm the existing finish would take a new coat — passed cleanly. Screen and one coat of Bona Traffic HD, 48 hours of cure, room back in service.
Two-coat screen-and-recoat on our 1948 fir floors in Wallingford. They confirmed the existing finish was compatible with an adhesion patch first, then ran the screen across about 850 square feet. Floor looks completely refreshed — like having the original finish back. Cost about a third of what a full refinish would have run and the room was back in service in 8 days.
Adhesion test caught what would have been a year-one peel — our 1990s floor turned out to have been waxed over the original poly years ago. Tech tested at the closet, the patch peeled at 24 hours, he was honest that a screen-and-recoat would fail and recommended a full refinish instead. Saved us from a $2,400 mistake. Came back two months later and did the full refinish properly.
One-coat screen-and-recoat on our hall and entry to refresh the high-traffic area without a full refinish. Tech walked the floor, confirmed the rest of the house did not need the same work, scoped just the 350 square feet that needed it. Quick job, good result, the refreshed area blends with the rest of the floor seamlessly.
Maintenance screen-and-recoat we now do every 5 years on our white oak floors in Bellevue. The tech walked through what the maintenance schedule should look like on the first visit — recoat every 5 to 7 years extends the next full refinish out by 10 years. Quick recoat, water-based for the color clarity, the floor stays looking new without the disruption of a full sand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis hardwood screen-and-recoat (buff).