Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Savannah, GA
Savannah Premium Wood Flooring has been installing, repairing, and refinishing wood floors in the Savannah, GA area for over 20 years! Hardwood floor refinishing is one of the most cost-effective improvements you can make to a Savannah home. The city's housing stock includes thousands of properties built between 1880 and 1970 — Victorian-era homes in the Historic District, craftsman bungalows in Ardsley Park, mid-century ranches in Midtown — and a significant portion of those homes still have their original wood floors underneath carpet, adhesive tile, or years of built-up finish. According to the National Wood Flooring Association, refinishing an existing hardwood floor typically costs 50 to 75 percent less than full replacement and can restore a floor to like-new condition in two to three days. In Savannah's humid subtropical climate, where average summer dewpoints exceed 70°F and annual rainfall tops 50 inches, floors that were properly installed and maintained are almost always worth saving.
The economic case for refinishing is straightforward. Hardwood floor refinishing adds an average of $2.50 to $3.00 per square foot in appraised home value for every $1.00 to $1.50 spent on the service — a return no cosmetic renovation reliably beats. For Savannah homeowners preparing to sell in a market where original hardwood floors are a documented selling point, refinishing consistently outperforms replacement on ROI. Savannah Premium Wood Flooring handles every stage of the refinishing process in-house: sanding, staining, finish application, and final inspection before we walk out the door.
Why Choose Us
Unmatched Craftsmanship
We use top-grade hardwood and proven installation methods to deliver flawless, long-lasting floors that elevate any Savannah property.
Hardwood Floor Experts
Our team understands Savannah’s climate, design trends, and building standards, ensuring every floor performs beautifully in both modern and classic spaces.
Clean, On-Time, and
Customer-Focused
From consultation to final walkthrough, we provide clear communication, dust-controlled work areas, and on-schedule project completion with results that exceed expectations.
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Hardwood Floor Refinishing Services We Provide
Full Sand and Refinish
Full sanding takes the floor back to bare wood — removing old finish, surface stains, minor scratches, and discoloration accumulated over decades. Once the floor is sanded to a uniform, clean surface, we apply stain if requested and finish coats in the sheen level you choose: matte, satin, semi-gloss, or gloss. Most solid hardwood floors can be fully sanded and refinished three to five times over their lifespan before the wear layer becomes too thin to sand safely. We measure wear layer thickness before every job and give you a straight answer about how many refinishes your floor has left.
Dustless Floor Sanding
Standard drum sanding generates significant airborne dust that settles throughout the home for days after the job is done. Our dustless sanding equipment connects directly to commercial-grade vacuum systems that capture the majority of dust at the source during the sanding pass. The result is not 100 percent dust-free — no honest contractor will tell you it is — but the difference is substantial. Most customers are back in their space within 24 to 48 hours with minimal cleanup required.
Stain Color Matching and Application
Stain selection matters more than most homeowners expect. The same stain color can read completely differently on white oak versus red oak versus heart pine, depending on the wood's natural tannin content and grain structure. We sand sample boards from your actual floor, apply your shortlisted stain options, and let you see exactly how each color looks on your wood before we commit. For patch and repair work, we match existing stain to blend new boards with the surrounding floor.
Water-Based Polyurethane Finishing
Water-based polyurethane dries faster — typically two to four hours between coats — has lower VOC output, and maintains the wood's natural color without adding an amber tone. It is the preferred finish for lighter wood species like white oak and maple, and for homeowners who want a more contemporary look. Durability on water-based finishes has improved significantly over the past decade; commercial-grade water-based products now perform comparably to oil-based in most residential applications.
Oil-Based Polyurethane Finishing
Oil-based polyurethane takes longer to cure — 24 hours between coats and up to a week before the floor reaches full hardness — but produces a warmer amber tone that many Savannah homeowners prefer, particularly on older heart pine and red oak floors in historic properties. Oil-based finishes tend to level more smoothly than water-based and are more forgiving on floors with surface irregularities. We apply a minimum of three coats on all refinishing jobs regardless of finish type.
Screen and Recoat
If your floors are structurally sound and the finish is simply dull, worn in traffic areas, or showing minor surface scratches, a screen and recoat is the right service — not a full sand. Screening lightly abrades the existing finish surface to create mechanical adhesion, and fresh finish coats are applied on top. The process takes one day, costs significantly less than full refinishing, and extends the life of your current finish by several years. We assess every floor honestly before recommending a full sand when a recoat will do the job.
Types of Properties We Serve
Single-Family Residential
The majority of our refinishing work is in Savannah's single-family residential market — craftsman bungalows in Ardsley Park and Thomas Square, Victorian-era homes in the Historic and Victorian Districts, mid-century ranches in Midtown, and newer construction throughout Pooler and Richmond Hill. Each property type presents different challenges: historic homes often have original longleaf pine or heart pine that requires careful sanding to avoid cutting through a thin wear layer, while newer construction typically has prefinished engineered flooring that needs specific screening protocols. We assess the floor type and condition before every job.
Historic and Landmark Properties
Savannah's Historic District and Victorian Historic District contain some of the most architecturally significant residential properties in the southeastern United States. Working in these homes requires restraint. Original wide-plank heart pine floors milled from old-growth longleaf pine trees that no longer exist cannot be replaced with equivalent material. We sand conservatively, measure before and after, and use finish products appropriate for historic interiors — lower sheen, period-appropriate color tones, and no fill products that alter the natural character of the wood.
Multi-Family and Investment Properties
Savannah's rental and investment property market is active, particularly in and around the Historic District, Starland District, and Midtown neighborhoods. For investment property owners, we offer efficient scheduling, honest assessments of what each floor actually needs versus what it doesn't, and pricing structured around realistic ROI timelines. A properly refinished floor in a rental unit holds up for five to eight years under normal tenant traffic before it needs attention again.
Commercial Properties
We refinish hardwood floors in restaurants, retail spaces, offices, and mixed-use commercial buildings throughout Savannah. Commercial refinishing has different requirements than residential work: tighter scheduling windows, higher-durability finish specifications, and faster return-to-service timelines. We work around your operating hours when possible and use commercial-grade finish products rated for high foot traffic.
What Our Customers are Saying
"We have original heart pine floors throughout our 1910 home in the Historic District. They were dark, scratched, and had about four layers of old finish on them. I was worried about having anyone touch them given how irreplaceable they are. The crew was careful, measured the wear layer before they started, and used a finish that actually showed the wood instead of covering it up. The floors look exactly like what they are — 115-year-old heart pine that someone finally took care of properly."
— Catherine M., Historic District, Savannah, GA
"I'd been quoted a full replacement by two other contractors before I called these guys. They came out, looked at the floors, and told me refinishing was absolutely the right move. Three days later I had floors that looked better than anything new I could have put in at twice the price. Straightforward, no upselling, showed up when they said they would."
— James R., Ardsley Park, Savannah, GA
"We own several rental units in Midtown and use Savannah Premium Wood Flooring for all of our floor turnovers. They're honest about what actually needs a full sand versus a screen and recoat, which saves us money every time. The work is consistent and the tenants always comment on the floors."
— Patricia L., Midtown Savannah, GA
Hardwood Floor Refinishing FAQs
How much does hardwood floor refinishing cost in Savannah, GA?
Full sand and refinish in Savannah typically runs between $3.00 and $5.00 per square foot depending on floor condition, wood species, stain requirements, and finish type. Screen and recoat services generally range from $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot. Floors with significant damage, multiple layers of old finish, or pet stain remediation required will fall toward the higher end. We provide written estimates after assessing the actual floor — not before.
How long does hardwood floor refinishing take?
Most residential refinishing jobs take two to three days from start to finish. Day one covers sanding and stain application if applicable. Days two and three are finish coats, with drying time between each coat. You can typically walk on the floor in socks within 24 hours of the final coat, but we recommend keeping furniture off for a minimum of 72 hours and avoiding rugs for two weeks while the finish fully cures. Larger homes or floors with significant prep work required may add a day.
How many times can hardwood floors be refinished?
It depends on the wear layer thickness, not the age of the floor. Most 3/4-inch solid hardwood has enough wear layer to be sanded four to five times over its lifetime. Engineered hardwood varies — some products have a veneer too thin for even one full sand, while others can be refinished once or twice. We measure wear layer thickness before every job and tell you exactly where your floor stands before any work begins.
Do I need to move out during refinishing?
Not usually. Most customers stay elsewhere for one to two nights during the heaviest sanding and initial finish application, then return once the floor is dry enough to walk on. The bigger practical issue is furniture — the rooms being refinished need to be completely cleared before we start. If you have pets or household members with respiratory sensitivities, staying out for the first 24 hours after finish application is worth considering even with water-based products.
What's the difference between oil-based and water-based finish — which should I choose?
Water-based dries faster, has lower VOCs, and keeps the wood's natural color — the right call for lighter species like white oak or maple, or if you want a contemporary look. Oil-based takes longer to cure but produces a warmer amber tone and tends to level more smoothly on older floors with minor surface variation. For heart pine and red oak in historic Savannah homes, oil-based is usually the better fit aesthetically. We'll show you samples of both on your actual wood species before you decide.