Norfolk County · Massachusetts
Hardwood Flooring
in Wellesley, MA.
Wellesley's center colonials and Cliff Estates-area homes are the kind of work we save photos of. Custom stain matching to inherited furniture is a frequent ask.
Local context
We know Wellesley's housing stock.
Kovich & Savard Hardwood Flooring serves Wellesley, Massachusetts (Norfolk County, ZIP 02481) for hardwood installation, refinishing, custom staining, and board repair. We've been doing this work in themetro boston region for nearly a century, since 1928, three generations deep. Free in-home estimates, written itemized proposals, owner-led installs.
Housing in Wellesley: High-end colonials, original heart pine in the older homes.
We've worked extensively in Wellesley and the surrounding Norfolk County area. Whether you're refinishing original hardwood that's been hidden under carpet for decades, installing wide-plank in a new build, or repairing water damage in front of a dishwasher, we bring three generations of Massachusetts hardwood experience to Wellesley homes.
Drive time from our North Easton base to Wellesley is short enough that we don't pad estimates with travel time, and we can swing by for a free estimate within a few days of your call.
What Wellesley hardwood projects typically look like: our work in Wellesley runs the full spectrum. We refinish original red oak strip that's been carpeted-over since the 1970s, install wide-plank white oak in kitchen renovations, repair water-damaged boards under dishwashers and refrigerators, custom-stain to match inherited dining tables or kitchen cabinets, and lay new engineered hardwood over slab in basement finishes. Every Wellesley job starts with an in-person look at the subfloor and the existing flooring; nothing is quoted sight-unseen because the subfloor and the lighting in your actual rooms tell us things photos cannot.
How we price work in Wellesley: labor for solid hardwood installation starts at $10/sq ft in Wellesley, refinishing and sanding starts at $4/sq ft, custom staining adds at least $1.75/sq ft on top of a refinish, pre-finished plank install starts at $5/sq ft, engineered over slab starts at $10/sq ft (adhesive runs roughly $4/sq ft on top), and luxury vinyl plank starts at $6/sq ft. Material is always quoted separately because species, board width, grade, and finish chemistry all move the number. We bring physical samples to the estimate so you see and feel the difference before committing.
What you won't see on a Wellesley proposal from us: no surprise add-ons after work starts, no separate "trip charge" for our drive to Wellesley, no minimum-job pressure that forces small repairs into rooms you didn't need redone, and no vague language about scope. Every line is itemized: labor by service line and square footage, material by species and quantity, schedule with a fixed completion date, and warranty terms in plain English. If we find something during prep that changes the scope, like rotted subfloor under a bathroom adjacency, we stop, photograph it, and email you a change-order with a real number before we proceed.
What we do in Wellesley
All eight service lines, available locally.
Hardwood Installation
Hardwood Installation in Wellesley, MA
from $10/sq ft*
Refinishing
Refinishing in Wellesley, MA
from $4/sq ft*
Custom Staining
Custom Staining in Wellesley, MA
from $1.75/sq ft*
Pre-Finished Flooring
Pre-Finished Flooring in Wellesley, MA
from $5/sq ft*
Engineered Hardwood
Engineered Hardwood in Wellesley, MA
from $10/sq ft*
Vinyl & LVP
Vinyl & LVP in Wellesley, MA
from $6/sq ft*
Repairs
Repairs in Wellesley, MA
Commercial
Commercial in Wellesley, MA
Why Wellesley homeowners hire us
Local craftsmen, local work.
We're not a national chain dispatching the closest crew. We're two owner-operators who've been working metro boston Massachusetts homes for nearly thirty years each. The owner does the estimate, leads the install, and is the person you call if you have a question two years later.
Owner does the estimate
Tim or Steve, not a salesperson. They've measured thousands of MA floors and they know what's possible.
Free, in-home estimates
We come look at your subfloor, your light, and your wood. No drive-by quotes.
Written, itemized proposals
Pricing on every line. Schedule. Materials. Completion date. No vague language.
Insured & bonded
$2M general liability, COIs furnished on request. Your homeowners' insurance approves of us.
Local references on request
We've worked enough homes in this region that we have references nearby. Ask.
Lifetime workmanship guarantee
If something we did fails, we come back. We answer the phone for years afterward.
Reviews from this region
What Massachusetts homeowners say.
Every five-star review came from a real Massachusetts homeowner who hired us. We don't pay for placement, we just keep doing the work the right way.
"One of the best contractors we have worked with. Tim and Steve's crew produced very high quality hardwood floors throughout the house, delivering a beautiful floor ahead of schedule and on budget."
, Alan H., April 2019 · Solid hardwood install, ~600 sq ft
"Professional crew. Fast installation, and they protected walls and even the smoke detectors from dust. We replaced carpet and you'd never know there used to be carpet there."
, Spero T., November 2018 · Carpet to solid hardwood, ~400 sq ft
"Outstanding work. Finished on time, left the place clean, and transformed the house. We get compliments on the floors every time someone walks in."
, Mark D., September 2017 · Floor repair and full refinish
Norfolk County housing context
What Wellesley subfloors and existing floors typically look like.
Subfloor patterns we see in Wellesley: in pre-1960 homes we routinely find original 3/4" pine plank subfloor with hardwood nailed directly to it; in post-war ranches and capes we find 1/2" plywood, sometimes overlaid on top of older pine; in newer builds we find 3/4" tongue-and-groove OSB or plywood, occasionally with engineered I-joists below. Each of these calls for different fastener length and spacing, different moisture-content tolerances during acclimation, and a different read on whether the subfloor needs screwing-down before any new flooring goes over it. We test moisture content with a probe meter at every Wellesley job, no exceptions, because cupping and buckling are almost always a subfloor moisture story rather than a wood-selection story.
Original floors in Wellesley homes: a remarkable amount of Wellesley's pre-1970 housing stock has original 2 1/4" red oak strip under decades of carpet. Pull a vent cover or a closet threshold and you can usually see whether it's there. When the wear layer is still healthy (at least 1/16" of tongue depth left), refinishing is dramatically less expensive than replacement, often less than a fifth the cost, and the original old-growth wood is denser and tighter-grained than anything sold in lumberyards today. We'll measure remaining tongue depth at the assessment so you know whether you're looking at one more refinish cycle or two or three.
Adjacencies and transitions in Wellesley: most full-house hardwood projects in Wellesley touch a kitchen tile transition, a stair nose, an exterior door threshold, and at least one register or vent. We scribe-cut every transition rather than capping with quarter-round, mill stair nosing from matching stock, and feather refinish work into adjacent rooms so the new work doesn't read as a stripe of fresh wood against tired surroundings. Photographs of recent Wellesley-area transitions are on the our-work page.
Timeline in Wellesley
From the first call to walking on your new floor.
Day 0
Your call
Reach us at (508) 962-1962 or through the quote form. We confirm the scope and schedule an in-home visit in Wellesley, typically within a few business days.
Day 1-5
On-site estimate
Tim or Steve drives out to Wellesley, measures, checks moisture and subfloor condition, brings physical samples, and answers everything. No deposit required.
Day 5-7
Written proposal
Itemized proposal in your inbox inside 48 hours of the visit: labor, material, schedule, completion date, and warranty in plain language.
Day 14-28
Job starts
Most Wellesley jobs start 2 to 4 weeks after sign-off. Wood acclimates on-site for 5 to 7 days before any nail goes in, then the work runs to the scheduled completion date.
FAQ
Common questions from Wellesley.
Do you actually serve Wellesley, or is it just on a list?
We actively work in Wellesley. Wellesley's center colonials and Cliff Estates-area homes are the kind of work we save photos of. Custom stain matching to inherited furniture is a frequent ask. If you call, you'll talk to Tim or Steve, not a dispatcher, and an owner will be the one walking your floor at the estimate.
What hardwood services do you offer in Wellesley?
All eight of our service lines are available in Wellesley: solid hardwood installation, pre-finished plank installation, engineered hardwood (over slab or above grade), refinishing and sanding, custom staining and color matching, luxury vinyl plank, board replacement and repair, and commercial work (after-hours scheduling available).
What does hardwood flooring cost in Wellesley, MA?
Labor in Wellesley typically starts at $10/sq ft for solid hardwood install, $5/sq ft for pre-finished plank, and $10/sq ft for engineered (over slab, adhesive runs roughly $4/sq ft on top). Refinishing existing floors starts at $4/sq ft. Custom staining adds at least $1.75/sq ft. Material is quoted separately. Every estimate is free, written, and itemized.
How long does a project take in Wellesley?
For a typical 800 to 1,200 sq ft install in Wellesley, plan on the floors being walkable in stocking feet at day 4 and fully ready for furniture at day 7. A refinish is faster: typically 4 to 5 days total. We coordinate around your life and many Wellesley clients have us work in phases so they can stay in the house.
Are you insured and bonded for work in Wellesley?
Yes. $2,000,000 general liability and full workers' compensation. Certificates of insurance furnished on request, including additional-insured endorsements for Wellesley condo associations or property managers that require them.
Do you handle dust during sanding in occupied Wellesley homes?
Yes. We run HEPA-filtered dust-containment sanders connected to powered vac systems that capture 95%+ of airborne dust, and we seal off adjacent rooms with zip walls. Most Wellesley families stay in the house through a refinish.
Will you give references from other Wellesley or Norfolk County jobs?
Yes. We have references in Wellesley and across Norfolk County, MA, and we're happy to share them at the estimate. We've also got photos of recent metro boston jobs on the our-work page.
Honest expectations for Wellesley
What we will and will not promise on a Wellesley job.
What we will promise: a fixed completion date in writing, owner-led work, written workmanship warranty, and a phone number staffed by an owner if anything goes wrong years later. Free in-home estimate in Wellesley, written itemized proposal within 48 hours. No surprise add-ons after work starts; if scope changes we stop, photograph the issue, and email you a written change order before proceeding.
What we will not promise: a price quoted sight-unseen, a refinish on a floor whose wear layer is gone, an install on a subfloor we have not measured for moisture and flatness, or a schedule that cannot accommodate proper wood acclimation. We will tell you at the in-home visit if what you are asking for is not the honest answer for your Wellesley home and what we recommend instead, even when the recommendation is a smaller project than you came to us for.
Nearby towns
