We check the subfloor and measure the moisture before we price a single board, so the floor we quote is the floor we deliver.
Hawthorne Wood Flooring has more than 20 years of experience refinishing, repairing and installing hardwood floors in Hawthorne, CA, from sanding the original oak in a 1950s ranch house to putting engineered planks over a concrete slab. Our work covers wood floor refinishing, hardwood floor repair, subfloor repair, water-damaged floor repair, new hardwood and engineered flooring, wide plank and herringbone layouts, carpet-to-hardwood conversions and hardwood stairs.
We start every job by looking underneath the floor as well as at it. The subfloor is opened and checked for soft sheathing and loose joists, moisture is measured in the wood and in any slab, and the readings are written down before material is ordered or a price is settled. That order of work is what keeps a finished floor from cupping, squeaking or lifting in its first year.
Most of the housing in this part of Los Angeles County is older and much of it is rented, so a large share of our work is for landlords, tenants and owners preparing a house for sale. We write itemized estimates, work lead-safe in older homes, use finishes legal under South Coast air rules and plan each job around the people living in it.
What we do
Hardwood floor refinishing, repair and installation in Hawthorne, CA
Sanding, staining and refinishing worn, scratched or orange-toned hardwood floors in Hawthorne houses, rentals and condos.
Engineered wood floors chosen for your subfloor and installed glue-down, nail-down or floating in Hawthorne homes, rentals and condos.
Board-by-board hardwood repairs for cupping, gaps, squeaks, stains, termite damage and gouges, blended so the patch disappears.
Opening, inspecting and repairing plywood subfloors, joists and slabs so the finished wood floor above stays flat, solid and quiet.
Drying, documenting and repairing hardwood floors after leaks, water heater failures and overflows from the unit upstairs.
New solid and engineered hardwood floors installed over tested, flattened subfloors in Hawthorne houses, rentals and condos.
Wide plank white oak, herringbone and chevron wood floors, planned for stability and laid out square to the room.
Carpet out, hardwood in: refinishing the oak hiding under old carpet, or installing new wood where there is none.
New hardwood stair treads and risers, carpet-to-wood stair conversions and stair refinishing, priced step by step.
We have spent more than two decades sanding, repairing and laying wood floors, which means we have seen what fails and why. That experience is what lets us look at a gray, cupped board and tell whether the cause is a slab, a plumbing leak or a missing expansion gap before we recommend anything.
No finish floor is priced until the subfloor has been opened and checked, so soft plywood, water-swollen sheathing and loose joists are found and repaired before the new boards go down, rather than showing up as a squeak or a soft spot after the job is paid for.
Every job starts with a wood moisture meter reading and, over concrete, a slab test such as ASTM F2170 in-situ relative humidity, so the wood is installed at the right moisture content for the house rather than on the day the delivery truck happens to arrive.
With roughly seven in ten Hawthorne households renting, a large part of our wood flooring work is between tenants. We schedule around the turnover date the owner gives us and leave an itemized invoice a landlord can use in a California deposit accounting, rather than a single lump-sum figure nobody can break down.
Two-thirds of Hawthorne’s homes were built before 1980, so a floor job here often means pre-1978 paint on the baseboards and shoe molding. We follow the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule on those houses, containing and cleaning up the work area rather than sanding through old paint in an open room.
Our floor finishes come only from products legal to apply under SCAQMD Rule 1113 and its 275 g/L wood-coating limit, so the finish that goes on your floor is one a local inspector would accept, rather than a solvent product bought out of the air basin.
Cupping is when board edges rise above the center, crowning is the reverse, and buckling is a floor lifting off the subfloor entirely. All three are moisture problems. We find the source first, whether a slab, a crawlspace or a leak, because sanding a cupped floor flat before it dries only makes it crown later.
Some seasonal gapping is normal in solid wood as the air dries out. Wide, permanent gaps usually mean the boards were installed too wet, or the floor has lost fasteners. We measure the moisture, check the nailing and decide between filling, replacing a few boards or relaying a section, so the fix matches the cause.
Squeaks come from boards or subflooring rubbing against loose nails and moving over joists. We refasten from above or below, add screws into the joists where the structure allows, and on upstairs units consider acoustic underlayment. That matters in a building where the person under you hears every step.
A soft spot or a slope in a raised-foundation house usually points to rotted subfloor, a failing joist or a settled post under the house. We check the crawlspace and cripple walls before touching the finish floor, because refinishing a floor that is still sinking just gives you a nicer-looking problem.
Water damage in hardwood rarely stays where it started, and in multi-unit buildings it often comes from above. We trace it to its source, take moisture readings across the floor and the subfloor, and photograph what we find. That record tells you what must be replaced and gives an insurance adjuster something to work from.
Drywood termites leave small kick-out holes and piles of pellet-shaped frass, and they can hollow a board while the surface still looks sound. When we find it, we recommend a termite inspection and treatment first, then replace the damaged boards with matched wood so the repair disappears when the floor is refinished.
Pet urine that sits on a floor soaks past the finish and turns the wood dark gray or black. Light stains sometimes sand out, but deep ones rarely do. We test with sanding, and where the stain has gone through the board, we cut it out and weave in new wood rather than leaving a shadow under fresh finish.
Moving furniture can leave gouges deeper than a screen and recoat can reach. Depending on depth, we fill, sand through, or replace the damaged boards. We also put felt pads on and advise on how to move heavy items so the new finish is not scarred on the first day back.
Peeling polyurethane usually means a new coat went over wax, polish or contamination it could not bond to. A hazy, gray finish is often polish buildup, and worn traffic lanes mean the wood itself is exposed. We identify which you have, because a peeling floor needs a full sand, while a worn one may only need a recoat.
Oil-based finishes amber with age, and on red oak that shows as an orange cast many owners dislike. The only fix is sanding to bare wood. We then choose a clear waterborne finish, and sometimes a stain, that neutralizes the orange tone so the floor looks the way you want it to look.
Lift carpet in a closet corner or at a floor vent and look for strips of wood running under the pad. Many older Hawthorne homes have oak strip flooring beneath carpet laid decades later. We confirm the species, the thickness and the condition before quoting, so you know whether you have a floor worth saving.
Old carpet leaves pad adhesive, thousands of staples and a row of tack strip nails around every wall. We pull all of it and fill the holes before the first pass with the drum sander. Skipping that step tears sanding paper and leaves the tack strip line showing through the new finish.
A full sand takes the floor to bare wood and removes scratches, stains and old finish. A screen and recoat lightly abrades the existing finish and adds a fresh coat without touching the wood. We recommend a recoat when the finish is worn but intact, because it costs less and saves wear layer for the future.
A solid three-quarter-inch floor can usually be sanded several times over its life, while engineered flooring depends on its wear layer thickness. We measure what is left above the tongue before sanding, because a floor sanded too thin shows nail heads and splits, and at that point it can only be replaced.
Oak takes stain evenly, while maple, birch and some pines absorb it unevenly and blotch. We lay stain samples on your actual floor after sanding, in more than one light, and recommend conditioners or a lighter color on difficult species rather than promising a shade the wood will not take.
Waterborne polyurethane dries clear and fast with less odor, and it keeps light floors from yellowing. Oil-modified polyurethane gives a warmer amber tone and a longer working time. Both are durable when applied correctly, and we help you choose based on the color you want and how long you can stay off the floor.
SCAQMD Rule 1113 limits wood coatings to 275 grams of volatile organic compounds per liter, which rules out many solvent finishes sold elsewhere. We use only compliant waterborne, oil-modified and hardwax oil products, which also means less odor in the house while the finish cures.
Compliant finishes still have an odor while they dry. We ventilate, seal off the work area and schedule the finish coats so you can use other parts of the house. Pets need to stay off the floor until it cures, and we tell you ahead of time which days are the difficult ones.
Most finishes allow sock-foot traffic within a day, light furniture after a few days, and rugs only once the finish has fully cured, which can take a couple of weeks. We leave a written cure schedule for each room, because a rug laid too early can mark a finish permanently.
Solid hardwood is one piece of wood and can be sanded many times, but it moves more with moisture. Engineered hardwood has a real wood wear layer over a stable plywood or composite core, which suits slabs and humid rooms better. We recommend one or the other based on your subfloor and how long you plan to keep the house.
Concrete gives off moisture that can cup and lift a wood floor. Before we put wood on a slab-on-grade, we test it using the ASTM F2170 in-situ relative humidity method or a calcium chloride test, then choose the vapor retarder and install method the readings call for.
Taking out carpet is usually simple, but tile removal can mean grinding thinset and checking for asbestos in older mastic. We handle the removal, flatten the subfloor, and plan transitions and door clearances before the new hardwood goes in, so the finished floor sits level with the rooms around it.
Wide plank boards show more of the grain but need a stable subfloor and careful moisture control. Herringbone and chevron patterns are cut and laid piece by piece from a center line. We lay out the pattern before installing so it runs square to the main walls and ends cleanly at each doorway.
The Janka hardness rating measures how well a species resists dents. Red oak and white oak are the common middle ground, hickory is notably harder, and walnut is softer and dents more easily. We show you the ratings with samples, so you can weigh hardness against color and grain for your household.
The wear layer is the real wood on top of an engineered board, and its thickness decides whether the floor can ever be refinished. A thin layer may take one light sanding or none, while a thicker one can be sanded more than once. We explain what each product allows before you buy it.
Nail-down installation over plywood is the traditional method for solid wood. Glue-down suits engineered flooring over concrete, and floating floors click together over an underlayment with no fasteners. We choose the method based on the subfloor, the product and the manufacturer’s instructions, and we leave the expansion gap each one needs.
Stairs are built from treads, risers and nosings, and they take the hardest wear of any floor in the house. We install solid stair treads matched to the floor they meet, fit each one to its step, and price them per tread and riser so you can see exactly what the staircase costs.
Where wood meets tile or carpet, a reducer strip or T-molding bridges the height difference and gives the floor room to expand. We plan transitions before installation, so they land under doors and at natural room breaks, rather than sitting as trip hazards in the middle of a hallway.
Rental turnovers run on a fixed calendar. We quote quickly, schedule around the move-out and move-in dates, and choose finishes and repairs that hold up to the next tenancy. On duplexes and fourplexes, we can stage work unit by unit so an occupied unit next door keeps its routine.
Under California Civil Code 1950.5, a landlord may deduct for damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, but not for normal aging of the floor. We note which is which on our written estimate and invoice, which gives both landlord and tenant an itemized statement of the cost rather than an argument about it.
Condo associations often require approval and a minimum sound rating before hardwood replaces carpet. We read the building’s rules, choose an acoustic underlayment that meets them and document the product used. That protects you from a noise complaint and from a board asking you to pull the floor up later.
When water damages a floor, the adjuster needs to know what the water did, how far it spread and what the floor looked like before. We provide moisture readings, dated photos and a repair scope that separates new damage from old wear, so the claim is decided on evidence rather than on a guess.
Wildfire ash and smoke residue settle into floor finish and the grain beneath it. We clean with a HEPA vacuum and inspect before any coating goes on, because sealing a fresh finish over soot can trap odor and discoloration in the wood that no later cleaning will reach.
Pulling carpet off a staircase often reveals softwood treads, staple holes and nosings that were never meant to be seen. We decide with you whether to refinish what is there or cap each stair with new hardwood treads, and we check the nosings for grip, because bare wood stairs can be slippery in socks.
The 9x9 tile and black mastic common in mid-century houses may contain asbestos. We treat any such material as suspect and arrange an asbestos survey before it is sanded, scraped or ground, in line with SCAQMD Rule 1403, rather than turning a floor removal into a contamination problem.
Paint on baseboards and shoe molding in a pre-1978 house can contain lead. Under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, we contain the work area, limit dust and clean up with HEPA equipment. That keeps lead out of the air and off the floor your children and pets will live on.
Floors are among the first things buyers notice in a listing photo. A screen and recoat, a few board repairs or a full refinish can change how a room reads. We help you choose the level of work that fits your listing date and budget, and we schedule it so photos can be taken on time.
Hawthorne Wood Flooring provides wood-flooring throughout the greater Hawthorne area, with the same crews and the same standards on every job.
Good to know
We price from what we measure on site: the square footage, the condition of the wood, what the subfloor is doing and how much preparation the surface needs before sanding or installing. Stairs are priced per tread and riser. You get a written, itemized estimate, so you can see what each part of the job costs rather than a single number with the details hidden inside it.
A sand and refinish on a few rooms usually runs several days once drying time between coats is counted, and a screen and recoat is shorter. New installs depend on acclimation, the subfloor and the layout, since a herringbone floor takes far longer than straight planks. We give you a written schedule showing when each room can be walked on, furnished and slept in.
Most households stay in the house, working around the rooms we close off. We contain dust at the doorways and sand with a dust-collecting system, and we plan the finish coats so you are not boxed out of the kitchen and bedrooms at the same time. Families with infants, pets or breathing concerns sometimes choose to be away on the days the finish goes down.
We use waterborne polyurethane, oil-modified polyurethane and hardwax oil, and every product we apply is one that is legal under the South Coast air district's wood-coating limit. Waterborne finishes stay clearer and dry faster, oil-modified finishes deepen the color of the wood, and hardwax oils give a low-sheen look that can be spot repaired. We help you choose based on how the room is used.
Yes. Much of our work in Hawthorne is on rented houses, duplexes and fourplexes, and we are used to being scheduled around a move-out and a move-in date. Our estimates and invoices are itemized by task, which is the form a landlord needs when floor repairs are part of a security deposit accounting under California law.
We document a wet floor the way an adjuster needs to see it: photos, moisture readings in the boards and the subfloor, and a note on where the water came from. We then write a repair scope that separates what the water damaged from what was already worn. The claim decision belongs to your insurer, but a clear record makes that conversation shorter.
White oak is the most common choice because it is hard enough for most homes, takes stain evenly and suits both modern and older houses. Hickory is harder still and hides wear well, while maple is hard but can blotch under dark stain. We show you Janka hardness figures alongside samples, so the choice is based on how the floor will actually be used.
Many houses built in the 1940s and 1950s were laid with oak strip flooring that was later covered with carpet. We lift a corner in a closet to check, then pull the carpet, pad, staples and tack strip and fill the holes. If the boards have enough wood left above the tongue, they can usually be sanded and refinished rather than replaced.
Yes. We read the building's rules and the association's approval process before we start, and on upstairs installs we choose an underlayment that limits the sound reaching the unit below. Condo work often has limits on working hours, elevator use and debris removal, and we plan the job around them rather than finding out on the first morning.
Old 9x9 floor tile and black mastic are treated as a possible asbestos question, and we stop and arrange testing before anything is sanded, scraped or ground. Houses built before 1978 are handled with lead-safe work practices under the EPA renovation rule. Neither finding ends the project, but both change the order and the method of the work.
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