Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Lancaster, PA
What it costs, and what Lancaster's housing stock does to the job.
Floor refinishing in a 1938-median city
The median Lancaster home was built in 1938 and 53.8% of the city’s housing
predates 1940. For floor refinishing specifically, that is not background color — it is the thing that
decides the job.
Rowhomes are the best refinishing candidates in Pennsylvania. They were built in runs, to one specification, with narrow-strip oak as standard, and an enormous number of them had carpet laid straight over that oak in the 1960s and 70s. The floor under your carpet is very likely the original, very likely sound, and very likely never sanded.
Lancaster has the widest city-to-county split in Pennsylvania: the median house inside the city was built in 1938, the median house in Lancaster County in 1978. Forty years apart, in the same phone book. A city job is usually plank subfloor, plaster walls and original trim to work around; a county job is usually plywood, drywall and a straightforward install.
What it costs in Lancaster
Central PA is the Pennsylvania labor baseline, so the range below matches the statewide $3–$8. Installed, materials and labor together:
| Work | Lancaster range | Pennsylvania range |
|---|---|---|
| Refinishing existing boards | $3 – $8 a square foot | $3 – $8 a square foot |
An estimate, not a quote. These are planning ranges for Pennsylvania, not a quote. What you actually pay depends on your rooms, your subfloor and the material you choose — final price depends on your project.
Extras are where a Lancaster job most often moves away from the band: removing the old floor,
prepping a plank subfloor, and stairs. The
cost estimator prices those separately against your own
room.
Questions worth asking before you book
- What is the subfloor, and what does it need? With 53.8% of Lancaster
homes predating 1940, a plank subfloor is a realistic assumption rather than an edge case.
How to identify yours. - Is the old floor coming out or being covered? Covering costs less and is
sometimes the safer answer — particularly over
9×9 tile — but it costs you height at doors and
at the bottom stair riser. - What is the cut-and-waste allowance? A century-old house is rarely square, and
cuts are labor. - What is your PA Home Improvement Contractor number? It is legally required to
be on the estimate. How to check it.