Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Lakewood, Colorado
What it costs, and what Lakewood's housing stock does to the job.
Floor refinishing in a 1977-median city
The median Lakewood home was built in 1977 and 2.7% of the city’s housing
predates 1940. For floor refinishing specifically, that is not background color — it is the thing that
decides the job.
Less likely than in Denver or Pueblo but far from impossible — plenty of 1960s and 70s houses were built with oak strip and carpeted later. Only a few percent of this housing predates 1940, so do not assume, but lifting a corner of carpet in a closet costs nothing.
Lakewood is first-ring postwar Denver — median 1977, almost nothing prewar. Ranches and split-levels on plywood subfloors with predictable framing. The deciding factor is usually humidity control rather than the structure underneath.
What it costs in Lakewood
Denver metro labor runs above the Colorado baseline, which is why the range below sits higher than the statewide $3–$8. Installed, materials and labor together:
| Work | Lakewood range | Colorado range |
|---|---|---|
| Refinishing existing boards | $3 – $8 a square foot | $3 – $8 a square foot |
An estimate, not a quote. These are planning ranges for Colorado, not a quote. What you actually pay depends on your rooms, your subfloor and the material you choose.
Extras are where a Lakewood 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 2.7% of Lakewood homes predating 1940, this is almost certainly a plywood subfloor on predictable framing, so the prep line should be a small one.
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.