Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Refinishing is the process of sanding your existing hardwood floors down to bare wood, then applying new stain and finish coats. It removes surface scratches, discoloration, and worn finish, restoring the floor to like-new condition. It is different from recoating, which does not involve sanding to bare wood.

Solid hardwood floors can almost always be refinished as long as the wear layer has enough thickness remaining. Each refinish removes roughly 1/16 inch of wood, and most solid floors allow 5 to 8 refinishings over their lifetime. Engineered hardwood depends on the product, thicker wear layers (3mm or more) can typically be refinished once or twice, while thin-veneer engineered cannot. Severe structural damage, active moisture problems, or floors that have already been sanded to their limit may require board replacement or a different approach. We measure the wear layer and assess the floor condition during every free in-home assessment.

Hardwood floor refinishing in the Triangle area typically ranges from $4.50 to $9.00 per square foot depending on floor condition, stain color, and finish system. We carry a $1,500 project minimum on refinishing work. We provide detailed written estimates with no hidden fees after a free in-home assessment.

Most refinishing projects take 4 to 5 days from start to finish: two days to sand, half a day for stain (if applicable), and two days for finish coats and curing. We will give you a specific timeline during your free assessment.

If your floors have deep scratches, significant discoloration, water damage, or a finish that is beyond recoating, refinishing is typically the right call. If the wood itself is structurally compromised or the wear layer has been sanded too many times, replacement may be necessary. We assess this during the free consultation.

Yes. Refinishing is the ideal time to change your stain color. We use water-popped stain preparation on every stained floor to open the grain, then apply sample colors directly on your floor so you can see exactly how each stain looks on your specific wood in your specific lighting before we commit to the full floor.

We run a three-stage dust containment system on every refinishing job. Every sander connects directly to a cyclonic dust separator that captures 99% of dust generated at the sander head before it reaches the vacuum. The fine particulate that gets through hits HEPA-rated filtration in our Festool and Nilfisk vacuums. Then we hang plastic over doorways, keep HVAC vents open so conditioned air continues to circulate, and run air scrubbers with external filters on your air returns to capture anything airborne before it moves through the system. Most contractors call their process dustless. We can tell you exactly how ours works because we run three stages of containment instead of one.

Solid hardwood floors can typically be refinished 5 to 8 times over their lifetime depending on the wear layer thickness. Engineered hardwood varies by product. We measure your wear layer during the assessment to confirm refinishing is the right option.

Yes. Historic hardwood restoration is one of our specialties. Original heart pine, wide-plank oak, and other old-growth species found in Johnston County and Triangle historic homes require a different approach than modern hardwood. These floors have finite wear layers that cannot be oversanded, absorb stain differently, and often need assessment before any sanding is recommended. We refinished the original heart pine floors at the Hometown Realty office in Historic Downtown Selma. We assess every historic floor individually for wear layer thickness, board stability, and previous finish layers before making any recommendation.

12th And Oak Floor Co. is a Bona Certified Craftsman with 24 years of refinishing experience serving Clayton, Raleigh, Garner, Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Wake Forest, and the Triangle. We use water-popped stain preparation on every stained floor, own one of fewer than 2% of Bona PowerDrive planetary sanders in the country, and back every job with a five-year warranty. 5.0 Google rating, 49 verified reviews. Call 984-400-4OAK or schedule your free in-home assessment online.