The two numbers side by side
Refinishing costs $2.75 to $5.50 per square foot. Replacing costs $7 to $12 installed plus removal and disposal, so replacement is roughly two to three times the money.
That means replacement has to be justified by something the sanding cannot fix, not by preference.
- How it is done
- measure at a vent or a doorway, you need 3/32 inch above the tongue to sand safely
- What goes on the floor
- n/a
- Ready to use
- n/a
- Typical cost
- $2.75 – $5.50 per sq ft to refinish against $7 – $12 per sq ft installed to replace
- Service life
- n/a
Which side your floor falls on
Refinish when there is more than about an eighth of an inch of wood above the tongue, the boards are sound, and the subfloor is dry and flat. Cosmetic damage, deep scratching, pet scratching and ambering all come out in a sand.
Replace when the wood is sanded out and nail heads are close to the surface, when a large area has black tannin staining through the board, when the floor is cupped from a moisture problem that has been running for years, or when the species and the layout were wrong for the substrate in the first place.
The middle case is a floor that is thin but sound, and there the answer is often a screen and recoat every few years rather than a sand, which spends no thickness at all.
What removal adds
The number that surprises people is what removal adds. Taking up an old nailed floor, dealing with what is under it, and disposal is real money before a single new board arrives.
The floor we talk people out of replacing
Replacing an original 1920s floor that is still sound is the decision we most often talk people out of. It is two to three times the price and it removes the thing the house is worth money for.
Where we do refinish or replace?
We cover Des Moines, the western suburbs, the Ankeny corridor and the older neighbourhoods inside the city, including and 18 more areas.
Questions we get asked about refinish or replace?
How do I know if my floor can be refinished?
Lift a floor vent and look at the edge of the board. More than an eighth of an inch above the tongue and it can be sanded.
Is replacing ever cheaper?
Rarely. It is two to three times refinishing, plus removal and disposal.
What if only one room is bad?
Replace or repair that room's boards and sand the whole connected area as one, so the colour matches at the doorways.
Get a free estimate
Tell us what you need. We answer the same day, the free estimate is on site, and nobody chases you afterwards.
Get a price for your refinish or replace?
Call and we will come out, measure, and leave you a written quote. There is no charge for the visit and no obligation afterwards.