What sand and finish means in Des Moines
The phrase is what the trade calls the work when there is no old coating to negotiate with, most often a new solid floor after installation, or a floor that came up from under carpet with nothing but nail holes and staple scars.
It matters commercially because the pricing is different from a refinish. There is no unknown under the old finish, so the quote carries less contingency.
- How it is done
- 36 / 60 / 80 grit, water-popped before stain if the species blotches
- What goes on the floor
- waterborne or oil-modified polyurethane, two to three coats
- Ready to use
- 24 hours to walk, 14 days before rugs trap solvent
- Typical cost
- $2.75 – $5.50 per sq ft
- Service life
- 8–12 years
How the sanding runs on sand and finish
A brand new floor gets cut flatter than a refinish, because the goal is to take the small height differences between freshly nailed boards down to a single plane. That means starting coarser and taking more passes across the grain on a wide room before running with it.
Staple and nail scars from an old carpet tack strip sit at the perimeter, right where the edger works, so the perimeter takes longer than the field.
What sand and finish costs in Des Moines, IA
Sand and finish on a bare floor sits at the lower end of the refinishing range, because we are not chasing an unknown coating. Where it goes up is a floor that has been painted, which has to come off with a coarser cut and often two passes before the wood reads clean.
Where sand and finish goes wrong in Iowa
The trap on a new floor is coating too soon after the nailing. Boards that went down at 9 percent moisture in an unheated house in November will lose width once the furnace runs, and a floor coated before that happens ends up with cracked finish lines at the seams.
Where we do sand and finish
We cover Des Moines, the western suburbs, the Ankeny corridor and the older neighbourhoods inside the city, including and 18 more areas.
Questions we get asked about sand and finish
What is the difference from refinishing?
Refinishing has an existing coating to remove and a floor with history. Sand and finish is bare wood, which is a shorter and more predictable job.
Our floor was under carpet, is that this?
Usually yes. The floor is bare, and the extra work is filling staple holes and dealing with the tack strip damage at the walls.
How many coats?
Two coats over a sealer for a bedroom, three for a kitchen or a hallway. The third coat is wear layer, not looks.
Get a free estimate
Tell us what you need. We answer the same day, the free estimate is on site, and nobody chases you afterwards.
Get a price for your sand and finish
Call and we will come out, measure, and leave you a written quote. There is no charge for the visit and no obligation afterwards.