Madison Hardwood Refinishing Cost and tips
Posted by Aaron Schaalma on Mar 29, 2019
2019 guide to hardwood floor refinishing costs for Madison, WI. Having your wood floors refinished can be a big undertaking. A lot of times we forget that having your floors refinished is a form of remodeling because we aren’t tearing something apart. Perhaps we should change our perspective on remodeling, and rather think of it as anything that will improve the overall look and value of your home.
What can I expect to pay for my refinishing project?
There are many different things that can factor into the over all cost of having your floors professionally refinished. Here are a few key factors that play a part in how much it’ll cost.
- Natural or Stain– Choosing between the look of natural hardwood or deciding to stain your floor is perhaps one of the most determining factors in the total cost of refinishing your floors. The main factor in the cost difference is that floors that are going to receive stain need additional sanding over natural hardwood floors, as the stain pigmentation will highlight any imperfections in the floor. Because of this, there is a lot of detail sanding that needs to be performed, not to mention the labor involved with staining the floor.
- Different types of finish– There are 4 different types of finish that we offer. Single component, commercial finish, UV cured finish and hardwax oil. Each one of these finishes have unique properties to them, and choosing the right one can help provide longevity to your hardwood floors.
Our minimum refinish price starts at $1,600 and increases from there depending on what the client selcts. Our typical jobs average about 700 sqft, and the average cost to refinish this would be approximately $3,500. We’ve done jobs from 300 sqft all the way up to 4,500 sqft. All of these factors play a part in what it costs to refinish hardwood floors.
Do I have to move my furniture?
Yes you will have to move the furniture before your refinishing project starts. I know this can sometimes be a daunting process of figuring out where to put all of your furniture during your floor refinishing process. Here are a few helpful tips as to where you can move your furniture. You can move a lot of your furniture into your garage. I know that your vehicles might have to site outside for a short period of time, but this will save you space. Stack stuff in other rooms that aren’t currently being refinished. You can also rent a Pod and move your furniture into them. This frees up a lot of space inside your home and makes it easier for you to move around
Some clients also find it easier to hire a moving company to take care of moving all the furniture in and out. If you are a busy person this might be a great investment for you.
How dusty will my house get from having my floors refinished?
When we are refinishing floors the machines produces a lot of wood dust. To help keep the dust at bay we offer a dustless package. What does the dustless package include? All the machines are hooked up to a dust-containment system that take the dust away from the machines and collects it. We also run an air scrubber by BuildClean
The combination of the equipment we run and how we prep things after we are done sanding leaves your home clean after the refinishing process is completed. Now when we say its 99% dust free, there is still 1% of dust. On an average sized job we are removing 60lbs of dust, there is still around 1/2lbs of wood dust that can be floating in the air and settle on things. It would be like if you didn’t dust for a week or so. Overall your house is left pretty clean after your wood floors have been refinished.
Should I get multiple quotes from a hardwood floor refinishing contractors?
Yes! I know this may sound weird that we are telling you to get a couple other quotes from other flooring contractors. This way you can compare the cost to refinish your floors, but also different options that are offered. Not everyone, including myself, may be a great fit for you. After all, you will be seeing this contractor for awhile during the refinishing process, and should feel at ease that they will do a wonderful job and you have no worries with them working in your house.
Here are a couple of top rated wood floor refinishing companies in the Madison, WI area.
Does the way a floor is sanded play a part in how long my floor will last?
Refinishing hardwood floors is nothing short of an art form. There is a lot of knowledge that we’ve gleaned over the years in perfecting how we sand floors, which will play a role in how long your floors will last. Even something as seemingly trivial as the material and grit of the sand paper used can impact the final product. Knowing the paper grit and sanding sequence to use will make a difference in how well your floor will perform. Throughout our experience we have developed our craft and sanding technique that leaves the floor with a closed grain. This allows the finish to sit on top of the wood and ultimately leaves a better build of finish which means more protection for your floor.
What to look for in a contractor for your refinishing job
If you are looking to have your wood floors refinished in Madison, WI how do you know that they know what they are doing? There are a few things to look at when determining the right company to hire.
Certifications
Certifications don’t always mean that you are getting the best possible floor. What it can mean, is that the company you are thinking to hire has taken the time to educate themselves and their employees on improving their skills and new ways to refinish your wood floors. There are a couple of different certifications that are offered not only by the NWFA but also by some manufacturers on how to properly sand, stain, and finish hardwood flooring. A lot of times by attending some of these classes you gain valuable information on new products that are out there.
With some certifications like the NWFA Sand and Finish certification they require that you get a certain number of CEU credits in order to keep up the certification.
Before and After Photos
A good flooring contractor should show you some before and after photos of past work that they’ve done. This will give you an idea, not only of what your floor can look like, but also the different species and looks they are able to create for you. After all, this is a pretty big home improvement project!
Online reviews
Online reviews are similar to a referral from a neighbor. So many times in this technical savvy world we live in, we don’t always talk to our neighbors a lot just due to the fact that we live busy lives and our paths don’t intersect. Checking out what past clients have to say about flooring contractors and the reviews they’ve received online, like Google, Houzz and Facebook can play a part in giving you a snapshot of of how great a job they do and how highly recommend they are as a company.
We hope that these answered some of your questions that you may have about getting your hardwood floors refinished. Whether you are downtown Madison or around the UW Madison area, there are always floors that need to be transformed! If you ever have any questions feel free to contact us or comment below.
Thank you so much for sharing these tips! It is important for those who are venturing down the road of getting floors refinished to know all that goes into it!
You are welcome! Let us now if there’re any other questions we can answer for you.