Refinishing your hardwood floors is a big investment in your home but can totally transform your space and give it an instant upgrade. There are so many questions you probably have before deciding who to go with and what stain to chose like how much does refinishing hardwood floors per square foot cost and how long will this entire process take? Not to worry, we have got your back and reveal everything you want to know before hiring a contractor as well as exactly how much does refinishing hardwood floors cost.
We recently just moved into our new home and one of the first projects we wanted to tackle was refinishing the hardwood floors throughout the home. It was important to us to do the floors right away before we moved in all of our belongings and furniture. When I was searching online and trying to get quotes, I could not really find a straight answer to the question of how much is this going to cost us. Well I am here to share everything you need to know so that you won’t have as many questions and doubts as I did when we completed our floor transformation.
In this blog post, we will answer how much does refinishing hardwood floors cost and everything else you should know about before your project. Whether you are looking for some hardwood floor stain options or you want to make sure that the quote you recieved isn’t too high, we have all of the topics covered and our real life tips.
This blog post is all about how much does refinishing hardwood floors cost.
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Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner
Someone recently asked in a Facebook group what the best hardwood floor cleaner is and I personally love this Method squirt mop hardwood floor cleaner. It leaves my floors looking super shiny but the best part is the smell. I love almond anything and this almond scent makes my home smell amazing!
Before we reveal exactly how much we paid for our hardwood floors, we will share with you some of the most common questions you may have.
How much does refinishing hardwood floors cost per square foot?
The national aveerage of refinishing hardwood floors cost about $3–$8 per square foot.
What can change the cost of refinishing your hardwood floors?
Of course the cost of your refinishing your hardwood floors can vary depending on where your located, the square footage, and the condition your floors are in.
Here are some other factors that can make the price of refinishing your hardwood floors vary:
- Wood type
- Condition the floors are in
- Stains, damage and scratches the floor has
- Repairs
- Moving furniture in your home
What exactly are you paying for when you get your hardwood floors refinished?
You are probably wondering where does my money go and exactly the breakdown of the price. It is important to know what to expect when looking for a contractor and to know what questions to ask your contractor before you hire them for the job.
Here are some of the services that are included when you get your floors refinished.
- Sanding
- Staining
- Materials
- Repairs
- Trim removal and install after the job is done
- Furniture moving
When we refinished our hardwood floors, we saved some money by removing the trim on our own and moving any furniture out of the way prior to the job starting. We also installed our own trim once the job was completed to stay within our budget. The contractor gave us one price that included the sanding, staining, and replacing pieces that were not going to withstand the sanding process.
DIY vs. Professional Refinishing of Hardwood Floors
You may be wondering is it worth it to pay a professional to refinish my hardwood floors or should I just do it myself. Here are some factors to consider if you want to tackle this project as a diy:
- Rental equipment costs can be around $100 a day
- Materials you need to purchase like the stain, wood filler, brushes, etc.
- Time it will take to do the project
- Mistakes could happen
While refinishing your hardwood floors is very doable without experience, you need to know what your limitations are as far as time and skill.
I know someone who did stained their own hardwood floors and they came out fine but she had to make several trips to Home Depot in a day for material and had to complete the job in phases. In the end, she did save some money but did say it would’ve been easier to hire a professional from the beginning.
Average DIY Hardwood Floor Refinishing Cost
According to Google, most homeowners spend $300–$1,200 to refinish a room themselves, depending on the room size, tool rentals, and the finish they choose.
HELPFUL VIDEO ON HOW TO REFINISH YOUR HARDWOOD FLOORS YOURSELF:
How much does refinishing hardwood floors cost?
We paid $7,500 to professionally refinish our hardwood floors. This included some flooring that needed to be replaced, the labor, and the materials in a 2400 square foot home.
Our hardwood floor refinishing experience
What we learned:
- The floors smell for about 2-3 days after they have dried so it is ideal to complete this job when you can open the windows after the project is done
- Get several prices. We were quoted $10,000 from someone else for the same job.
- If you have stairs and want your balusters to match the floors, it can be a separate price.
- Make sure that you ask to see samples and in different rooms/ lighting. Our samples looked extremely different in each room.
- There will be scratches afterwards, life happens and the marks will be visible especially on darker floors.
- The type of wood you are refinishing can effect the outcome. For example, with our red oak we would never be able to get the warm tone out of our flooring to get the trendy white oak look.
Hardwood Floor Stain Ideas
One of the hardest parts about refinishing your hardwood floors is finding a stain color that you will love for years to come. I told my husband that picking out the name for our kids was easier than choosing a floor stain. I searched Pinterest for days and found it hard to find exactly what the floors would look like because each plank is unique and each home is different. We sampled a range of stains from very light to super dark and ended up choosing Minwax Provincial on our red oak floors.
(The other stains from left to right: Nordic seal, weathered oak, Provincial, Antique Brown)
Here are some factors to keep in mind when choosing a stain for your hardwood floors:
- The type of wood will effect the way your stain looks
- Test out your stain in different lighting
- Be sure to choose a stain that matches your home’s style and aesthetic
- Light stains make the rooms feel larger, are easier to clean and can hide dust
- Dark stains show more dust but give a warm feeling
- Be careful not to pick a hardwood floor trend. Opt for something you will love for years to come
Overall, we are so happy with the stain and job that was completed on our hardwood floors. Although the darker hardwood is not trendy at the moment, we felt like it was more us and we would love it for years to come. The darker hardwood does show dust and scratches more than the light stains but we are ok with it and just sweep daily.
This blog post was all about how much does refinishing hardwood floors cost.
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