Worked case: recoating a café dining room floor at closing time — what happens and what it costs

The scenario

Picture a café in a ground-floor storefront with an oak dining room. The finish has worn through along the path from the entrance to the counter and around the busiest tables. The wood itself is sound, so a full sanding is not needed.

The owner cannot close for a week. The plan is to treat half of the room at a time, closing at the usual hour, moving tables and chairs to the other half, and reopening the cleaned half in the morning once the maker's data sheet allows foot traffic. Both halves are done within a few evenings.

A heavy-traffic coat is chosen for the paths, since a regular coat would wear through again soon. At the entrance, the threshold is re-fitted where the old one has loosened and caught a few shoes.

Odor is a concern in a place where food is served, so the finish and the ventilation plan are discussed in advance, and the room stays closed to customers while the finish cures.

What the job involves

1. Half of the room is cleared, the floor is cleaned and degreased, and a test patch checks that a new coat will bond.
2. The cleared half is abraded evenly with a buffer and a fine screen.
3. Dust is removed, and a coat of heavy-traffic finish is applied, followed by a second coat if the plan calls for it.
4. The half is closed to customers for the maker's drying time, while the other half is used.
5. Tables switch sides and the second half gets the same treatment; the threshold at the door is refitted.

Materials and tools

• Floor buffer and fine abrasive screens
• Degreasing cleaner, vacuum and tack cloths
• Heavy-traffic water-based finish
• Plastic sheeting, tape, fans for ventilation, and a replacement threshold

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Extra heavy-traffic finish coat — +$450–$1,600. An extra heavy-traffic coat is a flat line.
• Entry and threshold transitions — +$150–$550. Entry and threshold transitions are a flat line.

Why it is done this way

Restaurants and cafés wear their floors along fixed paths, and a maintenance recoat on a schedule is the cheapest way to keep the finish from reaching the wood. It costs a fraction of a sanding and needs less time.

The wear surcharge in the calculator reflects the extra care these traffic paths need. The extra coat and the threshold are flat lines since they do not scale with the room's area.

The schedule, working in halves after closing, is a flag for the contractor; the calculator does not add a price for it.

What would change the price

• The test patch shows wax, grease or a sealer that blocks bonding.
• Part of the floor is worn through to bare wood and needs sanding.
• The room is larger or includes a back corridor.
• The owner needs the work done in a single overnight rather than in two halves.
• A bar or counter has to be protected or moved.