Commercial Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Scranton, PA
Offices, restaurants, retail floors, churches, function halls and historic downtown buildings. Commercial hardwood takes far more traffic than any house, and it fails in a different way: the finish goes first, in defined paths, long before the wood is in trouble.
The work is the same craft as residential, with three differences that matter: the scheduling has to fit around your business, the finish spec has to be heavier, and the plan has to account for reopening.
Scheduling Around Your Business
Most commercial jobs here run evenings, overnight or across a weekend. Restaurants get done between close and open. Offices go Friday evening to Monday morning. Where the space cannot close at all, we phase it, sectioning the floor with containment so one area is worked while the rest stays open.
Finish Specification
Commercial-grade water-based polyurethane, three to four coats rather than the two a home receives. It cures harder, it cures faster, and low odour matters when people are back in the room the next morning. Oil-based is rarely right for commercial work simply because of the 24-hour recoat window.
Historic and Institutional Floors
Scranton's downtown and its churches hold some of the best wood in the region, often heart pine or old-growth oak laid over a century ago and never properly serviced. These floors are usually thin from previous sandings and need assessment before anything is switched on. Sometimes the right answer is a screen and recoat rather than a sanding, precisely because there is not much wood left to spend.
Maintenance Beats Refinishing
The cheapest commercial floor is one that gets recoated on a schedule. A recoat every two to four years in a busy space costs a fraction of a full sanding and never removes wood. We will quote the refinish you asked for and then tell you what the maintenance cycle should be, because the second one is where the money is actually saved.
What It Costs
Commercial refinishing runs $4 to $8 per square foot depending on condition, coat count and access. After-hours and phased work carries a premium for the scheduling, not the labor. Maintenance recoats run $1.50 to $3. Every job is quoted in writing after a site visit, with the scope and the reopening time stated up front.
Can you work after hours so we do not have to close?
Yes, and for most commercial jobs that is the default. Offices and retail are usually done evenings and weekends. Restaurants are typically done in the window between close and open. We plan the schedule around your trading hours rather than ours.
How long before we can walk on it and put furniture back?
With water-based commercial finish you can usually be back on the floor in socks within a few hours and in normal use the next day. Oil-based takes 24 hours between coats and is rarely the right choice for a space that has to reopen quickly.
Do you handle historic buildings?
Yes. Scranton has a large stock of churches, halls and downtown buildings with original wood floors, often heart pine or old-growth oak. These need a lighter touch and sometimes hand work rather than a drum sander. We assess thickness and species before committing to an approach.
What finish holds up to real commercial traffic?
Commercial-grade water-based polyurethane, usually at three or four coats rather than the two a house gets. It cures harder and faster than residential product. For very heavy traffic we discuss a maintenance recoat schedule up front, because recoating on time is cheaper than sanding again.
Can you phase the work so part of the space stays open?
Usually yes. We section the floor and complete one area at a time with containment between zones. It takes longer overall but keeps you trading throughout.