Hardwood floors are beautiful and durable, which is why they’re so popular. However, hardwood floors have to put up with a lot of wear, like walking, furniture moving, and general activities of day-to-day life. Eventually, those hardwood floors need to be refinished, which is the process of sanding 1, staining, and refinishing the floor so it looks new again.
As with most home renovation projects, there isn’t a one size fits all model. A few factors that go into the total cost include the size of the floor, the location and layout (including the presence of impediments like radiators), condition of the original floor, whether you need furniture moved, and the cleanup process (which can be extensive).
For a 200 sq.ft. room, expect to pay around $850-$1,260 for sanding, staining, and applying a water-based polyurethane finish.
With as much time as we spend in our homes, it’s natural to see some wear and tear over time. A household’s worth of shoes, chairs, and heavy furniture will eventually start to damage the finish and the finish can actually start to break down over time.
There isn’t a set period of time when your floors need to be refinished, but there are a few signs that can indicate that it’s time to refinish:
Water-bead test: as we mentioned, sometimes the finish can start to wear, which means your floor isn’t as well-protected against moisture. To test how your finish is holding up, try the water-bead test: apply a couple of drops of water to the floor. If they absorb quickly into the floorboards, it’s time to refinish. If the water beads on the surface, you should be okay for a while.
There are a few different floor types, which will make a difference in how your floor gets finished.
Type | Description | Can it be refinished? |
---|---|---|
Solid wood | A single, solid piece of wood for each floorboard | Yes |
Engineered wood | A layered product Has a top layer of natural wood on top of layers of plywood 2 | It depends on the thickness of the top layer Top layers that are 0.5-1mm cannot be refinished, only recoated with polyurethane Top layers that are 5-6mm can be refinished 3-6 times |
Prefinished | Floorboards arrive already prepared with a finish | Yes Provided there is at least 1/8th inch from the top of the board to the tongue |
Our tips on how to tell when a floor needs to be refinished can apply to all of these floor types, but be aware of the status of an engineered floor, as it may not be eligible for refinishing. The top layer may be too thin, and the floor (or individual floorboards) may need to be replaced ($12-20 per sq. ft.).
There is a lot that you need to do to prepare a floor for refinishing. The whole room needs to be cleared out, including wall hangings. Dust from sanding will go everywhere, so everything needs to go. If you need help moving furniture, a short-term mover will cost about $200-$300 per hour. The flooring professionals will cover your floor vents to make sure dust doesn’t get in there, but you may want to cover doorways to avoid dust spreading.
Additionally, you could go an extra step and remove the baseboards before refinishing. It’s not necessary, but it does make the process a little bit easier in terms of refinishing the floor. You could remove the baseboard yourself, or a carpenter would cost about $70 an hour to do the work. Plan for one hour for removal and one hour for reinstallation for a total of $140.
There are certain steps and terms related to hardwood floor refinishing that may seem familiar but should get some clarification:
Sanding is required when there are deeper issues with your floor beyond superficial scratches. If the finish has worn away in some places but not others, the whole floor may need to be sanded. This is also true if you want to change the color of your floor, since you’ll need to sand beyond the current stain. The sanding process is very messy, creating a lot of dust, but it’s sometimes necessary.
The refinishing process refers to anything from sanding to recoating and is a broad reference to making a hardwood floor look fresh again. You need to refinish if there is water damage, or if water easily seeps into the wood, or if there are significant scratches across the floor.
This is a more simplified version of refinishing. The surface of the floor is lightly buffed, which makes the topcoat stick to the surface more easily. This is really only suitable for light refinishing, but it does create less mess without the sanding process. Screening and recoating costs $1.50-$2.25 per square foot.
Some flooring experts offer a service that is known as “dustless” refinishing. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t sanding, but that professionals will use advanced vacuum technology to keep dust from landing on everything in your home. Contractors won’t charge for this via a line item, but the contractor may give you a slightly higher quote for using specialized tools. Expect to pay on the higher end of the price spectrum, closer to $6.30-$7.30 per square foot.
There are different ways of describing the type of finish on your floor, namely satin and glossy. A satin finish looks smooth to the touch but lacks the luster of a glossy finish, which looks wet.
There are three main materials for finishing a floor:
Finish | Description | Material cost |
---|---|---|
Oil | Low-gloss approach Brings out wood textures Has to be reapplied every 3-5 years | $56 per gallon |
Water-based polyurethane | High-gloss finish Easy to apply | $100 per gallon |
Wax oil | An older approach to floor refinishing Has less shine than polyurethane Easy to maintain | $100 per liter (around $30 per gallon) |
The refinishing process has several different components, depending on what your floor needs. The floor may need to be sanded down to bare wood, which will be done by your flooring crew. This process can take about 3-4 hours, and then the floor will need to be vacuumed, probably more than once (again, the crew will do this for you).
If you’re not doing a full refinishing job, the floor crew may only buff the floor and recoat it. There is buffing equipment for this process that lightly scuffs the surface, which will make it easier to apply the finishing coat.
After the sanding process, the floor may be stained, but this is only if you want to change the color of the wood. After the stain dries (which takes about 24 hours), the floor will be finished with a final coat for protection, either wax, oil, or polyurethane. Some flooring contractors will apply more than one coat. It takes about 24 hours for one coat of polyurethane to cure.
Contractors charge by the square foot to sand, stain, and finish, but special considerations will need to be made if you have radiators, cabinets, or an unusual floor plan that may require hand sanding. In average climate conditions, the refinishing process can take 3-5 days from start to finish, but some of that time includes waiting for the stain or finishing coat to dry.
While you could, in theory, do some of the refinishing process yourself, it’s really better left to the pros. Professionals have their own sanding equipment, industrial vacuums, and better tools for completing a refinishing project in a neat, efficient manner. Expect to pay between $4.80-$7.30 per square foot for a professional crew to sand, stain, and finish a hardwood floor, which includes the cost of materials.
The best way to avoid frequent refinishing is to take good care of your hardwood floor. There are many different ways to maintain a hardwood floor, but the main way to help out your floor is to keep it clean. Sweep often, making sure debris that can cause scratches is in the trash where it belongs.
In addition, using area rugs can protect the floor, though you miss out on some of the beauty of the floor. Use soft pads on the underside of furniture legs such as chairs and tables. That way, when you have to move furniture you can spare your floor potential damage.
Finally, clean spills as soon as they happen. While the finish on the floor does protect against moisture, don’t rely on that entirely, as water and other liquids can cause stains. The finish is not totally impervious to moisture, but serves as a temporary barrier.
Refinishing should be done when the top coat on your floor has started to wear away and water can easily seep into the floorboards. You may need to replace part or all of your floor if water damage is too severe, or if you have an engineered or prefinished floor that’s too thin at the top. If the majority of your floor is soft or bouncy, it probably needs to be replaced rather than refinished. If only a few floorboards need replacing, that can be done during the refinishing process.
Process | Pros | Cons |
---|---|---|
Refinishing | Less expensive than replacing Change the color of your floor Possibility to replace individual boards | Messy process May interfere with daily life Not always an option |
Replacing | Less messy than refinishing Change the species of your floor wood | More expensive than refinishing |
Wood is a natural substance that reacts to the environment around it. As it gets colder wood shrinks, and it expands in warmer weather. With that in mind, it’s always best to save your floor refinishing for the summer time. If any boards need to be replaced, it’s best to do it when the wood is going to be at its largest. Making repairs when the wood has contracted can sometimes lead to complications once the weather starts to get warmer. Gaps in the floorboards may result in needing to replace the boards, but usually it involves simply using a filler, which is often included in the price of refinishing. If you need to have any boards replaced, expect to pay $12-$20 per square foot for materials and $4.80-$7.30 per square foot for sanding, staining, and sealing.
Staining can be part of the refinishing process, but it’s not required. Staining takes place after the floor has been sanded and should only be used when you desire a change in color from the original wood color. The stain needs to dry completely before the finish can be applied, which usually takes about a day. Sanding, staining, and finishing a floor will cost $4.80-$7.30 per square foot.
Refinishing stairs is an entirely separate issue with its own set of complications. Refinishing professionals have to use hand tools to treat stairs individually, as their regular equipment is too large. Spindles 3 also create additional concerns. Expect to pay $25-$35 per step. The average two-story home has about 15 steps, so refinishing an average flight of stairs would be $375-$525.
Sometimes floor refinishing is needed after finding hardwood underneath a carpet. While you could possibly remove the carpet yourself, it’s much easier to get a pro to do it who can also handle disposal. Carpet removal will cost $0.40-$0.90 per square yard for removal and disposal.
Hand sanding is required in certain situations where the floor sander can’t reach. If you have a radiator, for example, the area underneath and around the feet of the radiator will need to be hand sanded. Anticipate an extra $100 for floor sanding in these areas.
Hardwood flooring costs $12-$20 per square foot, including installation. A 1,000 square foot floor would cost $12,000-$20,000 for installation.
Hardwood flooring costs $12-$20 per square foot, including installation. A 1,500 square foot floor would cost $18,0000-$30,000 to replace the floor entirely, including installation. To refinish the floor with sanding and staining, it would cost $4.80-$7.30 per square foot, or $7,200-$10,950.
Refinishing a wood floor involves sanding, possibly staining the floor, and applying a finishing coat. The cost of refinishing a 200 square foot floor, including sanding, staining, and finishing, costs $850-$1,260.
It is cheaper to refinish a hardwood floor than replace it. Refinishing a 200 square foot room would cost $850-$1,260 to sand, stain, and finish with polyurethane. Replacing a hardwood floor of the same size would cost $2,000-$4,000 for solid or engineered wood.
The cost may vary depending on if any boards need to be replaced or if furniture needs to be moved, but if you’re simply sanding and refinishing the floor without staining, it will cost $4.25-$6.30 per square foot.
Hardwood refinishing is the process of repairing the top surface of a hardwood floor and giving it new life. This process usually involves sanding, staining, and applying a finish.
Refinishing is different from replacing, in that the wood is kept. Some boards may be replaced if there is significant damage, but in general, the top layer of finish, be it wax or otherwise, is removed, the exposed boards are stained (optional), and the floor is then finished with a topcoat that will protect it from scratches and moisture damage.
That depends on the current condition of your floor. If you have an engineered or prefinished floor that is too thin on the top layer, it cannot be refinished. If the majority of your floor has significant water damage or is soft or bouncy, it would need to be replaced rather than refinished.
Cost to refinish hardwood floor varies greatly by region (and even by zip code). To get free estimates from local contractors, please indicate yours.