How Much Should You Spend On Hardwood Flooring Services?

1. ALL ABOUT HARDWOOD FLOOR INSTALLATION

Hiring a pro, you will be advised about the finest products and solutions for your floor based on your requirement and expectation. The provider will also inform you about the installation method in detail as well as the cost and time of construction.

Applying refinishes on untreated hardwood floor

About solid hardwood floor:

• Solid-wood flooring can sustain more refinishes (about 6 – 7 times) which is less costly than replacing.
• DIYer may choose unfinished hardwood-strip flooring as it is affordable, and they can change its stain color by applying on it a new refinish.
• If you have your floor installed, prefinished wood flooring is a better choice. It may cost more but it doesn’t require sanding or finishing which may not create many extra costs.
• Hardwood flooring installation priceranges from $4000 to $5000 per 200 square feet (including material costs). Softwoods such as pine have a lower price, the installation cost is about $2,000 to $3,000.
• Installing exotic woods like walnut wood, American cherry, Brazil cherry cost from $6,000 to $8,000.

About engineered-wood floor:

• Meanwhile, you can sand engineered-wood floor only one or twice as the thin wood veneer will be worn through extremely after every sanding.
• Engineered-wood with the top veneer is at least 1/8 inch thick can be slightly sand and refinished after a short time using.
• Most species of engineered-wood flooring come prefinished. The material cost of engineered-wood flooring mostly depends on the thickness of wood veneer.

Installing engineered-wood floor

• Due to the ease of installation, the installation cost for engineered-wood will be cheaper. The planks snap together and float over a thin foam-rubber underlayment, so there is no nailing or gluing.

The cost of hardwood floor installation depends on several factors including the price of materials, labor cost, ease of installation and the room itself. Choosing the right type of wood flooring is not simply a matter of aesthetics but also impact the repair and maintenance cost of your floor in the future.

Unlike installing the floor yourself, you have to pay labor cost when hiring a pro. The size of floor needs to be installed is also a matter. Installing hardwood floor for a large room is obviously cost more than a smaller one.

2. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST FOR SANDING AND STAINING HARDWOOD FLOOR?

• Things that affect sanding and staining cost:

Generally, a basic refinishing job takes from 4 to 5 hours per 100 square feet with a cost of $1.50 – $5.00 per square foot. The cost you have to pay is determined by equipment need, size of the floor, home’s location, and labor cost. There are mainly 4 steps in a refinishing project: preparation for work, sanding, staining hardwood floor, and finishing.

You can reduce the cost by preparing the floor yourself as long as it isn’t seriously damaged. Make sure the furniture is moved out, cleaned the floor and let it dry completely before sanding.

Unfinished wood floor

• The quality of the refinishes is important

After being sanded, the floor will be back to its natural look, just like an unfinished floor. After that, hardwood floor will lose its coat and need to be applied one or more new finishing coat. The new coat will protect your floor from the penetration of water and stain, so make sure the product you will use is good enough. It may be more costly but it’s worth it.

If you have a tight budget, installation and refinishing hardwood floor yourself will save you significantly. But not everyone is a DIYer, so hiring a pro to take all of the jobs for you is also a wise decision. Remember that you still have lots of options to reduce your hardwood floor services cost.