Floors Like New — Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Frederick, MD
Most worn hardwood doesn't need replacing. We sand it back to bare wood, repair what's damaged and lay down a finish that lasts — usually in three or four days.
We'd Rather Save Your Floor Than Sell You A New One
Pellwood started as one sander and one truck working the row houses downtown. Nearly thirty years later we still do mostly the same thing: take a floor that looks finished — gray, scratched, stained, patched — and bring the wood back. Old-growth oak and heart pine in a century-old house can take several more sandings. When a board is too far gone we cut in reclaimed wood that matches, and when a whole floor genuinely can't be saved, we'll tell you so.
- ✓Floor assessment before any price
- ✓Reclaimed boards to match old floors
- ✓Dust-contained sanders
- ✓Water-based, low-odor finishes available
What We Do With Hardwood
Every job starts with a free assessment — we check how much wood is left above the tongue, what finish is on it now and what's causing the damage.
Can Your Floor Be Refinished?
If most of these sound like your floor, sanding will almost certainly save it.
The wood is solid
Solid hardwood, or engineered with a thick enough wear layer — we check at a vent or threshold.
The damage is on top
Scratches, dull traffic paths, gray patches and old stain wear, not boards that flex underfoot.
Stains are in a few spots
A pet or water stain in a few boards can be cut out; a whole room of black-stained wood usually can't.
The boards are flat
Cupping or crowning from old moisture can often be sanded flat once the moisture source is fixed.
Four Days, Start To Finish
Day One — Prep & Sanding
Rooms emptied, doorways sealed off, and the floor sanded to bare wood with dust-contained machines.
Day One — Repairs
Damaged boards replaced, gaps and nail holes filled, edges and corners sanded by hand.
Day Two — Stain
The color you chose from samples on your own floor, applied by hand and left to dry overnight.
Days Two & Three — Finish Coats
Two or three coats of finish, with a light buff between each so the surface is smooth.
Day Four — Walk On It
Socks after a day, furniture back after two to three days, rugs after a couple of weeks.
Floors We've Brought Back
We Test Stain On Your Floor, Not On A Chart
The same stain looks different on red oak than on white oak, and different again in a north-facing room. So after sanding we brush three or four sample colors straight onto your floor, let them dry, and you choose standing in the room. It costs half a day. It saves people from living with the wrong color for fifteen years.
- ✓Samples brushed onto your own boards
- ✓Natural, light, medium and dark options
- ✓Finish sheen chosen the same way
Floors People Gave Up On
Our 1920s oak had three layers of old finish and pet stains we were sure meant new floors. Pellwood patched eleven boards, sanded the rest and the room looks like it did when the house was built.
They brushed four stain samples onto our actual floor and made us wait a day to look at them dry. We changed our mind completely. Best advice we got during the whole renovation.
A screen and recoat on the kitchen and hall, done in one day, walking on it in socks by the next evening. It saved us a full refinish we didn't need yet.
Find Out If Your Floor Can Be Saved
We'll measure, check how much wood is left and tell you whether a recoat, a refinish or new boards makes sense — with one written price.
Refinishing Questions We Hear Every Week
How much does it cost to refinish hardwood floors?
It's priced per square foot and depends on the finish you choose, whether you're changing color, and how many boards need repair. A screen and recoat costs a fraction of a full sand and refinish. The free assessment gives you one written price for your floor, not a range.
How many times can a hardwood floor be refinished?
A three-quarter-inch solid floor can usually be sanded many times over its life — older floors in downtown houses have often been done five or six times and still have wood to spare. Engineered floors depend on the top layer; some can be sanded once, some not at all. We check before we quote.
How long do we have to stay off the floor?
Socks after about a day with water-based finishes, shoes and light furniture after two to three days, and rugs after two weeks while the finish fully cures. Oil-based finishes take longer. We'll give you the exact schedule for the finish you pick.
Is there a lot of dust?
Far less than you'd expect. Our sanders run connected to contained vacuum systems, and we seal doorways with plastic. There is still some fine dust on the edges of the rooms we work in, which we vacuum before we leave.
Can you get rid of pet stains?
Light surface marks usually sand out. Dark stains that have soaked into the wood don't — those boards get cut out and replaced with matching wood, which is why we look at the floor before pricing.
Do we have to move out while you work?
Usually not. We work room by room where we can and plan the order so you keep a way through the house. With oil-based finishes some families prefer to stay elsewhere for a night because of the smell.
Book A Free Floor Assessment
Tell us about the floor and we'll call within one business day to set a time to come and look at it.