Among the living houses, hardwood flooring is probably the best and most attractive type of flooring surface, that can add to your home most coziness as well as most valuable. But unfortunately, even with all of its pros it still has cons. One of them – they are not timeless, and you still need to maintain them to look presentable. However, with proper refinishing done plus well-timed maintenance they can last up to 25 years before the next refinishing is needed. Which is a pretty long time if comparing it to other surfaces. (link to the article “Compering hardwood flooring to other surfaces”)
In this article, I am going to address, such questions as:
Ok, why you may think about refinishing, several possible reasons:
If points 6 to 9 is your situation – you might not need a refinishing and an extra coat of polyurethane finish might fix your situation – link article “Buff-coating – what is this, when do I consider it, pros, cons, cost.”
If the first 5 points represent your situation – then most likely it's going to be refinishing.
However, since hardwood flooring is limited in thickness, this as well means that it is limited in times of possible refinishing. So, first of all, you need to know – would it be refinishing or replacement of wood.
Hardwood flooring boards have a special method of fitting them together edge to edge, which is called “Tongue and groove”. This method allows two flat pieces to be joined strongly together to make a single flat surface. These slots are located in the middle of the board thickness with an approximately equal amount of wood under it and above it. And it really matters because the amount above the tongue and groove slots determine exactly how many times your flooring can be refinished.
In the newly installed wood flooring, there is approximately a quarter of an inch above tongue and groove which represents 3-4 possible times that this wood can be refinished. As I mentioned before one proper refinishing can last up to 25 years, we are looking at 75 to 100 years of potential usage, which no other surface can give you, honestly. (link to the article “Comparing hardwood flooring to other surfaces”).
So, you need to look if you still have that space (at least 1/16 of an inch) above the “tongue and groove” slot). If you are having a hard time finding a board with an open side where you can take a look at its thickness (no heating “grills” or transition with other surfaces in your house) you can still, try to determine if you have enough wood by your flooring appearance. By appearance I mean – if your boards look tight to each other with no unusually big gaps in between them and if you are not seeing shiny nail heads right in between your boards – you are most likely fine for one or several more refinishing.
Ok, let’s say your floors are good enough for at least one more refinishing (or if you determine that it’s not please visit – link to the article “How to replace your hardwood flooring, process, price, duration”).
There are most obvious benefits, such as you will have nice and shiny floors under your feet, it will instantly increase the cosines of your house, make it more presentable and you can host parties so your friend can enjoy it too.
But if being completely serious, most benefit - is of course proper use of wood flooring resource that left. As I never tried to mention - proper refinishing plus on-time maintenance may prolongate the look of your floor for more than 25 years which means saving money and your nerves. And by proper, I mean - with the right use of machinery that can guarantee top quality and with the right use of coloring options as well as protective materials to prevent that look for years. More in the article:
(Link to article: “Floor sanding options, their difference and how to choose one”)
To not mention the fact, that you can have flooring with the exact color, sheen, and overall appearance that you would love. Which is probably an even more important factor.
As a flooring professional with years of experience, I found it completely unproductive to discourage people from sanding their hardwood floors themselves. After all, it may save you a good amount!
Nevertheless, it is always worth mentioning what you should expect when planning DIY, which are:
With all of that being said, there is still an important question that remains – “What the price ranges are?”
I will base my estimation on 1000 sq. ft. which is pretty close to the average size of an apartment in the USA and the most round number I can operate with and easily transfer it to price per square foot.
So, DIY would look like this:
Altogether we are looking at $858 per 1000 sq. ft. or $0.86 per sq. ft.
Pro`s cost:
There are different types of flooring professionals that can give you a broad spectrum of price ranges as well as quality ranges.
For example, 1000 sq. ft. can cost from $1500 to $5000 or $1.5 to $5.0 per sq.ft. If you ever thought about why there is such a drastic difference, here are again link to my other article (link to the article “Floor sanding options, their difference and how to choose one”) Where I tried to put it all together using my experience of working in this sphere. Basically, it all can be boiled down to the amount of detailed sanding flooring the contractor willing to put into work as well as the quality of machinery his using, quality of coloring and protective materials, and his experience of using different types of machinery which can let him spend more or less time on your project.
To make it easier, I would say that the most logical thing for me would be to give you the cost at what contractor can do the closest work to DIY in terms of quality of sanding and material he used. And that would be $1500 to $2000 per 1000 sq.ft. or $1.5 to $2.0 per sq.ft.
Straight to the final numbers:
DIY style refinishing of hardwood flooring - $858 per 1000 sq. ft plus 35-45 working hours or 5-6 typical working days.
Professional refinishing with matching quality - $1,750 per 1000 sq. ft. plus 15 working hours or 2 typical working days.
In summary, I would like to say only that doing your wood flooring by yourself or hiring a flooring professional has both their gains and losses and I only hope that this article would help you to make a more concluded decision. Because most importantly, you can have your newly restored beautiful wood flooring at the end.
TESTIMONIALS
127 reviews
Online EstimateSasha and team did a wonderful job! They worked efficiently so that my family could move into our new home right before the holidays. The quality of work was exceptional. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to refinish their floors!
Emily Troge
127 reviews
Online EstimateWe had hardwood installed in our living room, abutting existing hardwood in our dining room. Sasha and team did a fantastic job installing the new flooring, sanding the existing flooring and matching everything precisely. They were incredibly responsive, professional and ...
Karen Stevens
127 reviews
Online EstimateSo pleased! My ugly amber red oak floors have been transformed into a beautiful sand color that Vlad was able to replicate from a photo, perfectly by custom mixing stains and applying a perfect satin finish. Sasha was amazing, they started the job on the day they said ...
Mich Burt
109 reviews
Online EstimateI had an urgent need for hardwood floor repair. Sasha listened and responded immediately. He kept me informed throughout the project. Vlad did the work with care and he made my floor look like new in time for my house inspection ...
Nancy G.
109 reviews
Online EstimateI highly recommend Weles Company for their expert talent. Sasha and Vlad were knowledgeable and masters of their craft. They refinished my kitchen floor to a perfect color match to my cabinets, as requested, so now I am very satisfied.
Carolyn J.
109 reviews
Online EstimateWeles was an absolute pleasure to work with. Sasha communicated clearly and promptly during the entire process, and listened to all of our input throughout the project. They were able to navigate a few challenges quickly and efficiently ...
Shoham B.
A - Rate
42 reviews
Online EstimateExcellent. Exceeded our expectations. Weles dealt with challenging subfloor conditions-uneven concrete slabs and wood subfloors. And they managed to make our new wide-plank wood floor installation level and beautiful. No transitions were required!
Mario Abanto
A - Rate
42 reviews
Online EstimateThey showed up wearing masks at ALL time, since safety is a #1 priority right now. They were VERY professional and did an excellent job bringing my 17 yr old hardwood floors to life. Floors were sanded, but there wasn't any excess dust and they allowed me to select sever…
Jamela B.
A - Rate
42 reviews
Online EstimateI have nothing but wonderful things to say about about the crew at Weles! From first contact, Sasha was incredibly helpful. I knew what I wanted the floors to look like, but didn’t know what type of wood I wanted or if I should go with pre-finished or not, and he took ...
Megan Smith