What should hardwood floor refinishing cost

The process of refinishing hardwood flooring is messy, even if you spend more on dust removal. Everything needs to be removed from the area. Those planks will need to be replaced. Knowing the species of your floor is important when choosing whether or not to stain. Ash flooring , on the other hand, is a little more subtle—so it can really benefit from a stain. Exotic wood floors are often a little more expensive, so it makes sense that their maintenance would be a little more complicated.

There are wood species that require a lot more care when refinishing. The same is true for faux wood flooring. Special wood floor designs like herringbone or chevron parquet require some additional care when refinishing, whereas wide-plank wood flooring is a bit more forgiving. But if you were set on a DIY project and your house has parquet flooring … you may be playing with fire. Each room needs to be completely cleared out, including all furniture and personal objects.

Doing this yourself will save you some money. Make sure to read reviews of different flooring stores and ask questions about their work! Everyone is different, so have a few questions ready. Refinishing hardwood floors is a messy process. One final option to save some money is to choose a recoat instead of a re finish. When you recoat your floor, it simply gets buffed with an abrasive pad and then recoated to restore the gloss and sheen. It does not get sanded down, though.

Translation: this is not the best choice if you have scratches, discoloration, or dings you want to fix. But if you just want to restore some shine to the floor, this option might work for you! Maintenance is key to extending the life of hardwood flooring. Wood floor refinishing in bedroom - before and after. Whitewashing is also known as pickling. Stairways with spindles take longer to sand and are priced at the higher end of the range.

Prices to refinish hardwood floors are higher than the national average in major cities or areas with a high cost of living. Alternative methods to redo hardwood floors are typically cheaper, but do not remove deep scratches, stains, or discoloration. Floor polishing is an easy DIY project that restores the wood's sheen without sanding but will not remove scratches or discoloration. Screening uses a thin buffing disc to remove the old finish without sanding the wood beneath.

Recoating removes minor scuffs and scratches on the surface and adds a new sheen to dull floors. Sandless refinishing uses chemicals to etch the old finish off, followed by a tinted finish that hides scuff marks and restores the wood's color and sheen.

Sandless methods are not effective for floors with scratches, stains, or damage. Hardwoods such as pine, bamboo, and parquet require special care while sanding or staining, but the total cost is the same to refinish. Engineered flooring features a base layer with a solid hardwood wear layer on top. Engineered floors may be sanded and refinished 1 to 5 times , depending on the wear layer's thickness. Oak is the most common hardwood for flooring. Pine is softer than oak and requires extra care when sanding to prevent grooves or chatter marks in the wood.

Sanding parquet floors requires special care from a professional because the wood grain runs in several directions. Solid and engineered bamboo floors may be sanded and refinished if the veneer layer is at least 2 mm thick. Bamboo flooring should be sanded at an angle to the grain on the first pass to reduce the chance of raising splinters. Bruce hardwood floors may be professionally sanded and refinished 1 to 3 times , depending on the type and thickness. DIY sanding voids the warranty.

Pergo and laminate floors cannot be sanded, refinished, or screened and recoated like solid hardwood. Laminate floors feature a top layer of veneer that is too thin for sanding. Refinishing hardwood floors vs replacing new floors cost - chart. Refinishing the floors is typically cheaper than installing new carpet, depending on the wood flooring condition.

Refinishing floors yourself without experience can easily ruin hardwood floors. Sanding incorrectly may cause uneven floors or deep gouges in the wood, requiring the replacement of individual planks or the entire floor. DIY cost to refinish hardwood floors yourself - chart. As opposed to wide-open hardwood flooring projects, small rooms such as hall bathrooms have higher prices per square foot because they include hard-to-reach corners that are tricky to navigate.

They require more time- and labor-intensive hand-held methods. Here is a more granular example of price per square foot lowers slightly depending on the total size of the wood flooring from Floorchain Inc. The number of square feet in your project is how the majority of flooring contractors charge for their hardwood refinishing services.

The price per square foot can vary depending on regional labor costs, whether you have a commercial or residential space, if you will be refinishing stairs and the total project size. Additionally, a floor that is in good condition will often have a lower cost per square foot than an older floor with heavy scratching that needs more prep work. Other factors that impact overall cost include sub-floor repairs or surface repairs work performed before floor refinishing or if you want old carpet removed from on top of a hardwood floor.

The application of a clear coat of oil-based or water-based polyurethane is standard for most refinishing jobs. A good finish protects the hardwood floors from wear and tear, and keeps the hardwood looking well-cared for. This coating dries quickly and doesn't have as strong an odor as other finishings.

However, water-based solutions are more expensive than oil-based polyurethane and are less tough against wear and tear. Oil-based finishes are extremely strong and will extend the lifetime of your refinished hardwood floors. They're fairly slow to dry, so you'll have to account for a longer project timeline to allow enough time for two to three coats to completely dry. Typically, a gallon of stain will cover to square feet of hardwood floors.

Exact pricing for stains will vary depending on the brand, flooring company, and total square footage of the project. If your floor has special features, the cost per square foot can be higher than the cost for a standard refinishing project. Special features can include rooms that are not rectangular or square, having a radiant heating system in the floor, the presence of supports or fixtures installed in the floor, and stairs. Prices are higher because the sanding has to be done by hand, requiring twice as much labor as flat surfaces.

The three most common types of stairs are box steps, where the staircase has a wall on either side; steps with one side open; and steps with two sides open.

The local cost of labor also plays a role in your cost for stair refinishing as so much of the work has to be done by hand. If the flooring pros need to make repairs to a hardwood floor during a refinish job, costs will increase. Some flooring pros charge a minimum fee for services when doing small repairs to cover travel expenses as well as the effort of bringing and unloading all the tools, setting up, and then cleaning up.

It is most cost-efficient to consolidate repairs with refinishing work if possible. If your floors are particularly damaged or old, it may cost less to have them replaced.

The type of wood will most dramatically affect the total cost of the project, with high-end woods like maple costing more. To find the best pro to refinish your flooring, use these tips:. Also, keep in mind that pre-finished hardwood floor owners should find experienced pros. Pre-finished floors receive their topcoat in the factory, not after the raw wood is installed in a home. The price for refinishing won't necessarily differ from traditional hardwood, but this material requires a professional with the know-how to work with it.

According to Floorchain Inc. It will cost more, in the long run, to have the problem fixed. For more tips on smart hiring, check out Thumbtack's safety page. For example, professional flooring contractors usually charge more than handymen who specialize in home improvement projects.

Refinishing hardwood can be undertaken by anyone with some experience handling power tools and performing DIY projects, but it's wise to enter into the work with a full understanding of what's involved. You will also have to purchase stains, finish, and any brushes or sprayers that will be required to apply them. Remember that it will take a professional about five hours total to refinish square feet of flooring, so factor in the time commitment when deciding whether to do this project yourself.

A DIYer, on the other hand, can expect to give up the better part of a weekend to do a good job when refinishing a floor. If you happen to live in a very humid climate, then the process of drying stains and finishes can take significantly longer. This may mean that the project stretches out over more days, making the rooms inaccessible for long periods of time while they dry.

Refinishing a hardwood floor is a very messy and chaotic endeavor. It involves sending sawdust flying indiscriminately into the air, and this dust can cause allergies or asthmatic reactions in people who are sensitive to it. Wear breathing protection, such as a particle mask, when sanding and cleaning up the dust. Sanding is followed by the application of stains and finishes, which can smell terrible and be toxic to the interior air quality of the space for short periods of time.

During application of finishes, wear whatever breathing protection is recommended by the manufacturer, and provide as much ventilation as you can. With extensive projects, people sometimes opt to leave for a few days while the dust settles and the fumes clear. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.

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