The cost to refinish hardwood floors depends on several variables, including where you live, how large an area you’re planning to refinish and the condition of the floors.if you want to know how much cost to refinish hardwood floor you need to know view thing like :
- cost for local material
- cost for equipment delivery to and service provider transportation to and from the job site
- cost to prepare the worksite for hardwood floor refinishing
- cost to protect existing structure, finishes, materials and components
- cost for job cleanup and debris removal at project completion
- Cost Labor setup time, mobilization time and minimum hourly charges that are commonly included for small hardwood floor refinishing jobs.
If you decide to hire a professional to refinish your floors, you’ll want to start by asking friends and neighbors for recommendations and then do some comparison shopping to know cost to refinish hardwood floors. Ask potential hires:
How much experience do you have?
Who will do the actual work?
The business owner may be a salesman but not a refinisher. Determine the competency of the individuals who will be doing the work — and ask who will be supervising them.
Can you provide references?
Not only do you want to talk to those references, you should take the time to visit businesses or residences where the contractor has done work. Be wary of contractors who won’t put you in touch with past clients.
Who is responsible for moving heavy furniture and appliances?
How will you protect built-in cabinetry and shelving?
Who is responsible for cleanup and debris removal at the completion of the project?
How will you protect the rest of my home from dust?
What are the conditions of payment and to what extent do you guarantee your work?
Costs for this job will vary greatly, depending on material costs, delivery costs, disposal fees and labor costs. According to the vendor-neutral, online home source Homewyse, the average professionally completed refinishing job costs $3.32 to $3.70 per square foot in 2014. That figures out to $2,656 to $2,960 to refinish 800 square feet of hardwood floors.
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Note: If your floors are made of cumaru, ipe, wenge or some other type of exotic lumber, it’s likely you’ll be charged more. Some exotic woods are extremely reactive to changes in moisture; others are so hard they can burnish when you’re trying to sand them. Additionally, the dust of some exotic species actually makes people ill and must be handled with extreme care.
Hardwood floors add warmth and depth to any living space, and they're relatively easy to clean and maintain as long as they receive the attention they need. One of the primary maintenance issues with wood floors is bare wood exposure, which can lead to rot and decay. Most homeowners spend between $1,000 and $2,137 on refinishing although that depends on whether they refinish or recoat the floor.
Both refinishing and recoating can ensure that floors are properly protected from damage and decay. Before getting bids, though, homeowners should determine whether they need to refinish or recoat. The difference between the two processes is important, even though the two methods appear to be similar.
Wood Floor Refinishing and Recoating Costs
Recoating hardwood floors simply includes adding an additional protective layer on top of the floor's existing finish. Refinishing, however, involves sanding the floor's current finish down to the original bare wood and then adding a protective layer. As with any home improvement project, the cost of refinishing hardwood floors varies based on location, floor material, floor condition and other factors.
Material Costs
The average cost to refinish hardwood floors is $970 to $1,250 per 300 square feet -- the average reported size of a kitchen in 2012. That cost can easily rise depending on the specific floors, their condition and extra enhancements. Any variations from standard or straightforward refinishing projects add to the overall cost. Some of these variations include:
- Refinishing versus recoating
- Total square footage
- Condition of floor
- Quality of finish or coating
- Number of finishes or coats required
- Stairs
- Carpet or other flooring removal
- Accessibility
Questions to Ask a Wood Flooring Contractor
Along with getting an accurate quote from any potential flooring contractors, be sure to assess the following labor costs and considerations before beginning a hardwood refinishing or recoating project:
- Contractor experience
- Contractor references
- How many workers will it take to get the job done?
- Who will be doing the work?
- How long will the job take?
- Is moving furniture included or does the homeowner need to do that beforehand?
- What is the procedure for cleanup of dust and debris?
- What are the payment conditions?
Wood Floor Refinishing & Recoating Process
There are several steps involved in the process of refinishing and recoating, and many depend on the particular home and flooring situation. The following are the basic steps involved:
#1 Screening the Floor
Not all floors can be screened, so this step may or may not be on the list for a particular flooring project. If the floor in question qualifies, though, this step could be the only one necessary before applying a new coat of polyurethane finish on the floors.
Screens are clog-resistant sanding disks, and the process of screening removes the floor finish without cutting into the wood itself. This step should only be done on a floor with a non-waxed polyurethane finish floor.
Screening can only occur when the floor's finish is worn, scratched or dull, but the wood beneath has not been damaged or stained. This process is also called buffing and tends to cost around $1 to $2 per square foot, totaling $200 to $250 to complete a slightly worn room measuring 15x15 feet, or 225 square feet.
#2 Sanding the Wood
When there is a wax coating on top of the floor's polyurethane finish or when the wood underneath the finish has been damaged or stained, the finish must be sanded down. During this step, the existing finish on top of the hardwood floors is sanded down to just bare wood. Though it's possible for homeowners to rent a sander and take on this step themselves, the risk of leaving large gouges in the floor is relatively high for a DIY project. This task is best left to the professionals.
#3 Staining the Hardwood
This step might not be required if the color of the hardwood floors is already fine. If homeowners desire a different hardwood floor color or tone, though, it's time to call in a professional to stain the floor. This step generally requires several applications in addition to sanding in between coats. This typically adds time and cost to the overall project.
#4 Finishing or Coating
The most common finish is polyurethane, which resists nearly everything and can withstand heavy traffic. Both types of polyurethane finish are durable but have a few distinct differences. An oil-based finish will turn an amber color over time, while a water-based finish will remain clear, keeping the wood the same color over time.
Water-based finish dries faster, which can be a bonus if there's a time restriction or deadline. This type of finish cannot be worked on when wet, though, so hardwood professionals must take care not to make mistakes when working with water-based finishes. Oil-based finish takes around 24 hours to dry, and it's easy to fix mistakes along the way with this type of finish. A final distinction is the cost. Water-based polyurethane runs around $40 per gallon, while oil-based polyurethane is around $25 per gallon.
Other options for finish are water and acid-cured. Water-based finishes are more eco-friendly with low odors and VOCs, but they are not as durable as other finishes. An acid-cured finish leaves an exceptionally tough coating through a two-part process. A bonus for the acid-cured finish is that it dries extremely fast, so it's possible to apply two coats in a single day. Most brands of acid-cured finish produce a volatile odor that forces homeowners to leave the home until the project is finished, in addition to avoiding using light switches and turning off pilot lights.
Extra Enhancements
From finish quality to hardwood type, several factors can increase the cost of refinishing hardwood floors. Here are some of the most common factors that increase the cost of a refinishing project:
Exotic wood: If the floors are made from exotic lumber, expect to pay a premium price since exotic floors are more difficult to work with. For instance, some exotic woods will have extreme reactions when their moisture levels change, while others can burnish during sanding because of their hardness. Other exotic woods' dust can make people physically ill and therefore must be handled with extreme and expert care.
Increased square footage: Of course, the more square feet included in a project, the more it will cost. The cost of refinishing an average 15x15 (225 square feet) room is $340 to $900, costing anywhere from $1.50 to $4.00 per square foot.
Quality of previous finish: The finish that is currently on the hardwood floors can be a major factor in the work required to refinish or recoat the floors. A project originally imagined as a recoating project only can become a more involved refinishing project if the coating currently on them is low quality.
Disclaimer: cost to refinish hardwood floors every place is different, you need survey every cost at your home | image: houselogic.com