Specializing in Perfection Since 1984

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How Much Does It Cost to Refinish Hardwood Floors in Southern California?

The short answer:

As of 2026, Only Wood Floors charges $6.75 per square foot for natural hardwood floor refinishing and $8.25 per square foot for stained refinishing. Both include sanding and three coats of commercial-grade polyurethane.

And whole lot less than it costs to replace them.

Only Wood Floors has specialized in hardwood flooring since 1984. We refinish, repair and restore hardwood floors throughout Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County and San Diego County.

Here are our current hardwood floor refinishing prices and what homeowners should know before getting an estimate.

Hardwood Floor Refinishing Prices

→ Natural Hardwood Floor Refinishing — $6.75 Per Square Foot

This includes sanding the existing hardwood floor down to bare wood and finishing it with 3 coats of commercial-grade polyurethane.

Going natural is a great option for homeowners who want to remove the old orange, amber or yellow appearance that many older hardwood floors develop over the years and bring back the natural beauty of the wood.

→ Stained Hardwood Floor Refinishing — $8.25 Per Square Foot

If you want to change the color of your hardwood floors, our stained refinishing price is $8.25 per square foot.

We sand the floor down to bare wood, prepare it for stain, apply the stain color you select and finish the floor with 3 coats of commercial-grade polyurethane.

→ Specialty Hardwood Floors — Add Approximately $0.50–$0.75 Per Square Foot

Some floors require additional sanding, labor or specialty procedures.

This can include:

Parquet hardwood floors
Deep hand-distressed floors being sanded flat and smooth
Prefinished hardwood floors with aluminum-oxide finishes
Other specialty floors that require additional sanding or preparation

Every floor is different, so we'll let you know what your particular floor requires before we begin.

Watch: How Much Does It Cost to Refinish Hardwood Floors?

What Is Included When We Refinish Your Hardwood Floors?

Refinishing hardwood floors isn't simply running a sanding machine over them and putting down a coat of finish.

There's a process.

We sand the floor using progressively finer grits to remove the existing finish, scratches, wear and imperfections.

The edges are sanded separately. Corners and areas that the machines can't reach are worked by hand.

The entire floor is then fine-sanded and buffed to prepare the wood for stain or finish.

If you've selected a stain, the stain is applied and worked into the wood.

We then apply 3 coats of commercial-grade polyurethane, with the proper preparation between coats, to give your floor the protection it needs.

We've been doing this since 1984, and after more than 40 years, we've learned that the preparation is just as important as the finish you put on top.

Why Refinish Hardwood Floors Instead of Replacing Them?

A lot of homeowners call us thinking their hardwood floors are too old, too scratched or too damaged to save.

That's often not the case.

We've restored hardwood floors that are 50, 75 and even 100 years old.

Replacing hardwood flooring means you're not just paying for the new wood.

Depending on the project, you may also be paying for removal and disposal of the existing floor, subfloor preparation, new material, installation, adhesive, transitions, baseboards and finishing.

And after spending all that money, you may be replacing a beautiful old solid hardwood floor that could have been restored.

Before you tear out an existing hardwood floor, let us take a look at it.

You might be surprised at what we can save.

What Can Increase the Cost of Hardwood Floor Refinishing?

The square-foot price isn't necessarily the entire story.

The condition of your existing floor matters.

Additional costs can include things such as:

Water-damaged hardwood flooring
Pet urine stains and damaged boards
Termite-damaged flooring
Subfloor damage
Missing flooring
Matching new hardwood into an existing floor
Stairs and stair treads
Difficult aluminum-oxide factory finishes
Parquet flooring
Deep hand-distressed flooring
Other repairs that need to be completed before refinishing

One of the things that separates Only Wood Floors from many flooring companies is that we repair hardwood floors.

We don't automatically tell you to replace the entire floor because a few boards are damaged.

If there's a practical way to repair it and save the existing floor, that's the first thing we're going to look at.

Can Pet-Stained or Water-Damaged Hardwood Floors Be Saved?

Many times, yes.

But it depends on how deep the damage goes.

We've repaired floors damaged by leaking toilets, water heaters, plumbing leaks, pet urine, termites and other problems.

Sometimes sanding is enough.

Sometimes individual boards need to be replaced.

Sometimes we have to repair what's underneath the hardwood before reinstalling the flooring.

The important thing is determining what actually needs to be replaced instead of automatically tearing everything out.

We have dozens of videos showing these exact types of repairs on real homes.

Can You Match New Hardwood Flooring to an Existing Floor?

Many times we can get extremely close.

This is another area where experience matters.

We've tied new hardwood flooring into floors that have been in homes for decades.

Once the repair or new flooring is installed, the entire area can be sanded, stained if necessary and refinished together.

The goal is for the repair to disappear into the existing floor as much as the wood and circumstances allow.

Can Old Orange or Amber Hardwood Floors Be Made Lighter?

Absolutely, in many cases.

That old orange or amber appearance isn't necessarily the actual color of the wood.

Older finishes can amber considerably as they age.

When we sand the old finish off, homeowners are often shocked at how different the raw wood looks underneath.

Depending on the species of wood and the look you're trying to achieve, we can often give an older floor a much lighter, cleaner and more natural appearance.

Can Engineered Hardwood Floors Be Refinished?

Some can. Some can't.

Engineered hardwood has a real wood wear layer over the engineered core.

Whether it can be refinished depends largely on the thickness and condition of that wear layer, how the floor was manufactured and whether it has been sanded previously.

Don't assume an engineered floor has to be replaced.

Let us look at it first.

How Long Does Hardwood Floor Refinishing Take?

There isn't one answer that applies to every house.

The size of the project, condition of the floor, repairs required, whether we're staining, the type of finish being used and other conditions can affect the schedule.

Once we see your particular floor and understand what you want done, we can give you a much better idea of the timeframe.