Hardwood floor refinishing · West Allis, Wisconsin
Floor refinishing in West Allis
Bungalows, Cape Cods and up-and-down duplexes, most of them sitting on oak that has never been sanded properly. Sanding, refinishing and hardwood installation by Art Flooring & Construction, working around Milwaukee since 2005.
What we find
West Allis floors
West Allis was built out fast and built to work. The blocks off Greenfield and National Avenue are full of brick and frame bungalows and two-family flats, and the streets further west filled in after the war with Cape Cods and small ranches. Almost all of them went in with solid oak strip — red oak in most rooms, sometimes white oak in the front rooms of the older houses.
That oak is the good news. In a typical West Allis house it went under wall-to-wall carpet decades ago and has been protected ever since. Pull the carpet and pad and you find staples, tack strip around the walls and a dull, amber finish — but the wood itself usually has most of its wear layer left. Those floors sand clean and come back looking like the house is new.
Duplexes are their own job. Upper units tend to have heavier traffic wear in a path from the stairs to the kitchen, patched boards where a radiator or a wall used to be, and finish that has been recoated by a past landlord without sanding. We sort out the patches first, then sand the whole unit as one floor so the repairs disappear.
What a job looks like
- We look at the floor and check remaining thickness before quoting
- Carpet staples, tack strip and old nails pulled; loose boards refastened
- Damaged boards cut out and woven in with matching oak
- Full grit sequence — 36, 60, 80, 100 — with the edges and corners done to match the field
- Three coats of finish, waterborne or oil-modified
- Stairs quoted per tread if you want them to match
Rental owners
A lot of West Allis is two-family rentals. Between tenants, a sand and three coats is usually cheaper over the life of the unit than new flooring, and it photographs better for the listing. Where a floor is too far gone, we install laminate or vinyl plank instead and tell you which option makes sense for that unit.
The process
Why the sequence matters
Cut flat
The first pass at 36 grit takes off the old finish and any cupping or ridges. On a floor that has been under carpet, this pass also takes out the gray line the tack strip left around the room.
Refine
60 and 80 grit remove the scratch the coarse paper left behind. Skip a grit and those scratches show up the moment stain or finish hits the wood, and the only fix is sanding again.
Finish
Waterborne finish stays lighter and lets you back in the room sooner. Oil-modified polyurethane gives oak a warmer amber tone and takes longer to cure. We help you pick based on the look you want and when you need the rooms back.
Cost in West Allis
Per square foot · sand + 3 coats
That range covers sanding and three coats of finish on a floor in ordinary condition. Where your floor lands in the range depends on its condition and what you want done to it.
What moves the price
| Stain | Natural finish is included. A stain color adds a step and dry time. |
|---|---|
| Repairs | Cutting out and weaving in damaged boards is priced by the area. |
| Stairs | Quoted per tread, so you only pay for what you want matched. |
| Pet damage | Deep urine stains in oak often mean replacing boards rather than sanding. |
Full pricing detail is on our main pricing page.
Recent work
Floors around Milwaukee
Questions
Before you call
Can the oak under my carpet be saved?
Usually. Carpet protects the wood, so most of the floor has its wear layer intact. The damage is at the edges from tack strip and in spots from staples, and both sand out. We check thickness at a floor vent or a doorway before quoting, so you know up front.
My floor was refinished before. Can it be done again?
Solid oak strip can usually be sanded several times. A floor that has already been sanded two or three times needs a thickness check first. If there is not enough wood left above the tongue, we tell you and talk through repair or replacement instead.
Do we need to be out of the house?
You need to stay off the floors being worked on, and the rooms need to be cleared of furniture. With waterborne finish, many people stay in the rest of the house. Oil-modified finish has a stronger odor while it cures, so plan around that if you choose it.
Do you install new hardwood or patch in a floor?
Yes. We install solid and engineered hardwood, and when a wall comes out or a kitchen is opened up we weave new boards into the old floor, then sand the whole room together so it reads as one floor.
Do you do tile or carpet?
No. Hardwood sanding, refinishing and installation, plus laminate and vinyl plank. No tile, no carpet.
Get a quote
Tell us about the floor in West Allis
We answer quote requests the same day, most days. If you would rather talk it through, call 414-255-3035.