Refinishing floors is a pretty common event nowadays. People like to refinish their floors when they use a new house or try to make the house look new. But you might know that refinished floor needs time to dry completely.
So, you might be confused about whether you can stay in your house while floors are refinished or not.
Well, you have to know what problem can create when you stay on a refinished floor. Then you can decide whether it will be okay to stay on a refinished floor or not.
Can I stay in my house while floors are refinished?
You should not stay in your house while floors are refinished. You should give at least 2 days to dry the floor completely. Otherwise, the refinished floor fumes might release volatile compounds that are toxic. Moreover, the scent of refinished floors is intensive that can kick-start a migraine.
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When you refinish your house floors, the floors will have refinishing fumes for some days. If you don’t have other options to stay, you might want to stay in the house while refinishing.
But the strong scent of a recently refinished floor can cause migraine pain if you already have a migraine.
Moreover, when you refinish your floors and don’t give enough time to dry the finish, it will not make the finish look good. If you keep furniture and walk on the floors immediately after refinishing, the smoothness of the floor might not remain oaky.
Besides, refinished floor produces fume that can cause short-time or long-time problems. So, staying in the house after refinishing the floors is not advisable. If you don’t have any other options, you should know how you can make the fumes and gases remove from the floor.
Are floor refinishing fumes harmful?
Yes, floor refinishing fumes are harmful. These fumes contain toxic elements that can harm both humans and animals. Generally, these fumes contain volatile compounds that are highly toxic to the whole environment.
Moreover, these fumes can cause both short-term and long-term health issues. For example, the fumes of refinishing floors have a strong scent. This scent can kick-start a migraine if you have a migraine problem. Besides, this fume can cause headaches.
In addition, if you inhale the fumes of refinishing floors, you might face severe health issues. For example, you can face problems in the liver, kidneys, and the central nervous system if you inhale the fumes.
How long should you stay out of the house after staining floors?
You should stay out of the house at least for 24 hours after staining floors. Generally, floors need time to dry completely. If you don’t keep the floor for drying, the finish will not be good. Moreover, you might have to stain or finish the floors again.
So, staying 2 days out of your house after staining floors is the best. The more time you will give the floors to dry, the better the finish will be. So, you should stay out for 2 days to get the best result.
Moreover, you should not place any furniture immediately after staining the floors. When the floors are completely dry after 2 days, you can place furniture and walk on the floors.
Why you should evacuate the place while flooring is being refinished?
You should not stay in the place while flooring is being refinished. Some problems might arise if you stay in the place. So, let’s see why you should evacuate the place while flooring is being refinished.
Strong scent:
While refinishing the floor, the refinishing scent stays for some days. So, this scent is so strong that it can cause a headache. Moreover, if you have a migraine problem, the migraine pain can start from the strong scent of the refinished floors.
Toxic fume:
When the floor is being refinished, toxic fumes are released from the floor. These fumes contain many toxic chemicals.
Besides, volatile compounds that are super toxic are also released from the fume. Inhaling these fumes can cause short and long-term health problems. Even you might face liver and kidney diseases.
Unsmooth floors:
If you stay in the house while the floors are being refinished, you will walk in the floors and keep the furniture. So, the floors will not be smooth. The finishing of the floors will not be smooth enough to look good.
Air pollution and allergy:
While refinishing floors, many works are done that cause air pollution and spread dust. If you are allergic to dust, it will cause you problems. Moreover, you can’t solve the problem of dust spreading. So, you should evacuate the place while refinishing floors.
How long does it take for refinished floors to cure?
It takes at least 24 hours to cure a refinished floor. Generally, 2 days are the best time duration to cure a refinished floor. But if you have a hurry, you should give at least one day to cure the floors.
If you don’t give enough time to cure the floor, the smoothness will not be okay. Moreover, the fumes coming out from recently refinished floors can cause health problems. So, you should give 2 days to cure and dry the floors completely.
How do you air out the floor after refinishing floors?
You should give enough time to the floor so that air passes out the floor after refinishing. If you give time for curing, the scent and fumes might still be present on the floors. So, you should try to air out the floor before using it. However, let’s see how you can air out the floor after refinishing floors.
Keep the area ventilated:
Keep all the doors and windows open and remove all the tools and excess materials from the floor.
Turn on fans:
Turn on all the fans of the house. Moreover, if you have extra fans, you can also use them to air out more effectively.
Use an air purifier:
Then you can use an air purifier to clean out all the volatile compounds and toxic fumes.
Use encapsulating sealer:
You can use an encapsulating sealer designer so that you can prevent VOCs from off-gassing.
Keep all the air ventilation mediums active long enough:
Finally, keep all the fans and air purifiers on for enough time until the strong scent is not gone.
How long does it take for the smell to go away after refinishing hardwood floors?
Generally, the smell takes 5 to 7 days to go away after refinishing hardwood floors. The toxic fumes might go away after some days. But the smell can still be present in the house for many days. Even the smell might not go away in a month.
So, you should try to air out the smell using several processes. Otherwise, the strong smell might stay in the house for up to a month.
Is it bad to breathe in floor stain?
Yes, it is bad to breathe in floor stain immediately after staining the floor. That’s why staying out from the place while staining or refinishing the floor is recommended. You should stay at least 2 days away from the place.
Because while refinishing, the floor releases toxic fumes that can be very harmful to breathe in. So, you should not stay in that place until the floor is cured. Otherwise, inhaling the fumes might cause long time health issues.
Even this fume and scent can be pretty dangerous for babies and animals. This can cause breathing problems in short term. Besides, the fume can cause lung problems in the long term.
Can you sleep in house after polyurethane?
No, you can’t sleep in the house immediately after polyurethane. Generally, polyurethane needs time to cure. You have to wait at least 2 days. Otherwise, the floors will not cure and the fumes released from the floors can be super toxic.
Moreover, the strong scent will stay in the house that can cause a headache. So, if you sleep in the house after polyurethane, the floor will cause both long and short-term problems. A headache can be a short time problem.
But if you smell the fumes immediately after polyurethane, the fumes might cause severe and long-term health problems. So, you can’t sleep in the house after polyurethane. You should stay away for at least 2 days.
Final Thoughts:
You can’t stay in your house after the floors are refinished immediately. The floors need time to cure after refinishing. So, if you don’t give them time, the floor will not be cured and spread a strong scent. Moreover, the fumes from the refinished floor will cause long-term health problems.