Screen & Recoat in New Jersey

START WITH THE RIGHT QUESTION

When is a screen and recoat enough?

A screen and recoat can renew protection when wear is in a compatible finish and has not reached the wood. It keeps the existing stain color. HQ checks surface condition and contamination before recommending it; deep stains, bare wood and a requested color change call for a different plan.

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WHAT IT IS · WHAT IT ISN'T

Renew the finish.
Keep the wood.

A screen and recoat abrades and cleans the existing finish on a hardwood floor, then applies a new professional coat over it. The floor keeps its color, gains renewed protection, and can take a different sheen — without being sanded to bare wood. Because it removes far less material than refinishing, it is often the least aggressive treatment that produces a sound result on a floor whose wear is in the finish rather than in the wood.

It is not a shortcut for every floor. A recoat cannot rebuild finish that has worn through to bare or gray wood, remove a dark stain in the wood, flatten a damaged surface, or change the stain color. And it depends entirely on adhesion: Bona's current U.S. Technical Data Sheet for Traffic HD states the floor must be free of wax, polish, and oily residues, that the full Bona Recoat System is required when contaminants are present, and that adhesion failure can occur if the floor has not been tested for compatibility (Bona Traffic HD TDS, 05/27/2026, p. 4).

That is why HQ evaluates condition and compatibility before proposing a recoat, and why the answer is sometimes refinishing — or sometimes only a professional cleaning.

THE HQ APPROACH

Start with the floor.
Choose the right treatment.

A timely recoat can refresh sheen and protection without the material removal of full refinishing.

Every project begins with an assessment of the existing floor, its condition, and the homeowner's goals. Recommendations are made after that evaluation—not before it.

THE HQ WAY

When your floor just needs protection

If you like your floor's color and it only looks a little tired, it can often be saved without sanding to bare wood. A professional recoat renews the protective layer. Cleaning, preparation and coating time depend on the area and condition; drying, furniture placement and return to full use follow the selected finish instructions.

THE HQ WAY

The two-to-three-year habit

For high-traffic areas, HQ recommends reviewing the floor for a maintenance coat roughly every two to three years. Actual timing depends on traffic, finish condition and prior care. Assessing the coating before it wears through helps determine whether a recoat is still appropriate.

BEFORE YOU DECIDE

Understand the scope.

ALSO CONSIDER

Maybe your floor
needs something else.

HQ recommends the least aggressive treatment that will get the result. These are the neighbouring options — see all of them under services.

WHERE HQ WORKS

Screen & Recoat
across New Jersey.

Every town HQ serves is on the New Jersey service area page, and the questions homeowners ask before deciding are answered in the knowledge center.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Asked before
the assessment.

Can you refinish hardwood floors without sanding?

A screen and recoat renews the protective finish without sanding to bare wood, which is what most people mean by "without sanding." It works when the wear is in the finish and the existing coating is compatible. It does not remove damage in the wood or change the color; those require full refinishing.

How do you know if my floor can be recoated?

By evaluating it on site: whether the finish is intact or worn through, whether the surface has been treated with wax, polish, oil, or "restorer" products, the finish type, and the floor's construction. Prefinished and engineered floors need particular attention to compatibility. Photos help start the conversation; they do not confirm compatibility.

How much does screen and recoat cost in New Jersey?

HQ evaluates the total area, finish condition, cleaning-product history, preparation, access and selected coating before quoting. Cleaning-only work and a cleaning-and-recoat project have different scopes. Share photos, your town and approximate square footage so the proposal can distinguish preparation from finish application.

Is buff and recoat the same as screen and recoat?

The terms commonly describe preparing an existing finish and adding a new coat rather than sanding the floor to bare wood. The actual preparation depends on the finish and products previously used. Ask what cleaning, compatibility checks and finish application are included in the proposed scope.

Can a floor with polish or wax buildup be recoated?

Not on appearance alone. The existing products must be identified, the appropriate removal process evaluated, and compatibility checked before a new finish is proposed. An ordinary cleaning is not proof that a floor will accept another coat. Tell HQ which cleaners, polishes or restorers have been used.

What can a recoat change, and what can't it?

It can renew protection, refresh a dull surface, and often change the sheen (matte, satin, gloss). It cannot change the stain color, hide deep scratches, remove dark stains in the wood, or fix cupping or movement. When any of those are the problem, HQ scopes the project as refinishing or repair instead.