The cost of a Sand & Refinish can vary considerably, but you should expect to spend between $6-$10/sq ft, depending on the species/type of wood floor, the condition of the floor, the complexity of the job itself, the square footage, as well as where you reside in proximity to the company's physical location.
Any hardwood floor that was discovered underneath carpet (where the carpet padding is super old and literally stuck or "gummed" to the hardwood), or any floor that has bevels and/or hand scraping, will require a lot of work to sand and refinish, and will (likely) cost extra. Please note that if your hardwood floor is beveled and/or hand scraped, there is NO WAY to prevent the removal of those characteristics, and the end-result will be a flat, smooth surface. If you would like your floor bevels re-beveled and/or planks re-handscraped, expect to pay an added cost of $1-$2/sq ft for that service, in addition to the total cost. This option should be discussed with you during the Estimation Process by the company's estimator.
Prefinished planks with Aluminum Oxide finish may cost more due to the hardness of the finish and the amount of time and overwork of our sanders to get the finish off. Floors with significant water damage are also tougher to sand and may require an additional charge.
Another factor that determines the total cost of a Sand & Refinish is Edging. If the area(s) to be sanded have a lot of baseboards, toe kicks, closets/pantries, islands, bathrooms, cabinets, and corners, then the process of Edging requires a lot of work. Edgers are able to get within 1mm of the edge in question, however, in order to remove the finish and stain from the corners requires hand scraping, which is very tedious work. So if your floor requires a lot of Edging, then expect the cost to be higher due to the meticulous nature of this type of work.
This is especially true for bathrooms, where we are required to sand behind toilets and pedestal sinks.
Please keep in mind that most companies carry a "Minimum Charge", which means that in order for it to make financial sense to the company to come in and perform a Sand & Refinish, they will generally require that the job in question costs no less than $1,200-$,1500 in order for them to financially justify doing that job. It's also impossible to simply Sand & Refinish only one area and have it match the other areas. In order to accomplish a seamless look, the entire floor must be sanded and refinished.
For a hardwood floor repair, we can certainly replace planks, but depending on the age of the floor, we likely won't be able to restore that particular plank's original color. Over time, natural and stained floors tend to fade, and a faded color is very difficult to match. The finish also yellows or "ambers' over time, and we cannot match that finish. We recommend repairing planks in conjunction with refinishing the hardwood floor.
Budgeting for hardwood floor refinishing, installs or additions? Our blog has cost-saving pointer plus more!