How much does Hardwood floor repair cost?

Solid hardwood flooring is a classic material that gives a room natural beauty and warmth. But compared to newer flooring materials, such as vinyl and laminate flooring, wood is more vulnerable to wear and tear from scratches, scuffs, and stains. Water can also be a serious wood floor enemy, causing it to stain, buckle, and warp.

Fortunately, most minor-to-moderate wood-floor repairs can be handled by sanding, refinishing, and buffing the damaged portion to match the existing floor. But for larger damaged areas, you’ll often have to replace wood floor strips or planks. Extensive damage (such as problems caused by flooding) may require you to replace the entire floor in one or more rooms with new hardwood floors. 

Hardwood floor repair is a difficult task, best left to a hardwood floor professional or skilled handyperson with flooring experience. 

The national average cost for hardwood flooring repair ranges from $180–550, which includes both labor costs and materials. 

The type of service professional you call for the job depends upon the nature and extent of damage. For large, difficult repairs or flooring replacement, a flooring contractor is your best bet. To fix scratches, or replace a couple of wood planks, a handyperson may be more affordable. 

Flooring contractors sometimes charge as much as $300–1,250 as a minimum fee to dispatch a team to your home, making small jobs uneconomical. Big jobs, such as replacing a bedroom’s water-damaged hardwood floors, can cost $1,200–3,000+. 

A handyperson typically charges $40–80 per hour (plus the cost of materials)—making them a good alternative for basic repair jobs that typically take 2–3 hours. Just be sure they have experience with wood floors, because an untrained worker can do more harm than good. 

Here’s a closer look at common wood floor repair techniques and their costs.

Scratches. Small jobs, like healing a couple of shallow, 3–6 inch scratches, might cost as little as $75–200 when performed by a competent handyperson. For large or extensive scratches, you may need to have the floor sanded and refinished. (Read Cost of hardwood floor refinishing.)

Swapping. For repairs that can’t be sanded out—such as deep scratches and small sections of water damage—floorboards may need to be replaced. To make these replacements unnoticeable, it’s best to use remnants left over from your floor installation. 

If you don’t have any matching boards squirreled away, your repair person can try poaching the necessary pieces from a low-traffic area like a closet or laundry room, then replacing the poached pieces with a close match. This swapping process usually adds 1–2 hours to a repair job. 

Replacement. For extensive damage, replacement can be more cost-effective than repair. Replacing damaged flooring in a full section—or whole room—is generally best left in the hands of flooring contractors. 

If you don’t have replacement flooring that matches, it may be necessary to replace the flooring in the entire room. Project costs for most new hardwood flooring installations average $1,500–5,000, or $5–10 per square foot (installed). 

The following issues may impact the total cost of hardwood floor repairs: 

How much does it cost to repair a scratched hardwood floor?

Fixing shallow scratches and dents in hardwood flooring can often be done by a qualified handyperson for $75–200. Anyone with the proper skills, a sander, the right sandpaper, and wood floor finish can make small repairs. 

Can you fix a damaged hardwood floor?

Local pros can fix most types of hardwood floor damage. Minor issues can frequently be handled by a handyperson at a rate of $40–80 per hour, plus materials. Larger issues—such as replacing sections of flooring or an entire floor—should be performed by an experienced flooring contractor. They typically have a minimum service fee of $300–1,250, and major repairs can cost $1,200–3,000 or more.

Can you replace a piece of hardwood floor?

Most modern types of flooring are made in “tongue-and-groove” or a similar interlocking system, which allows pieces to be removed and replaced. If you have leftover flooring materials from the original floor installation, use them to make replacing damaged floorboards less noticeable.

Find a hardwood floor professional in your area.