Hardwood Floor Refinishing Cost: The Ultimate Guide

Refinishing a house is one of the best decisions homeowners should never hesitate to spend their hard-earned money on. Overall beauty, durability, and strength are the key aspects that make people prefer hardwood floors over others. There is a wide variety of flooring options in the market fitting different personal styles at large.

The type of flooring you choose depends on the budget hand. Before you embark on the real project, you will carry out an estimate of the amount you will spend to complete the project without overspending. Your estimated budget should balance both the quality and style of flooring you desire.

Tips when choosing hardwood flooring

1. Ensure you match everything

There are different rooms in your home, the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and many others. The choice of flooring you will use should match the room you plan to refinish. This way, you will give every room the beauty it deserves.

2. Use different woods in different rooms

Different types of woods are used in different rooms at large. You should ensure the colors of the hardwood match with the cabinets. Also, you should have an idea where dark and light finishes do well.

3. Get things that match your lifestyle

There are rooms in your house that are seldom used, and others get a lot of traffic every day. These rooms should have different flooring finishes at large. For instance, if you consider a sitting room that is seldom used, you can use lighter finishes in this. On the other hand, in areas receiving a lot of traffic like in halls and living rooms, you will use a tougher finish.

4. The color and style

These are essential aspects homeowners should mind when refinishing their houses. You should get hardwoods that fit your taste at large. You should also ensure your budget fits a type of wood that goes hand in hand with the style you need.

The benefits of hardwood flooring

Before we get information about the cost of hardwood refinishing, we need to start by exploring its numerous benefits. Most people prefer this type of flooring for some reason. Hardwood floors provide homeowners a generation of lasting beauty. In the market, you will find several hardwood flooring options.

They include the white oak, cherry, maple, white ash, red oak, etc. All these options stay to serve the purpose of maintaining the elegance of a house. However, to offer the desired beauty and elegance, they need regular maintenance.

Ensure you treat them three to four years. Below are a few hardwood flooring benefits you should learn to help you decide on your next flooring projects.

1. Hardwood floors are durable

Everybody needs something that will serve its intended purpose for an extended period. When thinking about house refinishing projects, this should be one of the key aspects you need to consider. You need a flooring option that is strong to serve you for an extended period.

Hardwood floors emerge one of the durable flooring finishes we have around. They are easy to install, repair, and maintain. If maintained well, they can stay for even a century serving you the best to make your house elegant.

2. They add warmth to a house

You should keep your house always warm for you and your family. Apart from installing the HVAC system around your home, the type of flooring installed in your house serves a great purpose to maintain your house warm.

benefits of hardwood flooring

Hardwood floors are great insulators around; they keep the heat in your home. They are also warm, making them more pleasant to walk on than other flooring options.

3. Allergic reactions

You will find most households covering their floors with carpets and other rugs at large. However, all these are breeding grounds for mold and mildew. You can vacuum clean them, but you won’t get all dirt from their surfaces at large. All these agents can be dangerous to people with various allergies.

But then, the type of flooring you will consider for your house will serve a purpose in lessening these problems. Hardwood floors don’t accumulate debris like pollen, mildew, mold, and other harmful bacteria.

They are the market options for people living with environmental allergies. People also prefer flooring options that don’t allow the buildup of mold and mildew.

4. Hardwood floors are easy to clean

Cleaning is one of the ways to maintain your hardwood floor. Different flooring options have different methods to clean them. Others will need to vacuum, scrub to get rid of hidden dirt and debris and sweep and mop them. You need a flooring option that is easily maintained.

Hardwood floors just can be swept and mopped a little to give a house a great look for a long time. You can also consider refinishing them once in a while to maintain them looking perfect.

5. They add value to your property

The value of a house is a significant aspect to look at, especially if you plan to sell it in the future. For this reason, you need to maintain your house high all through.

Hardwood floor is one of the available flooring options that increase the value of a home. Most people who use carpets will have the old and look bad over time. However, hardwood floors will maintain your house attractive for an extended time.

The cost to refinish hardwood floors

Expenditure to refinish a house remains a big question when people plan to start such projects. You will relate the materials and workforce you will require for the project, but you still can’t settle on the project’s estimated cost.

Different hardwood flooring finishes have different requirements at large. Every floor is assessed before you decide to employ it on its merit. “One size fits” all is a thumb rule people use when restoring their floors. In refinishing hardwood floors, this does not apply.

There is no exact amount you will incur to refinish your house. Different hardwood refinishing service providers charge differently. Their costs depend on the size of the space they will work on, their tools, and many others. In the discussion below, you will get an idea of the estimated cost you will incur to refinish hardwood floors. Read on to get everything on this topic.

You will call a professional hardwood refinishing service provider to assess the rooms you plan them refinished to start on this. The professionals will evaluate your floor and offer you a list of what you require. You will also be provided with an estimated cost of everything on the list to guide you on how much you need to set aside for the project.

You will find most of the service providers educating you on the best flooring finishes that fit your budget. They will also welcome questions to help you make an informed decision. In the end, they will provide you a list of options that will fit the budget you have.

The factors that determine the price of hardwood floor refinishing

  • The present condition of the floor you plan to refinish
  • The amount of leveling required before refinishing the floor
  • Whether the floor can sustain leveling
  • Do you require repairing it before you work on it?
  • The size of the room you plan to work on
  • Access to the area
  • The level of experience of the service providers
  • The cost of refinishing in your locality
  • The period the jobs will take to complete
  • The materials you will use
  • The style you desire
  • The level of quality you need

These are some factors that will guide you to form a rough estimate of how much you need to refinish your house. Professionals will highlight all these during the inspection to help you plan before you embark on the project. However, the rough estimate shouldn’t be the only amount you will set aside.

You will add an extra amount to cater to other miscellaneous issues that you will encounter when you start to work. Now, after learning all these, what is the average cost of hardwood floor refinishing?

The average cost for hardwood floor refinishing

Averagely, you need between $3 to $5 to refinish a house per square foot. This depends on the size of the space you will work on, its current condition, and the materials you need.

For instance, if you plan to work on a 15 by 15 room, you will incur between $750 and $1250 to refinish the house. If there won’t be preparations or repair of the room, you will pay relatively lower than the set average.

Money-saving tips for hardwood floor refinishing

Every person wants to do projects that fit their budgets at large. However, you need to ensure that your project doesn’t compromise your work’s quality and style. Below are a few tips that can help you save some coins when doing hardwood floor refinishing.

1. Research well before you decide

You need to make an informed decision about everything you do. Before you decide to purchase something, research the nearest local store or online to get an idea of what will work best for you. In the market, you will find both the unfinished and prefinished hardwoods. You need to have an idea about them and their differences at large.

You can read about them online or visit your nearest store to see them in person. Have an idea about the various wood options around and their prices. This way, you can purchase cheaper hardwoods and still serve to give your room a beautiful look.

2. Hire an experienced service provider.

If you lack the idea of how you can do the project yourself, you should hire an expert to do it on your behalf. However, you won’t run for any person you will get on the way. Have a list of about five experts in the field and evaluate them to get someone who is best for the project. You will ask them for their references and work permits.

Most of these service providers also charge differently at large. The cost they charge depends on the type of tools and materials they use for such projects. Others will also charge you following the level of experience they have in the field. From your list of service providers, you will choose the one who charges affordably and assures excellent results.

3. Always avoid using water on your finished floor

Water makes hardwood floors to rot. For this reason, always avoid any water on them and use only appropriate cleaners. Excellent flooring cleaners have a neutral pH. This way, you will maintain your floor strong to serve you for an extended period.

4. Avoid installing hardwood floors on places subjected to water

Not all rooms in your home should be refined using wood. Kitchens, for instance, are subjected to too much water spills and other cooking fluids. If you still find it good to refinish such areas with wood, you should ensure to clean any spill soonest to prevent from rotting or damage.

Most homebuyers don’t consider houses whose kitchens are finished with wood. For this reason, you can save money by not installing hardwood floors in such rooms.

5. Use more coat finishes

You need a hardwood floor that will serve you for an extended period. Kitchen floors prone to spills need an extra coat of finish compared to the sitting room and bedrooms.

Ensure you use three or four coats in bedrooms and sitting room. In kitchens and other areas prone to spills, ensure you use extra coats. This way, you will maintain them to serve you longer.

Conclusion

The type of hardwood flooring you choose serves a significant role for your house at large. Hardwood floors add elegance and beauty to a home. They are easy to install, clean, maintain, and stay for an extended period.

There are various wood floor options available in the market; they offer homeowners different color and styles they need to fit their lifestyle. Maintain your hardwood floor to serve you for an extended period.

Resources:

  1. https://www.bobvila.com/articles/cost-to-refinish-hardwood-floors/
  2. https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/flooring/refinish-wood-flooring/
  3. https://www.thespruce.com/cost-to-refinish-hardwood-floors-1314853
  4. https://www.flooringstores.com/blog/cost-to-refinish-hardwood-flooring/

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FAQ:

Q: How much does it cost to refinish a hardwood floor?

A: If your hardwood floors are dull, scratched, and looking old, it’s probably time to refinish them. According to HomeAdvisor, the typical price range to refinish hardwood floors is between $1,074…

Q: What is the best cleaning for hardwood floors?

A: The quickest and most effective way to clean hardwood floors is with a damp mop. Before mopping, make sure that you have removed all surface dust from the floor. This can be done with a soft broom or lightweight vacuum cleaner.

Q: What is the average cost to install hardwood flooring?

A: As such, hardwoods floors can be a more expensive choice; both regarding the material itself and installation costs. Hardwood typically costs $6 to $18 per square foot , including installation. Most spend around $2,500 – $7,500 for the project. That’s a pretty wide range, let’s examine some factors that determine the cost of a hardwood floor:

Q: How often should I refinish my hardwood floors?

A: The good news is that the majority of hardwood floors only need to be refinished every 8 to 12 years, although you may find that the floors in certain areas of the home need a refinish more often, particularly in the kitchen which tends to take a lot of traffic!