How Many Times Can You Have Your Wood Floors Sanded?

Bad contractor

Have You Ever Wondered How Many Times Can You Have Your Hardwood Floors Sanded? That depends on who you hire!

Inferior Wood Floor Refinishing Services are Costly!

Lower level, less expensive refinishers will typically use the roughest grit sandpaper, a more aggressive, rougher-to-the-touch grit, which deeply chews away far more of the wood surface than should be taken off. It does this quickly, sacrificing your wood’s thickness at your wood’s precious expense! They do this solely for speed purposes (which removes the stain and too much of the wear layer).

This cheapens the sanding, as they skip the essential sanding passes that flatten and smooth the floor. Bottom line: you lose life off your expensive wood floor and don’t get a professionally prepared floor.

How Do You Know the Level of Professionalism and Skill?

When you see “too-good-to-be-true” rates that fall below half the national average for floor refinishing, consider it a red flag. Unfortunately, these businesses can be very misleading and exploitative! They are taking advantage of customers seeking what at first glance seems to be an affordable option. These games are rampant and occurring all around us!

Check References and Reviews!

Let’s be clear about something: when cheap, overly aggressive sanding is used, far too much of your precious hardwood floors – i.e., the “wear layer” – is sacrificed, potentially taking 20-50 years or more off the life of your floors.

Cutting corners is done exclusively to cheapen their price, cutting the time in less than half. But fast, unprofessional work forfeits the flat and smooth surface you should be getting.

Why does this matter? While this approach is great for speed, it sacrifices the quality of your floor without you even realizing it. In contrast, a quality wood floor refinishing will preserve the floor and deliver superior results.

A properly cared-for wood floor can last 50-100 years or more.

Other Ways ‘Cheap’ Services Cost You

Low-quality, ‘cheap’ wood floor refinishing contractors commonly water down or thin out their coats with paint thinner, against manufacturers’ recommended standards! This results in a compromised, weakened finish on your floor that won’t last.

Instead of using polyurethanes at full strength, designed to last 6-10 years or more, many cheaper contractors water them down to cover more square footage. They become much thinner and don’t protect the floors as effectively or for as long as they should.

So what happens when you get fooled and have refinishing done this way? It’s not uncommon to need your floors refinished again because the finish won’t hold up, even within five years. You end up paying another refinisher to fix the mess, moving everything out again, and disrupting your life. Worse yet, you might even need to replace your wood floor far sooner than you otherwise would have!

Is this worth the chance to save money?

Cheap, Quality, and Speed – Pick Two, You Can’t Have All Three!

Trust the professionals and do your research. The cost of quality work includes time, investment in superior (dustless) systems and materials, skill, and education required to deliver the best, highest-quality, craftsman-grade results you deserve!


Ready to Protect Your Investment? Don’t let poor workmanship ruin the beauty and longevity of your hardwood floors. Trust our team of experienced professionals to provide high-quality refinishing services that stand the test of time.