Hardwood floor refinishing offers an excellent way to bring your home's worn-out floors back to life. Refinishing hardwood involves removing the top layer of wood by sanding it off and then applying a new finish to your wood floors. Refinishing wood floors can be transformative, but it takes more work than you may anticipate.

Here are three things to discuss with your wood floor refinishing contractor before work begins. 

What They Recommend

While you may think hardwood refinishing is straightforward, there's more to it than you may have anticipated. There are many decisions to make, including what type of finish you want for your floors. While glossy hardwood finishes are popular, satin is also gaining ground. Your wood floor refinishing contractor may also have valuable advice regarding the best ways to repair damage or make other changes to your wood flooring. Discussing your wood floors and asking for recommendations before refinishing can lead to better results.

How Much They Charge

When discussing wood floor refinishing with your contractor, your budget is something to keep in mind. Hardwood floor refinishing is affordable compared to replacement, but it can still be pricey. You will also pay more to have a highly damaged wood floor refinished. The size of the flooring area you want to refinish will also impact your bottom line. The more square footage that needs to be refinished, the higher the costs. Usually, a wood floor refinishing contractor will charge between $3 and $8 per square foot. The majority of the cost of hardwood floor refinishing is from labor. 

How Long It Will Take

Another thing to talk about with your wood floor refinishing contractor is how long they anticipate the process to take. The condition of your home's floors impacts the timeline significantly. Old or damaged wood flooring will take longer to refinish. You will also want to talk about dry times and what areas you need to avoid, and when to stay off your floors. Generally, it will take a professional two to five days to refinish your home's hardwood flooring.

There are a few things you should discuss with your wood flooring refinishing contractor before the refinishing process starts. First, asking for recommendations on what will work best for your floors can be very helpful. Second, discussing the cost of refinishing your home's floors is vital. Finally, you will also want to talk about the timeline and how long the refinishing is expected to take.