Pricing Refinishing and Installing Hardwood Floor  in general is made up of two primary variables: Materials and Labor Cost. I GREATLY encourage consumers to investigate floor finishes as they are one of the primary expenses on the material side of a project.

Hardwood Flooring  is one of the most competitive businesses in the Chicago area. The Chicagoland area and suburbs have many flooring “businesses” operating that are willing to work at the lowest price possible without any regards to service, quality and longevity.

We are not one of them. Some companies are better than others. It is difficult for a client to know which company is better than others.

Of course, we don’t want to discriminate against other companies.  We would like to present an argument why asking a price per sq. ft. is not the best method to choose the company to do business with. Also, we would like to present what possibilities can come from hiring an unprofessional business. Let me offer only one truly reliable idea: the price for 98% of wood flooring products is directly related to their quality. It would be too difficult to explain every example here. It would be silly to think most consumers around the Chicago area who contact us are not obtaining multiple estimates for their wood flooring project.

The problem is that most clients do not have the knowledge on how to install wood flooring  and refinishing hardwood flooring. This is all very understandable. Our job is as professionals and members of the NWFA, which we have the privilege to be part of and that is known throughout  North America, in which our clients can be sure that our work and technique is supported by leaders in this trade all over America. We have to educate our clients on how and what is done with their hardwood floors. The materials that are used and what will be best for the clients flooring needs. For best quality work, communication is key between the client and us.

We are unable to give a number on how many homes we have saved for years to come due to “cheaper priced” companies that came in and ruined the clients hardwood flooring. That does not mean that it’s true in every situation. Just because they are priced cheaper does not mean they will provide bad work, but in most cases the probability is very likely.

The truth is that professional workers working with professional tools and the best class materials used in the appropriate time needed will be an outcome of a successful job with beautiful looking hardwood floors that will last for years in Your home. We are a company that looks into the future and we know this threw experience that later there will be no complaints. To us it is not about catching the next client on a lower priced quote and later not answer phone calls from that client. To us it is about the upmost satisfaction of our client and knowing they will work with us in the future.

Operating a fully legitimate contracting business costs hundreds, to thousands of dollars in overhead monthly when you average insurance, bond, and licensing fees. Throw in worker’s compensation fees, payroll taxes, and costs to join organizations and you see that those essential fees add to costs in our business. However, all of these costs really do add up but they protect consumers in the event of a problem. Because of my involvement and relationships with contractors nationwide, I hear stories all of the time about problem jobs.

States without licensing requirements have lower average costs to refinish wood floors, but also the homeowners have very little chance to seek retribution outside of a court room. Licensing is a good thing because it provides opportunities at lower costs for things like arbitration and recommendation of remedial action by appointed professionals in the trades.

There are additional costs to labor that are specific to sanding sequence. While all of that gets a little involved to be really interesting it adds to time required for a job. And as the old saying goes, “Time is money”. What I will do though in this final segment is give a pretty accurate profile on nationwide average floor refinishing prices and give you my thoughts on what you’re getting for the price:

Hardwood refinishing cost list

$ 1.25 -1.75 /sq. foot – These are definitely your trunk slamming guys that you’ll probably never see again once you hand them a check, assuming they don’t only work on cash. They’ll probably show up in a 70’s van with blacked out windows and an oil leak. You’ll probably get a quick one cut sanding with a rough grit followed by fast screening with a buffer to smooth out the floor a little. Because time is of the essence, they’ll thrown on a quick hot coat of 45 min dry sealer and final coat quickly with $10/gallon polyurethane. The upside is that things will look a little better. The downside is that you’ll probably wear through the finish in six months especially if you have children or dogs. Don’t complain about debris or they’ll probably charge extra for that.

$ 1,75-2,50/sq. foot– This is about the starting point for any contractor with even the most basic skill set who just bought a belt machine at your local pawn shop. It’s a crapshoot if they have any insurance and licensing. Odds are pretty good at this pricing that you’ll be getting a two coat system of standard polyurethane that’ll hold up for a couple of years. It’s really not a bad value if you only want to list your house in a modest priced neighborhood..

$ 2.50-4.00/sq. foot– Once you hit this pricing your contractor is likely to be a pretty reasonable and all around qualified guy. For this cost the odds are he’s up to speed on local licensing and insurance if required and has a good reputation throughout your town. Within this price range the finish systems will be moderately durable and if you move into a waterborne finish system it’s likely to be a single component finish. Not quite as durable as two component finishes, but still going to look good and last 3-5 years. This is a good pricing to rely upon if you’re listing a house or just moving into a home for a few years. The sanding quality will be pretty good and the value is pretty dang good too.

$ 4.00-6.00 /sq. foot – These are the best floor guys in your area for this pricing. Some of this could be heavy to cover overhead, but also just as likely to be the cost of keeping your wood floor guru up to date on every new technical training. Definitely you’re going to get a clean house when they are done and most definitely a high traffic two component waterborne, premium oil poly, or conversion varnish. They’ll be insured, bonded, and in almost all cases have a perfectly clean track record with local licensing agencies. If you hire someone in this price range, the person is most definitely going treat your house properly (no holes in the walls or stain on the cabinets) and done right on time the first time. A floor of this price range should generally last well into the ten year mark without much other than regular good cleaning and maintenance on your behalf. Pricing this range in most places in the country for a refinish unless you start getting into custom color treatments, stains, and specialty finishes. When the price hits this number it’s because the application methods and sanding techniques are at a level of mastery that only a handful of people in the region could accomplish properly.

We can respect the fact that some people wish to price shop, have several people come out etc. However we don’t wish to participate in these bidding wars. Since we use the best products, have non stop referral work, offer the best service, workmanship, and carry all proper insurances we aren’t able to compete with the cheapest price nor will we ever be the cheapest price. We can however avoid the most common problems that people have with lower priced “contractors”.

We sincerely appreciate you visiting our site and considering our services.