Should You Recoat or Refinish Your Lacquered Wood Floor?
Lacquered wood floors offer a durable, easy-to-clean finish — but like all flooring, they don’t last forever. Over time, daily foot traffic, dirt, and cleaning wear down the protective lacquer layer.
When your floor starts looking dull or patchy, you have two main options:
- Recoating (also called screen and recoat) — a maintenance treatment
- Sanding and refinishing — a full restoration
Understanding which is right for your floor can save you time, money, and avoid unnecessary sanding.
Table of Contents
What Is Recoating? (Screen and Recoat)
Recoating is a maintenance process where a fresh coat of lacquer is applied without sanding the floor back to bare wood.
Here’s how it works:
- The floor is thoroughly deep cleaned to remove built up dirt, grime and cleaning residues
- Once fully dry the surface is lightly abraded or “screened” to lightly key the surface
- Dust is removed with a vacuum and tack cloth
- A new coat of lacquer is applied to rebuild the protective layer
If you’re weighing up which finish to reapply once the floor’s sanded, see our guide on oil vs lacquer finishes to help decide.
When to Choose Recoating:
- You’d like a low-disruption, faster turnaround option
- The lacquer is dull or mildly scuffed
- There’s no major damage or exposed timber
- You want to extend the life of your floor without a full restoration
What Is Sanding and Refinishing?
This is a full restoration process:
- The floor is sanded back to bare timber – removing all the existing finish and leaving an new cut of fresh timber.
- The surface is then sealed with new coats of lacquer, oil or hardwax oil
It removes scratches, stains, finish failure, and damage — giving your floor a brand new surface. For a complete overview of what full restoration involves, see our wood floor restoration guide.
When to Choose Sanding and Refinishing:
- You’re restoring a very old or poorly maintained floor
- The lacquer is worn through or peeling
- There are deep scratches, black marks, or uneven patches
- You want to change the finish type or floor colour (via stain)
Which Option Is Right for You?
| Floor Condition | Recommended Option |
|---|---|
| Dull, lightly scuffed, no bare wood | ✅ Recoating |
| Deep scratches, exposed wood, heavy wear | ✅ Sand & Refinish |
| You want to keep existing colour/look | ✅ Recoating |
| You want to change colour or sheen | ✅ Sand & Refinish |
| Floor hasn’t been recoated in 5+ years | Likely needs sanding |
How Often Should These Be Done?
- Recoating: Every 3–5 years depending on foot traffic and maintenance
- Sanding & Refinishing: Every 7–10 years (or when finish has failed)
With good maintenance and scheduled recoating, you can often delay full sanding by several years — saving cost and preserving floor thickness.
Cost varies depending on which route your floor needs — see our wood floor sanding cost guide for a full breakdown of what affects the price.
What We Offer at DAB Floor Care
We offer:
- Free floor assessments to determine the right method
- Virtually dust-free sanding using Lagler PST® technology
- A range of lacquers, oils, and hardwax oils
- Sample patches to test finishes before application
- Fast-drying options and low-odour solutions
We operate across Huddersfield, Halifax, Rochdale, Manchester and surrounding areas.
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