Should I refinish or replace worn hardwood floors in my Hillhurst bungalow?

In almost every case, refinishing the original hardwood floors in a Hillhurst bungalow is the better choice — it costs a fraction of replacement, preserves the home's character, and the results can be stunning. Most Hillhurst bungalows date from the 1920s through the 1950s, and the original hardwood flooring from that era is typically solid 3/4-inch red oak, white oak, or fir that has decades of sandable life remaining.

The cost comparison strongly favours refinishing. Refinishing existing hardwood in Calgary runs $3 to $6 per square foot, while tearing out the old floors and installing new hardwood costs $8 to $18 per square foot when you factor in demolition ($1.50 to $3/sqft), disposal, subfloor preparation, and new material plus installation. For a typical Hillhurst bungalow with 700 to 1,000 square feet of hardwood, that's roughly $2,100 to $6,000 for refinishing versus $5,600 to $18,000 for replacement. That's a savings of $3,500 to $12,000 or more.

When refinishing makes sense — which is most of the time: the floors are structurally sound with no significant rot or water damage to the subfloor; there's enough wear layer remaining for sanding (most Hillhurst originals have been refinished once or twice at most, leaving plenty of material); and the boards are tight with no excessive warping or cupping. Even floors that look terrible on the surface — deeply scratched, stained, worn through the finish in traffic paths — typically sand down to beautiful clean wood underneath.

When replacement becomes the better option: the subfloor underneath has structural damage from water, plumbing leaks, or termite/carpenter ant activity; the hardwood has been sanded so many times that the wear layer above the tongue is too thin to sand again (rare in Hillhurst homes); large sections of boards are missing, cracked, or irreparably damaged; or you want to switch to a completely different material like LVP or tile for lifestyle reasons.

Hillhurst-specific considerations: Many of the earlier bungalows in Hillhurst have original fir flooring rather than oak. Fir is softer and shows wear more readily, but it sands beautifully and has a warm, distinctive grain that many homeowners love. It does require a gentler sanding approach and a harder finish coat to protect the softer wood. Some Hillhurst bungalows also have areas where the original hardwood was covered with vinyl tile or linoleum — check for asbestos before removing any overlay in homes built before 1980, as 9x9-inch vinyl tiles and black mastic adhesive commonly contain asbestos fibres.

Calgary's dry climate and chinook humidity swings will affect the refinished floors, so maintaining 35 to 45 percent indoor humidity year-round with a whole-home humidifier is important to protect your investment. Find experienced refinishing professionals through the Calgary Construction Network who have worked on heritage homes in established inner-city neighbourhoods like Hillhurst.

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Looking for experienced contractors? The Calgary Construction Network connects homeowners with qualified professionals:

• Royland Stucco
• Greenstone landscaping solutions
• Premium Built Structures
• Mr & Mrs Paintastic Inc
• Universal Slate International Inc.