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Refinishing hardwood floors is a phase through which every homeowner has to pass provided that they have hardwood floors installed in their house.
If you also have hardwood floors, you would need to refinish them once every few years to ensure that they are kept in their best health and that any damage that they have received during this time is repaired.
However, this involves moving away from the hardwood floors and not placing any furniture till a certain time.
Typically, you can put furniture on refinished hardwood floors after 3-4 days. Although it might vary upon the type of finish you are using, this is the average amount of time required for the varnish to dry and solidify so it can bear the load you want to place on it.
Besides, there are other factors involved as well in the determination of this time frame so make sure you pay attention to those as well.
When Can I Put Furniture On Refinished Hardwood Floors?
The ideal waiting time is 2-4 days before moving your furniture back on the refinished hardwood floors.
Refinishing often involves clearing the area or even the house if the entire house’s floors are hardwood and need to be finished.
This makes it obvious that one would want to move the furniture back in as soon as possible. But there is still a little more time you need to wait before you can do so, as several factors affect this time.
While there are mainly two types of varnishes, wax, and polyurethane, they often have subtypes, and it would require some digging to find out how much time each of them requires.
But worry not, as we have already done all the relevant research and found all the necessary information for you.
The first type is water-based polyurethane, which has a thinner viscosity and dries up much faster than the other type mentioned below.
However, it requires more coats if you want to give it the same strength as the latter. The usual time for drying is 2-3 days, so you can move your furniture in after this time has passed.
Moreover, oil-based polyurethane is the second type and has a much thicker viscosity with fewer coats. In this case, you must wait at least 4 days before placing any object on the floor.
In fact, it is better to check the surface for hardness before you decide to move anything on it. It is best to wait a little longer rather than risk the finish on your hardwood floors.
Therefore, always do your due diligence before you decide to move anything into the room. Besides, remember not to drag any object on the surface as it might leave scratches or scuff marks.
The next type we have is for wax finishes. There are mainly two types of waxes; solid and liquid wax. Although wax finishes have fixed sub-types, they vary in drying time depending upon the chosen product.
The liquid waxes are much thinner and flowy, which allows for a shorter drying time, whereas the solid waxes are much gooier and require much more time to solidify.
In general, you would need to wait for 2 days in the case of liquid waxes and 3 days for solid waxes before you can move in any furniture.
Climate
The climate is one of the most important factors in deciding when to put furniture on refinished hardwood floors.
However, if you live in colder environments, the drying time can increase significantly depending upon the intensity of the weather and average temperatures.
Ventilation
Last but certainly not least, ventilation and airflow play an integral role in the drying time of refinished hardwood floors. The greater the amount of ventilation, the faster the drying time.
If you need clarification about increasing ventilation, you can promote the blood flow and change the space from constricted to open.
For instance, opening doors and windows and turning on fans is a useful method of promoting airflow in the room to encourage faster drying of hardwood floors.
What Happens If You Put Furniture On Refinished Floors Too Soon?
If you put furniture on refinished floors before they have dried properly, you might experience dents and visible marks on the finish’s surface, which will surely be permanent. A varnish layer that has not dried completely is soft, and any pressure placed on it at this time will reshape the surface and harden accordingly.
Moreover, if the furniture is heavy, you might even face punctures in the finish as the feet of the sofas or beds can sink into the surface of the varnish and come directly in contact with the wooden surface.
You might be able to recoat the layer after this mistake if you have finished the floors using a wax layer.
However, in the case of polyurethane, you would have to strip off the entire finish and redo the process all over again, as it does not allow for recoating or spot repairs.
Resultantly, you will have to bear the extra expenses and the process’s troubles all over again until you can move your furniture back to the refinished floors safely.
Hence, it is better to wait 2-4 days so the finish can solidify and become hard enough to bear the load of the furniture and other items.
If you move any object on the floors before this time, you might even scratch or scuff the surface.
Depending upon the type of finish, you might need help spot-repair the area and would have to redo the finish all over again to fix the damage or bear the damaged area for another 2-3 years before it can be refinished again.
In fact, it is better to check the surface for hardness before you decide to move anything on it. It is best to wait a little longer rather than risk the finish on your hardwood floors.
Therefore, always do your due diligence before you decide to move anything into the room. Besides, remember not to drag any object on the surface as it might leave scratches or scuff marks.
How Long Before You Can Put Furniture On New Hardwood Floors?
Depending upon the time of finish you have used, you should wait for at least 2-4 days before you can move on your refinished hardwood floors again. In most cases, polyurethane or wax finishes are used on hardwood floors.
In wax finishes, you would need to wait 2-3 days, depending on the coats your hardwood flooring has received. The higher the number of coats, the longer you would need to wait before it is dried or cured.
As for the polyurethane finish, you can choose between oil and water-based finishes. Both of these require a different number of coats and have varying times to dry.
As for water-based finishes, they have a thin viscosity and must be applied in a higher number of coats.
However, you would need to wait at least 2 days before the hardwood floors have been cured properly and the finish has hardened so you can walk or place any furniture on it.
Lastly, oil-based finishes have a thicker viscosity and require a smaller number of coats. However, they need more time to dry and harden before you can step on them.
Can You Put Furniture On Newly Installed Hardwood Floors?
It is not feasible to put furniture on newly installed hardwood floors, regardless of whether they are finished.
The main reason behind this is that the legs of the furniture, be it wooden or metal, can cause dents and scratches on the surface of the wood. If you have prefinished hardwood floors, they can harm the finish.
Hence, the only suitable way of placing furniture on newly installed hardwood floors is to use felt pads. These are protective pads laced under the furniture’s legs or at any other point of contact.
They prevent direct pressure on a small area on the floor and allow for the surface area to be increased so that the weight can be divided and spread across a larger area to minimize the chances of damage.
Therefore, if you want to place furniture on new hardwood floors, use felt pads under the furniture to make it safe for your floors.
Conclusion
You need to be extremely careful while dealing with refinished hardwood floors as a simple mistake can cost you thousands of dollars.
Being impatient and moving the furniture on refinished hardwood floors early on can have drastic effects on the finish and the floor causing your efforts and investment to go to waste.
Therefore, it is better to wait for some time according to your climatic conditions and the finish type before you can place the furniture on the floors again.
If you also have refinished hardwood floors, make sure you follow these guidelines and avoid any unwanted results on your hardwood floors.
As a co-creator of FlooringFlow.com, Emma Sophia comes on board to answer all your questions related to any flooring problems. Together with John Henry, she’s gained extensive experience in fixing many flooring problems in their own house as well as in friends and family’s. Now, she wants to share her knowledge that she gained during floor remodeling, restoring, and DIY projects.
