Should I refinish or replace my hardwood floors?

Refinish when the damage is in the finish: dullness, scratches, gray worn paths, or a dated color on boards that are still flat and solid. Replace when the wood itself has failed: boards cupped or buckled by water across a large area, too little wood left above the tongue to sand again, engineered flooring with a wear layer too thin to sand, or deep pet stains across many boards.

What is the difference between a screen and recoat and a full refinish?

A screen and recoat lightly abrades the finish and adds a fresh coat. It removes dullness and fine surface scratches but not scratches into the wood, stains, or worn paths, and it usually will not bond over a waxed floor. A full refinish sands the floor to bare wood, optionally stains it, and adds new coats of finish.

How do I know if my floor can be sanded again?

Every sanding removes some of the board. Pull a floor register and look at the edge of a board to see how much wood is left above the tongue. If nail heads or the tongue already show between boards, another sanding will go through. On engineered flooring, ask the manufacturer or check a board's edge for the wear layer thickness.

What does it cost to refinish or replace hardwood floors in 2026?

A screen and recoat is $1–$2.50 per square foot. A full sand and refinish is $3–$8 per square foot. New solid hardwood is $8–$20 per square foot installed, including removing the old floor. A 500-square-foot area runs $1,500–$4,000 to sand and refinish and $4,000–$10,000 to replace.

Can water-damaged hardwood be refinished?

Light staining or slight cupping on a few boards often can be, once the boards dry out, or the damaged boards can be cut out and new ones woven in. Boards that are buckled across a large area, soft, or black need replacing. Find and fix the water source first, and have the subfloor checked for rot and mold before new flooring goes down.

Refinish or replace hardwood floors?

Most worn hardwood floors do not need to be replaced. Solid hardwood is built to be sanded down and refinished several times over its life, and a refinish costs a fraction of new flooring. The cases where replacing makes sense come down to two questions: is the wood itself damaged, or only its finish, and is there enough wood left above the tongue to sand again?

Three options, from cheapest to most

Screen and recoat. The finish is lightly abraded and a fresh coat goes on top. It removes dullness and fine surface scratches. It does not reach scratches that go into the wood, stains, or gray worn paths. It works only over a finish a new coat will bond to; a floor that has been waxed usually cannot be recoated without a full sanding.
Sand and refinish. The floor is sanded to bare wood, optionally stained, and given new coats of finish. It removes most scratches, dents that are not deep, worn traffic paths, and old color. Expect the house to be out of use for those rooms for several days.
Replace. The old boards come out, the subfloor is checked, and new flooring goes down. This is the only option when the wood itself is ruined.

When refinishing is the right call

Refinish when the damage is on the surface and the boards are still flat and solid:

Dull, scratched, or worn finish, including gray paths where the finish has worn through in a hallway or in front of the sink.
A dated color, such as an orange or yellowed finish, on boards that are otherwise sound.
Small areas of damage, such as a few stained or split boards. A flooring contractor can cut out individual boards and weave in new ones, then refinish the room so they blend.
Hardwood found under carpet. Older houses often have oak under wall-to-wall carpet. Staple holes and tack strip marks at the edges usually sand or fill out.

When to replace

Replace when the wood, not the finish, has failed:

Water damage that has cupped or buckled the boards across a large area, especially if the boards are soft or black. Find and fix the source first, and have the subfloor checked for rot and mold before new flooring goes down.
No wood left to sand. Every sanding removes some of the board. On a floor that has been sanded many times, nail heads or the tongue start to show between boards, and another sanding will go through. Pull a floor register to look at the edge of a board and see how much is left above the tongue.
Engineered hardwood with a thin wear layer. Engineered flooring has a real-wood top layer over plywood. A thick wear layer can be sanded at least once; a thin one may take only a screen and recoat, or nothing at all. Ask the manufacturer or check a board's edge before you hire a sander.
Deep pet stains across many boards. Pet urine can soak into the wood and turn it black. A few boards can be replaced, but stains spread over a room usually mean new flooring.
Damage across most of the room, where weaving in new boards would cost close to new flooring.

What it costs in 2026

Screen and recoat: $1–$2.50 per square foot.
Sand and refinish: $3–$8 per square foot, more for stain, extra coats, or heavy repairs.
Board repair and weave-in: $300–$1,000 for a small area, before refinishing.
New solid hardwood, installed: $8–$20 per square foot, including removing the old floor. Subfloor repair is extra.

A 500-square-foot living and dining area runs $1,500–$4,000 to sand and refinish, and $4,000–$10,000 to replace with new solid hardwood. See our methodology for how we build these bands. Stairs, borders, inlays, and rooms full of furniture all push a quote up.

Before you sell

Refinished hardwood is one of the cheaper ways to make a house look cared for in listing photos, and floors buyers can see are usually worth more than the same floors under carpet. A full replacement is a bigger bet. Our guide to whether new flooring adds resale value covers what buyers pay for, and our guide to remodeling before selling covers which projects to do and which to skip.

The bottom line

Refinish when the finish is worn and the boards are flat and sound; replace when the wood itself is cupped, rotted, stained through, or sanded too thin to sand again. A screen and recoat is $1–$2.50 per square foot, a full sand and refinish $3–$8, and new solid hardwood $8–$20 installed. On a typical 500-square-foot area, that is $1,500–$4,000 to refinish against $4,000–$10,000 to replace.