Can You Walk On Sanded Floors: Is It Safe For The Finish?

Sanding the hardwood floors is a complex process itself but real care and attention are required after the floors have been sanded down.

If you don’t give your hardwood floors the right treatment after sanding, they might end up getting ruined and all the effort you had put in earlier would go in vain.

A common question in this context is that can you walk on sanded floors once the process has been completed?

You should not walk on sanded floors as the grain has not settled yet and the wood is still in a very vulnerable form. Besides, the grit from the shoes might even cause unevenness on the hardwood floors if they are not handled properly.

Moreover, if your hardwood floors were sealed recently, you might have to wait for quite a bit longer before you can walk or put any furniture on the wooden floors.

Keep on reading if you want to learn more about the topic.

Caring For Floors After Sanding

If you’ve recently sanded your hardwood floors, it is important that you administer proper care of your floors.

Cleaning them is one thing, but polishing them and using other methods is slightly different.

Sanding is a difficult process for your hardwood floors, and they will surely need some time before they can adjust back to normal traffic.

However, this might need time, and you would need to treat the floors properly before this can happen again.

Can You Walk On Sanded Floors?

You can not walk on the floors for at least 24 hours after completing the sanding session. Sanding needs time to settle down.

When you grind the floors with sandpaper, the wood grain becomes fuller and more open. Therefore, it requires time before it can settle back to its original form.

Moreover, if your floors have been refinished completely and there was a varnish coating on top of the wooden floors, you must not walk on the floors for at least 2-3 days.

The polyurethane finishes take 7 complete days to harden fully, and that is when you can open the floors for normal traffic and place any necessary items or furniture on the surface of the floors.

Even when 24 hours have passed, you must not walk on the floors with high heels or soles with high grit.

Wear socks while walking on the sanded floors, and remove your shoes to prevent scratching or grit on the hardwood floors.

Moreover, if there is any emergency and you have to place furniture on the floors immediately after a day or two, make sure to place silicone or felt pads under the legs of the furniture.

This can prevent extra pressure on the surface of the floors and help you keep yourself.

This procedure can help you avoid getting your floors ruined after your sanding session.

How Long Before You Can Walk On Finished Floors?

The usual time is between 2-4 days. However, it might differ. The type of finish being used in your hardwood floors.

If your hardwood floors were finished using an oil-based finish, it would take much longer to dry and harden to the point where it is ready to take much traffic and bear a considerable amount of weight.

Besides, if water-based finishes were used on your hardwood floors, you might need to wait for at least 3 days until the finish can cure completely and your hardwood floors can become strong enough to bear all the expected pressure.

Can You Walk On Sanded Floors Before Staining?

While general walking to stain the floors or clean them is not a big issue, you can’t allow serious traffic on the floors.

This can cause additional grit on your hardwood floors and might make the surface or the grain of the wood to become uneven.

Therefore, you should not walk excessively on sanded floors before you can stain them.

How Long Should You Wait To Walk On Refinished Floors?

Walking on refinished floors might put you to wait for 5-7 days depending on your wood type and the finish you used.

If your hardwood floors were finished using an oil-based finish, it would take much longer to dry and harden to the point where it is ready to take much traffic and bear a considerable amount of weight.

Besides, if water-based finishes were used on your hardwood floors, you might need to wait for at least 3 days until the finish can cure completely and your hardwood floors can become strong enough to bear all the expected pressure.

How Long Does It Take For Sanded Floors To Dry?

The time varies for various finishes; waxed floors can be dry after 12-16 hours after application.

Oil-based finishes will take over 3 days before they can be dry enough to walk on them.

Lastly, water-based finishes will take almost 1-2 days for it to dry completely.

Bottom Line

If you have recently sanded your hardwood floors and can’t get the right idea of how you are going to keep them in the best shape, rest assured as we’ve got you covered.

Sanding your hardwood floors can be a tiresome project but if you walk on them immediately and allow traffic on the surface, you will ruin all your hard work in a few hours.

You must understand that your hardwood floors are not protected at the moment and they need some coating before they are strong enough to bear traffic again.

If you have already finished them, you must wait even longer for the finish layer to dry and harden.

If the layer is not hard enough, there can be dents, scratches and scuff marks on the surface.

This can lead to further damage to the floors. Therefore, it would be best that you follow the instructions given above to keep your hardwood floors in the best condition possible and prevent them from getting damaged immediately after sanding.