How Long Does Floor Refinishing Take?
No source read for this site gives one typical length of time for refinishing a whole floor, and this article does not invent one. What manufacturers publish is drying, cure and walk-on times for their own finishes. This article sets three current data sheets side by side, adds the timings Bona states for its own treatments, and explains what those numbers do and do not tell a homeowner. The times belong to the products, so they are examples, not a schedule for any particular job.
Three data sheets side by side
A dash means the figure was not among those read for this article.
| Bona Traffic HD (waterborne) | Minwax Super Fast-Drying Polyurethane for Floors 350 V.O.C. (oil-based) | Minwax Ultra Fast-Drying Polyurethane for Floors (water-based) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drying between coats | 2-3 hours | At least 6-8 hours, until the finish is no longer tacky and can be walked on | At least 2 hours but less than 8 hours |
| Light foot traffic | After 24 hours, though the floor remains susceptible to scuffing or marring until completely cured | 24 hours after the final coat | 24 hours; avoid heavy traffic |
| Area rugs | Not until the floor has fully cured | - | Not for seven days |
| Cure | About 3 days: 80% after 1 day, 100% after 3 days | - | - |
| Conditions the times assume | 65-80°F and 40-60% relative humidity | Thin coats, good ventilation, 77°F and 50% relative humidity | 77°F and 50% relative humidity |
| Data sheet | Bona, dated 05/27/2026 | Minwax, Rev. 1, 1/30/2026 | Minwax, undated, read in 2026 |
Each sheet says something the others do not. Bona's says the floor may be walked on after 24 hours but stays susceptible to scuffing or marring until it has completely cured, and that abrading between coats is not needed unless more than 48 hours have passed. Minwax's oil-based sheet says that if more than 10 hours pass, the surface is sanded lightly with 220 grit before the next coat. Minwax's water-based sheet says not to slide furniture when it goes back.
Bona's own timings
Bona's website gives timings for its own treatments: a "revive" treatment is ready in a few hours, a recoat is ready overnight, and a refinish is ready in 2-4 days (Bona, as of 2026). Those are Bona's claims for its own system. They are not industry norms, and they do not describe a job done with any other product. The screen and recoat page covers the lighter treatments.
Why a refinish takes several coats and several days
The three data sheets explain the pattern. A finish is applied in coats, and each coat has to dry before the next: 2-3 hours for the Bona waterborne product, at least 6-8 hours for the Minwax oil-based product, and at least 2 hours but less than 8 hours for the Minwax water-based product. Then the finish has to cure. Bona's sheet separates the two: the floor may be walked on after 24 hours, but it is 80 percent cured after 1 day and fully cured after 3 (Bona data sheet, 05/27/2026). A floor that can be walked on is not yet a floor that has finished curing.
The number of coats also differs by product, which is covered in the full refinishing process page. The two Minwax products, one oil-based and one water-based, differ in how soon their coats can be recoated: at least 6-8 hours against at least 2. That is two products, not two classes, and water-based vs oil-based finish covers what is and is not known about the classes.
The recoat window
Two of the sheets also give a window for the next coat, and it works in both directions. Minwax's water-based sheet asks for at least 2 hours but less than 8 hours between coats, and its oil-based sheet asks for at least 6-8 hours. Both then say what to do if the window is missed: the water-based sheet says to sand lightly with 220 grit, and the oil-based sheet says the same after more than 10 hours. Bona's sheet puts the limit at 48 hours, after which the floor is abraded with 180-240 grit (data sheets, 2026). In other words, a coat that goes on too late needs extra work, so the days on a schedule depend on each coat going on within its product's window.
When furniture and rugs go back
The data sheets speak more clearly about rugs than about furniture. Bona says not to replace area rugs until the floor has fully cured, which its own sheet puts at about 3 days, and Minwax's water-based sheet says not to install rugs or clean the floor for seven days (data sheets, 2026). On furniture, Minwax's water-based sheet says not to slide it when it is replaced, and Bona's maintenance instructions call for felt pads under furniture. No sheet read for this article gives a furniture date, so a homeowner should ask the person doing the work which finish is going on and what its sheet says. The aftercare article covers the routine that follows.
Is there a best time of year?
Bona's website (a different page from its Traffic HD data sheet) says there is not really a best time to refinish hardwood floors, so long as the home's temperature is consistent during the job and the cure, and it prefers 65-75°F there. It adds that in high humidity a homeowner may want to wait (Bona, as of 2026). That is a general preference stated on Bona's website; the data sheet's own application conditions, 65-80°F and 40-60% relative humidity, are in the table above and apply specifically to applying that product. No source read for this article gives Iowa-specific timing, so this article does not either.
What to plan around
The sources give enough to plan around, without a total:
- The finish needs its coats to dry, and the times differ by product and by class.
- Light foot traffic is possible about 24 hours after the last coat on all three data sheets, with the floor still curing.
- Rugs wait longer than feet do, and the sheets say how long for their own products.
- Temperature and humidity affect the times, and the sheets state the conditions their numbers assume.
Preparing your home covers what to set up before the work starts. A quote should say which finish is proposed, how many coats it takes, and what its data sheet says about drying and cure, so the days can be worked out for that product.