Floor refinishing. Bring an old hardwood floor back to life in three days.

Sand, one stain coat, and three coats of waterborne polyurethane runs $4.50 to $6 per square foot. Add $0.50 to $1 for dark stains that need more passes for even color. Add $0.75 to $1.25 per square foot if board replacement or patch repair is needed before sanding.

Yes, with caveats. The sanding is done with dust-contained sanders, but it is not zero dust. The finish coats need 24-hour cure between applications, and you cannot walk on it during that window. Most clients move out for two to three nights, or use other rooms and stay off the floor for cure time.

Waterborne dries fast, is low-VOC, stays clear, and is what most modern installs use. Oil-based ambers over time (a yellow shift) and dries slower but feels more traditional and slightly tougher. We default to Bona Traffic HD waterborne — it has the toughest abrasion rating in the category. Oil-based is still a fine choice if that's the look you want.

We can go from natural to ebony, but very dark stains show every dust speck and every footprint within a week. The current trend is medium walnut, smoky natural, and rift-and-quartered white oak with a clear or light fume finish. We bring stain samples on the same wood your floor is, so you see the actual color before we commit.

Solid 3/4-inch hardwood: typically 5 to 8 times over its life. Engineered with a 3mm wear layer: usually once or twice. Engineered with a 1mm wear layer: usually replace rather than refinish. We measure the existing wear layer before quoting.