Worked case: a screen and recoat in a newer Fontana townhome — steps and cost

The scenario

Picture a three-story townhome from the 2020s in one of Fontana's newest tracts. The previous owner put in engineered oak over the ground-floor slab and the upper landing, and a few years later the finish is dull along the traffic path and dotted with light scuffs. Nothing has worn through to bare wood.

The floor covers about 520 square feet. The wear layer on this kind of plank is thin, and the maker's data does not leave much to sand, so a recoat is the safe answer.

Three water drops on a clean spot bead up, and a small test patch shows the new coat bonds. Nobody has used wax or a polish, which would have made a recoat unreliable.

The townhome has stairs between floors, so the crew works from the top landing down and leaves a dry path out of each level. The association in this tract asks for notice before contractors use shared driveways, and the owners check the CC&Rs for working hours and parking before the date is set. Felt pads go under every chair leg once the finish maker's time has passed.

The townhome association asks for notice of the work and sets hours, and a neighbor shares a wall. Water-based finish suits that, since it has less odor in shared halls and dries faster in dry heat.

What the job involves

1. The floor is cleaned, and the water-drop test and a small test patch confirm the finish will bond.
2. Furniture is moved out of the work area and the baseboards are masked.
3. A buffer with a fine abrasive screen scuffs the finish evenly, and the dust is vacuumed and wiped away.
4. One or two coats are rolled on, with the drying time between them set by the data sheet.
5. The rooms stay closed until the data sheet lets people, then rugs and furniture, return.

Materials and tools

• Floor buffer with a screen pad
• Vacuum and tack cloths
• Water-based finish
• Masking tape and plastic sheeting

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Moving furniture out and back — +$150–$450. Moving furniture out and back is a flat line.

Why it is done this way

A recoat is the lightest refinishing job. It renews the top of the finish and takes no wood, which is why it fits a thin wear layer and costs about half of a sanding.

The calculator uses the same formula as every other floor: a rate per square foot, a surcharge for the condition of the floor, and flat options. A floor in good condition carries no surcharge.

The water test and the patch matter more than the machine, because they answer the question a recoat depends on: will the new coat stick.

With a thin layer the plan is to recoat every few years as the finish thins and never to sand, so maintenance, not a single big job, stretches the life of the floor.

What would change the price

• The patch fails and the floor needs a full sanding.
• The floor has been waxed or polished.
• A second coat is added.
• Scratches through to bare wood need spot repairs.
• More than 520 square feet are included.