When you first installed your hardwood floors, they were probably your joy and pride. Hardwood flooring greatly takes your house to the next level. It’s perhaps the most beautiful material out there. 

However, your floors will lose some of their lusters over time.  

Luckily, one of the advantages of hardwood flooring is that you can refinish them. This will help you rejuvenate the original look of your flooring.  

However, how much does hardwood floor refinishing cost? Is it more expensive than a flooring installation Oceanside project? Today, we are going to find out. 

Cleanup 

One of the factors that affect the cost of refinishing is the cleanup. This can be a huge part of the bill, depending on how big the project is. To know what type of cleanup rates you will face at the end, you should take them to your contractor ahead of time.  

Stairs 

Are you planning to include your stairs when refinishing your hardwood flooring? Well, you should know that it costs at least $45 per step. This means that you’ll have to spend more money if you’ve got a lot of stairs in your house.  

Color of the Stain 

A huge portion of your home improvement project is to pick the correct color for the finish. If you want to achieve a darker color, you’ll have to apply more stains. Of course, this will increase the cost of the project.  

You will also need to sand your flooring more if you want to achieve a lighter color. This is more labor for the contractor. Thus, it will increase the price as well. 

Removal of Wax 

You will have to pay for wax removal so the contracting team can easily sand down your hardwood flooring. The cost to get rid of all of the wax from a floor will generally be around $200.  

Quality of the Original Finish 

Is your current floor finish still in excellent condition? If so, it will not be expensive to strip off the paint and varnish it. On the other hand, if your current floor finish has a very poor condition, it will be more expensive to remove.  

Size of the Project 

One of the biggest factors that affect the cost of refinishing a hardwood floor is the size of the flooring. The bigger space, the more money and time it will take to finish the job.  

According to professionals, you should expect to pay around $3 per square foot.  

Repairs 

If your flooring is in bad shape, the contractor will have to fix it first before they can proceed with the refinishing job. Thus, you should expect to pay more if your flooring is overly discolored, have holes, or have a lot of scratches.  

Preparations 

Another factor that affects the cost is the preparation. If the flooring contractor has to move a lot of furniture pieces before they can start the job, you should expect to pay more for the labor. Thus, if you want to save money, you can do the preparation on your own before the contractors arrive.