Pet Stains on Hardwood Floors: Before and After Photos

I am in love with the floors in our new home! But this wasn't always the case. When we bought the place the floors were so damaged that the seller reduced the price significantly when I showed them the estimate from a floor restoration specialist. The extent of the pet damage was so great that it required not just refinishing but removal and replacement of certain damaged slats.

So, how do you know when a stain is not just dirt and wear but actual pet damage? It will look black, almost burned. Like this:

Only by cutting out the blackened wood slats and replacing them with new wood will you get this:

Only if you knew the stain was there, can you pick out the new wood, slightly lighter than the rest

What will sanding alone get you? Here is the master bedroom before:

Close up:

And after:

Sanding will remove some of the dead wood on the periphery of the stain and the coat of shine will make it look better, however, the floor will not be pristine without restoration.

What does floor restoration cost?

It depends on the type of wood the original floor was made of and the size of the wood slats (standard or a size no longer commonly produced today). Hardwoods like oak so common half a century ago are very expensive today. The least costly wood available today is red pine. Red pine restoration pieces can be blended in to look quite good. But it takes a professional to match the new wood with the old.

Refinishing floors that do not have pet damage will run you about $12 per sq ft in the New York City area. Restoring pet damaged floors and refinishing them will cost about $40 per sq ft.

How do you find a good floor refinisher?

Your general contractor should have some regular sub-contractors. Or you can ask for referrals from Renov8ors you know. Or check online neighborhood community groups.

I regularly follow my local group Jackson Heights Life for valuable information about the neighborhood that I'm moving into.