Screen & Recoat
When the finish is worn but the wood is sound, we lightly abrade the surface and apply a fresh satin or gloss coat for a vibrant, protected shine — the secret the sanding companies rarely mention.
Explore Screen & Recoat →Fairfax · Vienna · McLean · Arlington · Northern Virginia
Is This the Right Service?
Most hardwood floors that look tired are not damaged — they are just dirty and lightly worn on the surface. Years of foot traffic grind fine grit into the finish, leaving it dull, and everyday use adds the small scratches and scuffs that scatter light and rob a floor of its shine. When the finish and the wood beneath it are still in good shape, that is exactly the situation professional wood floor cleaning and buffing is built for.
Cleaning comes first: a rotary brush works a wood-safe solution into the grain to lift the embedded dirt and the sticky residue left by store-bought shine products, then it is extracted so the floor is left barely damp. Buffing is the second half — think of it as a gentle facelift for the finish. A professional buffing machine smooths out minor scratches and scuffs and evens the surface, so light reflects cleanly again instead of scattering. Finally, an eco-friendly protective polish is laid down to add shine and a layer of protection against the next round of wear.
The whole point is to get a refinished-looking floor without sanding. There is no dust through the house, no days with the room out of service, and none of the expense of grinding your floor down to bare wood. For many homeowners, a routine of periodic cleaning and buffing is all a floor ever needs to stay beautiful for years.
If your floor needs more than buffing can give — a worn-through finish, or heavy wax and product buildup — that is where our sibling services come in, and we will tell you honestly which one fits.
Buffing Is Not Sanding
| Approach | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning & Buffing | Deep-cleans the surface, smooths minor scratches and scuffs, and adds a protective polish. No dust, ready in hours. | Dull floors with superficial marks and a finish that is still intact. |
| Screen & Recoat | Lightly abrades the old finish and lays down a fresh protective coat — no bare wood exposed. | Floors with a worn or scuffed finish, but sound wood underneath. |
| Full Sanding | Grinds the floor down to raw wood and rebuilds the finish from scratch. Days of work and heavy dust. | Deep gouges, water damage, or bare, worn-through wood. |
Not sure which level your floor needs? We assess it in person, at no charge, and recommend the lightest service that will actually do the job.
Our Process
We confirm the finish is intact and buffing is the right call, check for wax buildup, and test in a hidden area before we begin.
The floor is dust-mopped and vacuumed to remove the loose grit that would otherwise scratch the finish during cleaning.
A rotary brush works a wood-safe solution into the grain to release embedded dirt and product residue, then it is extracted so the floor is left barely damp.
A professional buffing machine smooths minor scratches and scuffs and evens the surface, so the finish reflects light cleanly again.
An eco-friendly polish is applied for lasting shine and a protective layer against the next round of everyday wear.
We walk the floor with you, point out anything to watch, and let you know when it is fully ready — usually within a few hours.
When Buffing Isn't Enough
When the finish is worn but the wood is sound, we lightly abrade the surface and apply a fresh satin or gloss coat for a vibrant, protected shine — the secret the sanding companies rarely mention.
Explore Screen & Recoat →Store-bought wax, oil and acrylic products — Bona, Orange Glo and the like — darken floors and leave a sticky haze. We strip that buildup and return the wood to a clean surface.
Explore Wax Removal →See the full picture of our no-sanding approach — cleaning, buffing, recoating and wax removal — and how we decide which one your floor needs.
View Wood Floor Services →Why Choose Us
We start with the least invasive service that will do the job. No upselling you into a recoat or refinish your floor does not need.
Rotary clean, machine buff, and a protective polish — all in a single appointment, with the floor ready to walk on the same day.
We keep water to a minimum and extract fast, so there is no swelling, cupping or warping — just a clean, even, shining floor.
If buffing won't be enough, we say so and point you to a recoat or wax removal — or, rarely, to full refinishing.
The person who quotes your floor performs the work. No lead selling, no rotating crews, no stranger you have never met.
An honest walkthrough before and after every job. If something is not right, we come back — that is how the rating stays 5.0.
Service Area
Common Questions
Cleaning lifts dirt and residue from the surface. Buffing gently smooths minor scratches and scuffs and boosts shine — like a facelift for the finish. Sanding is the heavy option that grinds the floor to bare wood and refinishes it. Cleaning and buffing handle most tired floors without ever needing to sand.
Buffing minimizes superficial scratches and scuffs that sit in the finish, and the protective polish helps blend them. Deep scratches that reach the bare wood are below what buffing can reach — those may need a screen & recoat or, in severe cases, full refinishing.
Cleaning & buffing works the existing finish without adding a new coat — ideal when the finish is intact. A screen & recoat goes a step further: it abrades the finish and lays down a fresh protective coat, for floors where the finish is worn thin. We recommend the lighter option whenever it will do the job.
Most rooms are cleaned, buffed and polished in a few hours depending on square footage. Because we use a wood-safe, low-water method and finish with a fast-drying polish, floors are usually ready to walk on the same day. We give you exact timing before we finish.
Yes. We use a wood-safe method that keeps water to a minimum and extracts it immediately, so the floor is left barely damp — never soaked. That protects the wood from the swelling and warping that too much moisture causes.
For most homes, professional cleaning and buffing every 1 to 3 years keeps floors looking their best and slows the wear that eventually forces a recoat or refinish. High-traffic homes, or those with kids and pets, benefit from more frequent visits.
Wax and store-bought product buildup should be stripped first — buffing over it just moves the residue around. If your floor is dark, cloudy or sticky, we start with wax removal, then clean and buff the clean surface underneath.
Solid hardwood such as oak, maple, cherry and walnut, plus engineered wood and other finished wood floors. Engineered wood has a thin wear layer, so buffing and cleaning are ideal since they do not remove material the way sanding does.
Yes, and most customers do. Combining wood floor cleaning with tile and grout, carpet or upholstery in one visit is more efficient and usually costs less than booking each separately.
Based in Fairfax, we serve Vienna, McLean, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Springfield, Reston, Chantilly, Sterling, Herndon, Burke, Centreville and Lorton, plus select locations in Washington DC and nearby Maryland.
✓ Clean · Buff · Protect · No Sanding · Wood-Safe · Locally Owned