UV coatings
Hard the moment the light goes over it
An ordinary floor finish dries slowly and keeps hardening for days, which is why you tiptoe around a newly done room and keep the rugs off for weeks. A UV finish does not work that way. It is rolled on, then a lamp is run over it, and the coat cures in seconds under the light.
That changes what the week looks like for you. The floor takes foot traffic the same day, there is no solvent smell through the house, and the cured layer is harder than an air dried one, so it holds up to a hallway and a dog rather than just looking good on day one.
Want a floor you can walk on tonight? Call Best Choice Flooring.
Can you do this on my existing hardwood?
Yes, and it is the most common version of this job. The floor is sanded the same way as any refinish, stained if you are changing the color, then coated and cured under the lamp instead of left to dry. Everything that decides whether a floor still looks right in ten years happens before the finish goes on, so the preparation is identical to a standard hardwood refinish. What changes is the end of the job, not the start of it.
It is one part of our floor refinishing service.
Does it work on vinyl plank?
It does, and that surprises people. Luxury vinyl plank has a factory wear layer on it, and once that layer is scuffed through there has never been much you could do except pull the floor up. A UV coat puts a new wear surface over the top of a sound plank floor, which buys years out of something that was heading for the dumpster. It has to be a floor that is still flat and well stuck down, so Mike looks at it first. New floors are a new vinyl plank install.
Back on your floor the same day
Tell Mike what is down now and how much of the house it covers, and he will tell you whether a UV finish is the right call for it.
Call (302) 232-7524Why would I pick this over a normal finish?
Time and smell, mostly. A normal finish needs days before furniture goes back and weeks before it is fully hard, and the house smells of it the whole time. A UV coat is cured before the crew leaves, so a rental turns around in a day, a shop opens the next morning and a family with kids and a dog is not camped in one room all week. The finish is also harder, which matters most in the places that wear first: hallways, stair treads and the run from the back door to the kitchen.
The sanding and prep are the same as a full hardwood refinish.
Is it messy?
No more than any refinish, and less than most. The sanding runs on vacuums so the dust goes into a bag rather than onto your things, and because nothing has to dry there is no stretch of the job where the room is sealed off and unusable. If boards have to come out first that is repair work, and it is done before anything is coated.
Ask the man doing the work
Straight answers about your flooring questions
How soon can I walk on it?
The same day. The coat is cured under the lamp, so there is no waiting for it to dry. Mike will tell you when furniture and rugs can go back.
Does it smell?
Barely. There is no long drying stage, so the house does not fill with solvent for a week the way it does with an air dried finish.
Is it tougher than a normal finish?
Yes. A UV cured layer goes harder than one that dries in the air, which is why it is used on shop and showroom floors as well as houses.
Can I pick the sheen?
Yes, from satin through to gloss, the same as any other finish. Tell Mike what you are after and he will show you what it looks like.
Will it fix a worn out vinyl plank floor?
If the planks are sound and flat, a UV coat gives it a new wear surface. If they are lifting or the subfloor has moved, no coating will hold that together and Mike will say so.
How do I get a price?
Call (302) 232-7524 with the rooms and what is down now. Mike comes and looks at the floor himself and you get the scope in writing before anything is booked.