Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Whether it's better to paint or refinish your hardwood floors will depend on several factors. For one, painting floors costs $2 to $4 per square foot while refinishing costs more, at around $3 to $8 per square foot.

Besides the cost differences, some floors may simply be too old or damaged for refinishing. Plus, most floors can only be refinished six to 10 times. The number can be as low as two to three times if your home was built pre-1920s. So in some cases, painting may be your only option besides reinstalling brand-new floors.

It is possible to refinish hardwood floors on your own, but the process can be time-consuming and not always as inexpensive as you would hope. First, there are plenty of materials you will need to purchase or rent, e.g., a floor sander at an average of $70 for a full day, plus a deposit. Other materials, like sandpaper, stain, and varnish or polyurethane coating, can quickly add up to several hundred dollars.

While the cost to refinish hardwood floors strongly depends on square footage, you can expect to pay between $500 and $1,000 to refinish your own hardwood floors. To save time and labor, you might want to hire a professional hardwood floor refinisher near you.

Refinishing hardwood floors costs $1,100 to $2,670, while installing new hardwood flooring costs $2,470 to $7,030. Refinishing is the cheaper option and can help extend the life of your floors, allowing you to put off the more expensive project for a future decade.

Some engineered hardwood floors can be refinished, depending on how thick the top veneer layer is. In most cases, floors with veneer layers thicker than 2 millimeters can handle light sanding and refinishing. However, thinner veneers may only allow for screening and recoating rather than full refinishing. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions before attempting to refinish your engineered hardwood floor.