What refinishing a hardwood floor costs, and why quotes differ
Refinishing is priced from what the floor needs, and a recoat and a full sand are two very different jobs.
The short answer
The level of refinishing sets the cost more than anything else.
The cost to refinish hardwood floors depends first on which job your floor needs. A buff and recoat refreshes the finish and is a fraction of the work of a full sand. A full sand takes the floor back to bare wood and rebuilds the finish from scratch. After that, the size of the floor, repairs, stain, finish type and stairs move the number.
That is why two quotes for the same room can look so different. One may be pricing a recoat and the other a full sand. Ask which one each quote is for.
Recoat or full sand
How to tell which one your floor needs.
- 01
A recoat is enough when
- The floor looks dull or lightly scratched
- The scratches are in the finish, not the wood
- There are no gray or bare traffic lanes
- You are happy with the current color
- 02
A full sand is needed when
- Traffic lanes have worn through to gray wood
- There are deep scratches, dents or water marks
- The old finish has yellowed or peeled
- You want a different stain color
The extras that change a quote
Each one is a separate line, so ask about them.
Repairs. Replacing damaged or water-stained boards before refinishing adds time and material.
Stain. A natural finish skips the stain step. A color adds a coat, drying time and care to get it even.
Finish type and coats. Water-based and oil-based finishes cost different amounts, and more coats mean more labor.
Stairs. Each step is sanded and finished by hand, so stairs are priced per step.
Furniture. Moving furniture out and back adds time if we do it for you.
In Los Angeles, the sun is part of the decision too. A clear water-based finish keeps light floors light, and a matte or satin sheen hides wear in sunny rooms.
Refinishing or replacing
Refinishing almost always costs less, when the floor allows it.
A solid hardwood floor can be refinished several times before it needs replacing. Refinishing is usually far cheaper than new wood, and it keeps the original floor. Replacement makes sense when the boards are too thin to sand again, when damage covers most of the room, or when you want a different floor altogether.
If you are not sure which you need, we look at the floor and tell you. See our hardwood floor refinishing page for how we run the job.
Questions about refinishing costs
Is refinishing cheaper than replacing a hardwood floor?
Yes, in almost every case. Refinishing reuses the floor you have, so you pay for labor and finish rather than new wood, removal and installation. Replacement only makes sense when the floor cannot be sanded again or you want a different floor.
Not sure if your floor needs a recoat or a full sand?
Send us photos of the worst areas and we will tell you which job it is before we quote.