Restore the beauty of your floors with our hardwood refinishing services

Hardwood floor refinishing in the St. Louis area typically costs between $4.25 and $6.00 per square foot.

The final price depends on several factors, including the size and condition of the floor, the amount of preparation or repair work required, the products and finish system being used, and the difficulty of the project.

When comparing prices, it is also important to understand exactly what is included. The quality of the finish products, sanding equipment, dust-containment system, and experience of the craftsmen doing the work can all affect both the price and the finished result.

At Luminous Flooring, we evaluate each project individually so we can recommend the appropriate refinishing process and provide an accurate price for your floors.

Most hardwood floor refinishing projects take approximately 4-5 days, although smaller projects may be completed in as little as three days.

A good rule of thumb is roughly one working day for every 200 square feet, but square footage is only part of the equation. Removing and reinstalling trim, moving furniture, protecting cabinets and adjoining rooms, making repairs, choosing a stain color, and the layout of the home can all affect the schedule.

Drying time is also important. Even a small project normally requires multiple days because each step of the finishing process needs adequate time to dry. For projects around 1,000 square feet or less, 4-5 days is common. Larger or more complicated projects may extend into a second week.

We generally recommend waiting 48 hours after the final coat before moving furniture back onto the floors.

In many cases, yes, particularly when a water-based finish is being used.

Whether staying in the home is practical depends on which areas are being refinished, whether bedrooms and bathrooms can be accessed without crossing the work area, and the type of finish being applied.

The water-based finishes used by Luminous Flooring have lower odor and VOC levels and dry much faster than traditional oil-based finishes. Floors can generally be walked across in socks approximately three hours after a coat is applied, although traffic should be kept to an absolute minimum during the refinishing process.

Oil-based finishes are different. They have a much stronger odor and typically require significantly more drying time. When oil-based finish is being applied, homeowners should generally plan to remain out of the home while each coat dries.

Before beginning your project, we can help determine whether staying in the home will be practical based on your layout and the finishing system being used.

Most solid hardwood floors can be refinished multiple times during their life. One of the biggest factors is how much usable wood remains above the tongue-and-groove portion of the flooring.

A professional can often evaluate this by looking at the edge of the flooring through a floor vent or by examining the flooring at existing seasonal gaps.

If the upper portion of the board has become extremely thin from previous sandings, another aggressive sanding could expose the tongue or nails or cause the edges of the boards to break. Severe water damage can also make replacement necessary even when enough wood remains to sand.

Engineered hardwood requires a different evaluation because the thickness of its real-wood wear layer varies considerably by product. Some engineered floors can be sanded and refinished, while others simply do not have a thick enough wear layer.

An old or badly worn hardwood floor does not automatically need to be replaced. We recommend having it evaluated by a hardwood flooring professional first.

Sometimes, but for the best result we generally recommend removing at least one layer of trim around the perimeter of the floor.

That may mean removing the baseboard itself or simply removing the quarter round or base shoe when those are present. Trying to sand right up against existing trim can cause the floor to gradually 'ramp' upward near the walls rather than remaining flat and even all the way to the perimeter.

Whenever practical, Luminous Flooring carefully removes the necessary trim and attempts to save it so it can be reinstalled during the finishing process.

Usually much less than homeowners expect.

Modern professional sanding equipment has dramatically reduced the amount of airborne dust created during hardwood floor refinishing. Luminous Flooring's sanding equipment uses powerful vacuum-assisted dust-containment systems designed to capture the vast majority of dust as it is created.

We take additional precautions as well. Cabinets, built-ins, and adjoining areas can be protected with plastic, and return-air vents are covered or filtered to help prevent airborne dust from circulating throughout the house.

Before finish is applied, our craftsmen thoroughly clean the work area and surrounding flat surfaces. This is not just about leaving your home clean. Removing remaining dust is also important because loose particles can settle into wet finish and affect the final appearance and feel of the floor.

Hardwood refinishing is still a construction process, so no process is completely dust-free, but today's professional equipment and proper preparation make a tremendous difference.

Both water-based and oil-based finishes can protect a hardwood floor, but there are significant differences in appearance, odor, drying time, and performance.

Oil-based polyurethane has been used successfully for decades. It provides good protection and is generally less expensive, but it has a strong odor, takes considerably longer to dry and cure, and naturally adds an amber tone to the wood that becomes more noticeable over time.

Water-based finish technology has improved tremendously. While there are lower-quality water-based products available, the professional two-component water-based finishes used by Luminous Flooring provide excellent durability.

Premium water-based systems also offer several advantages: faster drying and curing, lower odor and VOC levels, a clear appearance that does not amber the wood over time, excellent resistance to everyday wear, and much shorter wait times before the floor can be walked on.

For homeowners looking for a high-performance finish, Luminous Flooring often recommends a professional two-component water-based system. Oil-based polyurethane remains a viable and more economical option, but today's premium water-based finishes offer performance that many homeowners do not realize is available.

That depends primarily on the finish system being used.

With the professional water-based finishes used by Luminous Flooring, floors can generally be walked on in socks after approximately three hours. We recommend waiting about 24 hours before normal traffic in shoes and approximately 48 hours before moving furniture back into the room.

Oil-based polyurethane requires considerably more drying time. Depending on the specific product and conditions inside the home, limited foot traffic may require approximately 8-24 hours.

Keep in mind that 'dry enough to walk on' and 'fully cured' are two different things. The finish will continue to harden after it is dry enough for limited use. We provide specific instructions for the finish used on your project so you know when it is safe to walk on the floor, replace furniture, and return to normal use.

A typical 3/4-inch solid hardwood floor can usually be professionally sanded and refinished approximately 4-6 times during its life.

However, there is not one number that applies to every floor. How aggressively the floor was sanded during previous refinishing projects makes a significant difference. The equipment being used and the skill of the craftsman operating it also matter. An unnecessarily aggressive sanding removes more wood and reduces the number of future refinishes the floor can tolerate.

Eventually, the wood above the tongue-and-groove joint becomes too thin to safely sand again. Before refinishing an older floor, Luminous Flooring can inspect the remaining wear layer to determine whether another complete sanding is appropriate.