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Cost to Refinish Hardwood Floors

Stephen Rampur
The average cost to refinish hardwood floors largely depends on whether you hire a professional or do the job yourself. Read on to know more.
Hardwood floors enhance the appearance of home and add to the house's value. However, after a substantial amount of time, the floor becomes dull and loses its shine. Worn/bare spots and dirt are likely to appear on it. In such situation, the best way to get the shine and smoothness back is to refinish the floor.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors

Refinishing hardwood floors is generally taken as a part of home improvement project. If you are thinking of getting your home's floor refinished, you can either give the task to a professional or can consider it for a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project.
If you prefer to do the task yourself, you can surely save a lot of money on the contract expenses, which mainly include the labor charges that may differ from locality to locality. However, you would need certain tools and equipment for doing it yourself, like the drum sander, a buffer, and other essential materials.
Generally in refinishing hardwood flooring, it is recommended to get the job done by a professional contractor, as the project consists a lot of dust work, which, if done by you, can pose danger to your health. Professionals have specific systems that take care of the air quality of your house during the refinishing, known as dust extraction systems.
Some professional contractors might also use conventional sanding systems which have bags attached to the equipment. However, this is not an effective measure for getting rid of the dust.

Average Cost

When you think of getting the hardwood flooring refinished, you most importantly need to consider the cost. There are several determinants to be considered in order to get a general estimate of the expense.
The overall expenses of the project depend on aspects such as the condition which the floor to be worked on is in, the typical and additional services you opt for, the location where you stay, the kind of a professional contractor you choose, the labor costs in your neighborhood, etc.
If you hire a contractor, the cost of applying a re-coat on the floor can be around a dollar per square foot. So, if you want to get a 12x12 feet room re-coated or screened, you would need to spend approximately USD 440-750.
But if the floor to be worked upon has worn out considerably, you may be charged a little extra. The refinishing procedure usually consists of sanding down the wood and applying 2-3 coats of finish.
8If you hire a top-quality professional, the aggregate expenses of the total project can go up to USD 1,000 to 2,400. In hiring a professional contractor, you need to note that most part of the overall expenses is the labor charges. In some cases, the labor charges may even be around USD 3-8 per square foot.
If you consider the cost in a DIY project, the expenses can vary according to what type of tools and materials you use. You would generally need to rent a sander, a floor buffer, and other necessary items.
Renting a sander may cost you about USD 100-300, whereas renting a buffer might cost you approximately USD 50-100. You also need to note that these rental charges may increase depending upon the duration the project.
If you consider the refinishing as a DIY project, you may save on the overall expense, but you also need to think about the dust being present in your house till the project gets over. You might even need to take the help of professional cleaning services for getting rid of all the dust and dirt.