Screen and Recoat

Refreshing a Bona floor without a full sand. Half the time, a fraction of the dust, and the right result -- when the conditions are right.

What a screen and recoat actually is

A screen and recoat is a maintenance procedure, not a repair. It adds a fresh coat of polyurethane over an existing finish that has dulled or worn thin but has not failed structurally. The "screen" part is a light abrasion of the current topcoat to create a mechanical key for the new coat to grip. The "recoat" part is a single coat of finish applied directly over the abraded surface.

It does not remove the existing finish. It does not touch the timber. It does not fix deep scratches, water damage, or board-level problems. Think of it as adding another layer on top of what is already there.

When a screen and recoat works

• Good existing finish. The current coating is intact -- no peeling, no flaking, no large areas of bare timber. Surface wear, dullness, and fine scratches are fine.
• Compatible coating. The new topcoat must bond to the existing one. Bona water-based topcoats recoat well over other Bona water-based finishes. Unknown finishes need a compatibility test first.
• No deep damage. If there are deep gouges, pet stains that have gone through the finish into the timber, or water damage with black discoloration, those areas need a full sand. A recoat will not hide them.
• Clean surface. No silicone-based polish, no wax buildup, no residue from cleaning products that leave a film. Silicone is the most common reason a screen and recoat fails -- the new coat beads up and craters over the contamination, creating fish eyes.

When it does not work

• Silicone polish contamination. If the homeowner has been using a spray-and-shine product that contains silicone (most hardware store "floor polish" does), the silicone is embedded in the finish surface. Screening alone will not remove it. The new coat will crawl and crater. Full sand required.
• Incompatible existing finish. Oil-modified polyurethane under a water-based recoat can cause adhesion failure. Wax finishes and hard wax oils cannot be recoated with polyurethane. If the existing finish is unknown, test first.
• Peeling or flaking finish. If the existing coating is delaminating, adding another layer on top just gives the problem more material to peel. The adhesion has already failed. Full sand.
• Deep scratches and wear-through. A recoat blends minor scratches but does nothing for scratches that have cut through to bare timber. Those will show through the new coat as clearly as they showed through the old one.

Equipment

A buffer is the standard machine for screening. A Bona FlexiSand with a maroon conditioning pad is the preferred setup -- the maroon pad is aggressive enough to key the surface without cutting through the finish. Alternatively, a 120-grit screen disc under a standard buffer does the same job with a slightly more aggressive cut.

For edges, a hand pad or small orbital with a maroon pad. The goal at the edges is the same as the field: scuff the gloss off the existing finish without cutting through it.

Vacuum thoroughly after screening. Any dust left on the surface becomes a nib in the new topcoat. The standard for a screen and recoat is the same as for a fresh finish: clean enough that a white cloth wiped across the surface comes up clean.

How to test compatibility first

Before screening the whole floor, pick an inconspicuous area -- inside a wardrobe, behind a door, under where the couch will go. Screen a 300 mm square, clean it, and apply the topcoat. Let it cure fully (overnight minimum). The next day, try to peel it with a fingernail or a piece of tape. If it lifts, the coats are not bonding. Do not proceed with a screen and recoat on that floor.

This test takes 24 hours. It saves days of stripping a failed recoat off the entire floor.

Topcoat picks for a recoat

• Bona Traffic HD -- the toughest option. Two-component, extremely hard-wearing. Ideal for commercial or high-traffic residential recoats where the next maintenance is years away.
• Bona Traffic GO -- single-component but still in the Traffic family. Faster cure than HD, good hardness. Residential recoats where same-day furniture return matters.
• Bona Mega -- solid residential single-component. Easy to apply, reliable adhesion on recoats. The workhorse choice for most residential screen and recoat jobs.

No primer is needed on a screen and recoat because the existing finish is acting as the primer layer. The new topcoat goes directly onto the screened surface.

The prep checklist

• Move all furniture out. Recoating around furniture is not a shortcut -- it is a visible line in the finish.
• Clean the floor. Bona Prep or a pH-neutral cleaner. No vinegar, no all-purpose cleaners with surfactants. The surface must be free of residue.
• Screen with maroon pad or 120-grit screen. Even pressure, overlap each pass. Check under raking light -- every square centimetre of the floor should have a uniform scuff pattern with no glossy spots remaining.
• Vacuum and tack. Vacuum with a good-quality machine, then tack with a slightly damp microfibre mop. Not wet -- damp.
• Apply one coat of topcoat. T-bar or roller, following the manufacturer spread rate. Do not over-apply -- heavy coats on a recoat are more prone to bubbling.
• Cure. Follow the topcoat data sheet for light foot traffic and furniture return times. Traffic HD needs the hardener addition and the full 3-day cure before heavy use.

For more on edge blending and avoiding visible transition lines, see the picture framing guide.

Related: Care FAQs →