It is not a good idea to inhale paint fumes from oil or water based paints. Your lungs will thank you for leaving the house while work is being done and until house has been aired out.

Even the water based polyurethanes require sanding prior to use. The sanding machines are going to be LOUD. If you are BELOW them you are going to think their machines are going to come down on your head at ANY minute. It would be best to take a day or two off and be elsewhere while the work is happening.

I like to see customers stay in town during a flooring refinish. It means they are close enough to visit the site in the morning and evening. They can keep an eye on progress and are within a short drive should the installers come across something unusual that needs the owner to view it and then approve it.

Dogs are territorial. They can be traumatized by super loud events in their home that they are not allowed to 'deal with' (ie. not allowed to bark, not allowed to chase the people away, etc). Again it is a good idea to have dogs and cats out of the space while the work is being done.

The 'fumes' of the water based polyurethanes can be bad (if your finishers went cheap) or it can be tough but with enough dry time/airing out time it is livable within a day (high priced stuff). Without knowing what product you are getting on your floors, we cannot comment any further on odour.

Odour is the number 1 cause for homeowners to leave the house for the first few nights after the job is finished (and the nights DURING the work). Again, the PRODUCT dictates odour...not your nose or your lungs. Personally I would make sure I have a stay-cation during the work/application of the finishes.

And remember: the colder it gets the longer it takes for the finishes to cure and the less likely you are to open up all the windows (yet keep the heat pumping) to let the house air out. All of those factors will add up.

Dogs' noses are many thousand times more sensitive than ours and their lungs are smaller. That means they can have more issues then humans when it comes to odour and off-gassing. Cats are the same.

Besides, you need to stay off the floors until the full cure happens. The dogs have to as well....and the furniture. Area rugs are to stay off for SEVERAL months (many refinishers will tell you to leave the rugs off the floor for 6 months or more).

As you can see, all of this adds up to the decision to leave the home (overnight stays) during work and while the floor is curing/off-gassing.

Please tell us which finish you have paid for.

Ask them to apply coatings in the morning and have the house vented. That gives you the day to be out. When you return in the evening, the smell should be gone and the finish dried. This means no multiple coats in one day.

No. We had this done several years ago. It was summertime; we stayed away all day but slept on the screened in back porch at night. We had 3 sandings so it was a long process.

Thank you all for your expertise and insight, I really appreciate it! We will stay with family while this is being done, and luckily my husbands work is close to home so he will be able to stop by morning, afternoon, and after work to check on the house.