Frequently Asked Questions

The water test is a quick way to check: drop a small amount of water on the floor. If it beads up, the finish is still intact and a recoat may be sufficient. If it soaks in, the finish is gone and you likely need a full sand and refinish. Deep scratches, gray or black staining, or areas where the wood is visibly bare always require sanding. When in doubt, book a free estimate — we'll take a look and tell you exactly what's needed.

A solid hardwood floor can typically be refinished 5–8 times over its lifetime, depending on the wood thickness. We carefully assess each floor before sanding to ensure there is enough material remaining. This is one reason we choose our sandpaper grits carefully — over-aggressive sanding removes more wood than necessary and shortens the floor's overall lifespan. Engineered hardwood can usually be refinished 1–3 times depending on the thickness of the veneer layer.

Yes, in many cases. Whether engineered hardwood can be refinished depends on the thickness of the top veneer layer. Thicker veneers (3mm or more) can usually be sanded once or twice. Thinner veneers may only support a light screen-and-recoat without risk of sanding through to the core. We assess each floor individually before recommending a course of action.

Most hardwood floors in Bay Area homes need full refinishing every 7–15 years, depending on foot traffic, pet activity, and how well the finish is maintained. A recoat every 3–5 years can extend the life of your finish and delay the need for a full sand-and-refinish. We'll give you an honest assessment during your free estimate — we won't recommend more work than your floors actually need.

Water-based finish dries faster (2–4 hours between coats), has a milder odor, and dries clear — preserving the natural color of the wood. Oil-based finish takes longer to dry (8–12 hours between coats), has a stronger odor, and adds a warm amber tone to the wood. Oil-based tends to be more durable long-term, while water-based is a better choice if you need to remain in the home during the process. We offer both Polyurethane and Waterborne finishes and will help you choose based on your floor type, wood species, and lifestyle.

Yes — this is one of our specialties. Andy Tran and our crew have decades of experience restoring the original Douglas fir floors found in San Francisco's Victorians and Edwardians. These floors require extra care due to their narrow board widths, thinner wood stock, and softer wood characteristics. We know how to bring them back beautifully without over-sanding.

We refinish all common Bay Area hardwood species including Douglas fir (very common in SF Victorians and Edwardians), red oak, white oak, maple, walnut, and more. Each species requires a slightly different approach for sanding grit sequence and finish selection — our experience across 5,000+ Bay Area homes means we know how to handle each one correctly.

We serve homeowners throughout the Bay Area, including San Francisco (Pacific Heights, Noe Valley, the Sunset, the Richmond, SOMA, Mission District, Castro, Cole Valley, Haight-Ashbury), Marin County (Mill Valley, San Rafael, Tiburon, Sausalito, Novato), Oakland (Rockridge, Piedmont, Montclair, Grand Lake), and surrounding cities.

Dustless sanding uses a Dust Containment System with powerful vacuum motors connected to all of our sanding equipment. The vacuum captures most of the dust at the source as we sand, virtually eliminating airborne dust during the refinishing process. The result is a cleaner job site, less post-job cleanup, and a healthier environment — especially helpful for homes with young children. We cannot guarantee a 100% dust-free environment due to the nature of sanding work, but the difference compared to traditional sanding is dramatic.

Some fine dust may still settle on walls or window sills — this is normal even with dustless sanding. You may need to wipe things down after the job. If dust settles on wet finish, the floor may feel slightly rough at first but smooths out within a few weeks of use. Our system dramatically reduces this compared to traditional sanding methods.

We arrive between 8:00–9:00am. We do a walk-through first to cover all details. For refinishing jobs, we return on subsequent days to apply additional coats.

Yes, please clear the work area of furniture and personal items before we arrive. We offer furniture moving service for an additional fee if needed.

We recommend hiring a plumber to disconnect/reconnect appliances connected to water or gas. We can move them if needed for an additional fee, but we cannot be liable for water or gas leaks.

A full sand-and-refinish project typically takes 4–8 days from start to finish. Each of our three finish coats requires 24 hours to cure before the next coat goes on. A recoat-only project is faster, often 1–2 days. We'll give you a specific timeline during your free estimate based on your floor size and condition.

You can walk on the floors in socks after 24 hours following the final coat. We recommend waiting 48–72 hours before replacing furniture. Full cure — where the finish reaches maximum hardness — takes about 30 days. During that time, avoid rubber-backed rugs and dragging furniture, as the finish can still be marked.

Each of our three finish coats needs 24 hours to dry and cure before the next one goes on. Companies that claim to do three coats in one day are cutting corners. We don't — and the durability of the final result shows it.

Water-based finish has a mild odor that fades in a few days. Oil-based finish smells stronger and takes longer to air out — you may want to stay elsewhere for a night or two. We'll help you choose the right finish for your situation before the project begins.

Minor scuffs to baseboards or walls can happen when moving equipment. We do our best to avoid this, but be prepared for possible touch-ups. Our bids do not include painting or touch-up work.

Yes, estimates are always free. Book online to share your project details and we'll get back to you promptly.

Yes. We do a walk-through with you before the job is considered complete to make sure you're happy with the result.

Yes. We warranty our work against any workmanship issues.

Yes — we hold both certifications. Hi-Tech is an active member of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA). Our team is trained on industry standards for hardwood floor sanding, refinishing, and installation, and our ongoing commitment to continuing education keeps us current on best practices.

Yes. CA License #859459 (C-15 Flooring). You can verify at the CSLB website.

Yes. We carry $1 million in general liability insurance for both residential and commercial work.

In most cases, replacing solid hardwood is unnecessary and far more expensive than restoration. Here's how to think about it: if your floors have deep scratches, worn-through finish, or water staining that has penetrated the wood, a full sand-and-refinish is the right call. If the finish is intact but dull or lightly scratched, a recoat (screen-and-recoat) restores the surface without removing wood. Replacement only makes sense if the boards are structurally damaged, severely warped, or have been sanded so many times there's no wood left to work with. For most Bay Area homeowners with solid oak, maple, or Douglas fir floors, refinishing delivers a like-new result at a fraction of replacement cost. Read our full comparison guide →

Traditional sanding generates a large amount of airborne fine dust that settles throughout your home and can take days to clean up. Dustless sanding uses vacuum-contained equipment that captures the dust at the source as we work. For San Francisco Victorians and Edwardians specifically, dustless sanding is strongly recommended: these homes tend to have older HVAC systems, intricate moldings, and tight layouts where dust migration is a real problem. Our dustless system dramatically reduces the dust that enters your living spaces, protects your finishes and furniture, and makes the post-job cleanup far easier. We cannot guarantee a 100% dust-free environment, but the difference is dramatic.

Water-based finish dries clear and fast (2–4 hours between coats), has a milder odor, and is better if you need to stay in the home during the job. It preserves the natural tone of the wood. Oil-based finish dries slower (8–12 hours between coats), has a stronger odor that may require you to vacate overnight, and adds a warm amber tone that many people find enhances the look of red oak and Douglas fir — both very common in Bay Area homes. For Douglas fir floors in SF Victorians, many homeowners prefer oil-based for that warm tone. For maple or lighter woods where you want a clean, natural look, water-based is often the better choice. We'll make a recommendation based on your floor species and lifestyle during your free estimate.

Almost always worth refinishing — and we say this as specialists who have restored thousands of original Douglas fir floors across SF's Victorians and Edwardians. These old-growth Douglas fir floors are denser, tighter-grained, and more durable than anything available new today. Once refinished, they outperform modern replacements in both character and longevity. The exception is if boards are badly cupped, structurally rotted, or have been sanded so many times the wood is too thin to work with — but this is rare. In most cases, refinishing delivers a stunning result and preserves the historic character of the home. Replacement with new Douglas fir of comparable quality is difficult and expensive; refinishing is almost always the smarter choice.

Oak is our primary specialty. We refinish and restore all types of oak flooring — red oak, white oak, antique oak, quarter-sawn oak, rift-sawn oak, and character grade oak. We also refinish engineered oak floors where the wear layer is thick enough to sand (typically 2mm or more). Oak is the most common hardwood species across the Bay Area, and we've restored thousands of oak floors in San Francisco, Marin County, and Oakland homes since 1998.

Yes, in many cases. Engineered oak can be refinished as long as the wear layer — the top veneer of real hardwood — is thick enough to sand. Generally, a wear layer of 2mm or more allows for at least one refinish. Thinner wear layers may only support a light recoat. We'll measure the wear layer during our estimate and give you an honest assessment of what's possible. Not all engineered floors can be refinished, but many can be significantly restored.

With a water-based finish, most customers are back in their home within 2–3 days. Water-based finishes dry in 2–4 hours between coats, which means we can apply multiple coats in a single day. Oil-based finishes take longer — typically 4–8 days — because each coat needs 8–12 hours to dry before the next is applied. Water-based finishes are also lower odor, which makes them a good choice if you need to stay close to home during the project. We offer both options and will recommend the right one based on your floor species, lifestyle, and timeline.

Hi-Tech Hardwood Floors is a family business, owned and operated by Andy Tran and his son Harry Tran. Andy founded the company in 1998 and has been refinishing Bay Area floors for 28 years. Harry leads day-to-day operations and is your primary point of contact — from the initial estimate through project completion. Both Andy and Harry are on-site on every job. You're not hiring a crew that dispatches whoever's available; you're working with a family that takes personal responsibility for every floor we touch.

Yes. For condo refinishing projects that require HOA approval, we can provide the documentation needed, including STC ratings, IIC ratings, and acoustical underlayment recommendations. We are a fully licensed contractor experienced with condo communities throughout San Francisco.

Book online for a free estimate, or call us at 415-720-1612. We serve San Francisco, Marin County, Oakland, and surrounding Bay Area cities.