Key takeaways
- Refinishing fits a hardwood floor whose boards are sound and whose damage is in the finish: scratches, dents, dull traffic paths or sun fading.
- Cupped, water-damaged or sanded-thin boards point to replacement; at RDC, new engineered hardwood runs $8 to $16 per square foot installed and solid hardwood $10 to $20.
- The National Wood Flooring Association advises keeping a home with wood floors at 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 30 to 50 percent humidity year-round.
- With a waterborne finish such as Bona Traffic HD, the floor takes foot traffic after 24 hours and fully cures in about 3 days.
- RDC has sanded, stained and refinished hardwood floors in homes in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Fountain Hills.
- Every RDC project carries a 1-year workmanship warranty.
What Arizona Sun and Dry Air Do to a Hardwood Floor
Wood gains and loses moisture with the air around it. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) says floors that lose moisture can gap or split and floors that gain it can cup. It advises keeping a home at 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 30 to 50 percent humidity year-round. In a Phoenix home, three things wear on the floor:
- UV fading: intense sun through big desert windows fades and yellows the finish, often in visible rectangles where rugs used to sit.
- Dry-air shrinkage: very low indoor humidity shrinks boards and opens gaps between them.
- Grit wear: desert dust acts like fine sandpaper underfoot, dulling the finish along traffic paths.
Fading, dull traffic paths and seasonal gaps are finish-layer and movement problems, not failed wood, and those are what refinishing addresses. Gaps that stay large and do not close in the more humid months are a reason to have a professional look at the floor, per the NWFA.
Scottsdale hallway: the gloss finish on this rustic-grade hardwood is the layer that takes the sun and grit, and the layer refinishing replaces.
Should You Refinish or Replace a Hardwood Floor?
Whether to refinish or replace a hardwood floor in Phoenix depends on the boards, not the finish. If the wood is sound, a full sand and refinish removes scratches, dents and worn finish. If boards are cupped, water-damaged or sanded thin, replace them: new engineered hardwood runs $8 to $16 per square foot installed at RDC.
The NWFA recommends a complete sand and refinish for deep scratches, dents and finish worn down to bare wood. It also notes that how many times a floor can be sanded depends on the wear layer, the floor's flatness and its condition.
| Floor Condition | Right Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Scratched, dull or sun-faded finish | Refinish | A full sand takes the damaged finish down to bare wood |
| Seasonal gaps, sound boards | Refinish, boards re-secured | Loose boards are re-secured before the finish goes on |
| Deep cupping or water damage | Usually replace | The wood itself is compromised, not just the finish |
| Engineered wood, wear layer sanded through | Replace | Nothing left to sand; new engineered hardwood runs $8 to $16/sq ft installed at RDC |
| Solid wood already sanded to its limit | Replace | New solid hardwood runs $10 to $20/sq ft installed at RDC |
Please note: these are typical ranges. Final pricing is set individually for each customer based on your specific project, materials, and scope, confirmed in your free written estimate.
Fountain Hills: wide-plank hardwood with sound boards, sanded, stained and refinished by RDC rather than replaced.
Replacing instead? Compare new hardwood floor installation, LVP flooring installation or porcelain tile installation. RDC sells and installs all three from its Bell Road showroom.
The replacement path: in this Phoenix home, RDC installed wood-look LVP on the dining room and stairs in place of Saltillo tile and carpet.
The Process, From Inspection to Final Coat
- Inspection: RDC checks the boards, their thickness and the existing finish during the free in-home estimate, and tells you whether refinishing or replacement fits the floor.
- Sanding: the floor is sanded down to bare wood, taking off the old finish, scratches and sun fading.
- Loose boards: loose boards are re-secured and damaged sections addressed before any finish goes on.
- Stain and finish: the color you choose, then protective finish coats. The schedule depends on the number of rooms and the finish's cure time, and RDC sets it in your written estimate.
How Long Does It Take to Refinish Hardwood Floors?
Refinishing a hardwood floor in Phoenix runs on the finish's clock once sanding is done. With a waterborne finish such as Bona Traffic HD, each coat dries in 2 to 3 hours. The floor takes foot traffic after 24 hours and fully cures in about 3 days. RDC sets your exact schedule in the written estimate.
The times below are typical industry timing from two finish manufacturers' data sheets. They are examples, not RDC-specific numbers.
| Step | Typical Timing | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sanding to bare wood | Depends on the floor's size and the number of rooms | Set in RDC's written estimate |
| Stain | 2 hours for wood tones, 6 hours for white, 12 to 18 hours for some dark colors such as Ebony | Bona DriFast Stain |
| Finish coats | Stain or sealer plus 2 coats, a third in heavy-traffic areas; each coat dries in 2 to 3 hours | Bona Traffic HD data sheet |
| Walking on the floor | After 24 hours | Bona Traffic HD; DuraSeal Waterbased Polyurethane |
| Full cure | About 3 days (80 percent cured after 1 day) | Bona Traffic HD |
| Area rugs back | After full cure (Bona); one week (DuraSeal) | Both data sheets |
| Furniture back | Felt pads under the legs; the finish stays prone to scuffs until fully cured | Bona Traffic HD |
Bona lists the finish times for 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 to 60 percent relative humidity. High humidity and low temperature extend the dry time. Other finishes, including oil-based ones, follow their own data sheets. RDC sets your exact schedule in the written estimate, based on your rooms and the finish you choose.
Fountain Hills: rustic-grade hardwood after sanding, staining and new finish coats.
Engineered Hardwood: Check Before You Sand
Engineered hardwood can be sanded only as far as its real-wood wear layer allows, and that thickness is listed in the manufacturer's spec. RDC checks the floor's construction at a vent or threshold during the free in-home estimate. The full answer to can engineered hardwood be refinished is on RDC's hardwood floor installation page.
Phoenix: dark-stained hardwood in an arched entry, sanded, stained and refinished by RDC. Darker stains show desert dust more, a tradeoff to weigh when you pick the color.
Hardwood Floors in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Fountain Hills
In Phoenix, where the median home was built in 1985 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024), RDC has sanded, stained and refinished a dark hardwood floor in an arched entry (photo above). The showroom at 1610 E Bell Rd, Suite 101, in North Phoenix has full-size hardwood planks on display, so you can compare wood colors in real light if replacement is the answer. It is open Sunday to Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM, and closed Saturday. Details: Phoenix flooring showroom and store.
In Scottsdale, RDC refinished an existing rustic-grade hardwood hallway (first photo on this page); see flooring in Scottsdale. In Fountain Hills, RDC sanded, stained and refinished a wide-plank hardwood floor; see Fountain Hills. RDC also serves Paradise Valley, Mesa, Peoria, Glendale, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe and the rest of the Valley.
Considering new wood instead? See hardwood floor installers in Phoenix, compare all options in best flooring for Arizona heat, browse flooring installation in Phoenix, or call or text (602) 788-1446 for a free estimate.