Services
Every kind of floor work, done right.
From a single damaged board to a 5,000 sq ft commercial install, we bring the same craftsman's eye and three generations of experience to every project.
Kovich & Savard offers eight hardwood services across Massachusetts: solid hardwood install (from $10/sq ft labor), pre-finished plank install (from $5/sq ft), engineered over slab (from $10/sq ft), refinishing & sanding (from $4/sq ft), custom staining (from $1.75/sq ft), luxury vinyl plank (from $6/sq ft), board repairs, and commercial work with after-hours scheduling. Material quoted separately. Free in-home estimates, three generations of family craftsmanship.
installation
Hardwood Floor Installation
Solid hardwood is the only flooring that can be sanded and refinished four or five times across its life. We install floors that outlast trends, mortgages, and second homes.
refinishing
Hardwood Refinishing & Sanding
If your floor is dull, scratched, or stained from decades of life, but the planks are sound, refinishing brings it back. We sand to bare wood, address spot damage, then apply finish that looks better than the day the floor was first laid.
specialty
Custom Staining & Color Matching
Generic stain colors miss. We mix custom stain blends on-site, lay sample panels directly on your sanded floor, and only proceed once you sign off in your own light, in your own room.
installation
Pre-Finished Flooring Installation
Pre-finished planks come from the factory with finish already cured. Installation is faster, the smell of sanding and finish is skipped entirely, and you walk on the floors the same day they're laid.
installation
Engineered Hardwood Installation
Engineered hardwood is real wood on top of a stable plywood core. It's the right answer over concrete slabs, in basements, and over radiant heat, places where solid plank can cup or buckle.
installation
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) & Vinyl Flooring
Luxury Vinyl Plank has matured. The premium SPC and WPC products we install today are 100% waterproof, embossed in register with realistic grain, and warrantied for decades. We use it in basements, mudrooms, kitchens, and rentals.
specialty
Floor Repairs & Board Replacement
Burst dishwasher line. Subfloor rot under a window. A heating-vent slot you wish wasn't there. We repair single boards, blend in transitions where rooms used to have walls, and feather refinish work into existing floors so the repair disappears.
commercial
Commercial Hardwood Flooring
We do commercial work after hours and on weekends so the business stays open. Restaurants, retail, professional offices, dance studios, and yoga studios across Massachusetts. Cure-fast finishes, rated for commercial traffic.
What every project gets
The standards we apply to every floor.
Whether the project is a $500 board replacement or a $50,000 whole-house install, the same set of non-negotiables applies. Three generations of doing it this way taught us this is the only way that works long-term.
Tim or Steve runs the job
An owner is on every site, every day. Not a project manager, an actual hands-on craftsman.
Free, in-home estimates
We never quote sight-unseen. The subfloor and lighting tell us things photos can't.
Written, itemized proposals
Line-item pricing, schedule, materials, and a fixed completion date. No vague language.
HEPA dust containment
95%+ airborne dust capture during sanding. Your kitchen and lungs thank us.
Premium finishes only
Bona Traffic HD, Loba, or Rubio Monocoat, never bargain-tier polyurethane.
Stain panels before commitment
On-site sample panels, you sign off on color before we go room-wide.
Furniture moving included
We move and protect what you can't, then put it back at the end.
Insured, bonded, and tidy
$2M general liability, COIs on request, and a clean job site every single day.
How to pick the right service
Which Massachusetts hardwood service do I actually need?
If your existing hardwood is dull, scratched, or stained but structurally sound: refinishing (from $4/sq ft labor) is the right call. Refinishing typically runs less than a fifth of replacement cost, and solid 3/4" plank can be refinished four or five times across its life. We measure remaining tongue depth at the assessment so you know whether you have one more refinish cycle left or two or three. For lightly worn floors that just need a polyurethane refresh, a screen-and-recoat (no full sand) is faster and cheaper still.
If you are replacing carpet, tile, or worn-through floors: hardwood installation (from $10/sq ft labor) or pre-finished plank install (from $5/sq ft labor) are the choices. Solid plank is the answer above grade in dry environments; pre-finished plank is the answer when timeline matters most and you cannot tolerate the smell of sanding and finish during a renovation. Pre-finished is walkable the same day; site-finished gives a fully fused finish that can be re-coated later as a single sheet.
If your project is over concrete slab, in a basement, or over radiant heat: engineered hardwood (from $10/sq ft labor, plus roughly $4/sq ft for adhesive) is the right product. Solid plank cups over slab and over radiant; engineered handles those temperature and moisture swings without bowing. The top wear layer is real hardwood and reads identical to solid plank to the eye.
If you need waterproof flooring for a basement, mudroom, or rental: luxury vinyl plank (from $6/sq ft labor) is the right answer. Premium rigid-core SPC and WPC products are 100% waterproof, embossed in register for realistic grain, and warrantied for decades. We do not put hardwood where water is a real risk; we put LVP and it does the job.
If you have spot damage, water leaks, or missing boards: our board replacement service (custom-quoted per visit) saves the floor without replacing the room. Replacing eight boards under a dishwasher leak often costs less than 5% of replacing the entire kitchen floor. We feather-sand around the patch and blend stain and finish so the eye does not catch the seam in raking light.
If you want a specific color that catalog stains do not deliver: custom staining (from $1.75/sq ft on top of a refinish) is the answer. We mix two- and three-part stains on-site, lay sample panels directly on your sanded floor, and let you see the actual color in your actual light for 24 hours before committing whole-room.
If you operate a restaurant, retail space, dance studio, or office: commercial hardwood work runs nights and weekends so you keep operating. Commercial-grade fast-cure waterborne polyurethane (Bona Traffic HD or equivalent) walks in under 24 hours. COIs, lien waivers, and W-9s are on request.
Honest expectations
What we will and will not promise across any of these services.
Same standard across all eight service lines: owner-led work, fixed completion date in writing, premium-tier finishes (no bargain polyurethane regardless of price pressure), HEPA dust containment where sanding is involved, scribed transitions at every doorway, written workmanship warranty, and a phone number staffed by an owner for the years after. The standard does not change between a $500 board repair and a $50,000 whole-house install.
What we will not do: quote a job sight-unseen, push a service that is not the honest answer for your situation, install a product over a substrate that voids its warranty, or commit to a finish chemistry that we know will fail under your radiant or your humidity conditions. We will tell you at the in-home visit if what you came to us asking for is not the right call and what we recommend instead.
FAQ
Common questions across our services.
Which hardwood species should I pick for a Massachusetts home?
Red oak is the default for Massachusetts: dense, widely available, takes stain well, and matches almost every existing floor in pre-1980 housing stock. White oak is the second most common, with a tighter grain and a more neutral undertone that handles modern stain colors better than red oak's pink base. Maple is the third common choice, harder than oak but with less grain pattern and a tendency to blotch under stain unless properly conditioned. Walnut, hickory, and ash are specialty species we install when the homeowner wants a specific look.
How do I budget for a hardwood project across the whole house?
Use the starting labor rates plus material as a planning starting point. For an 800 sq ft refinish: labor at $4/sq ft = $3,200 starting; add $1.75/sq ft for custom stain if you want a specific color = $4,600 total starting. For an 800 sq ft new install in solid red oak: labor at $10/sq ft = $8,000; material ranging $4 to $10/sq ft = $3,200 to $8,000; total $11,200 to $16,000 starting. We bring physical samples to the estimate so you can see the actual material cost difference before committing.
How long does each kind of project take?
Refinishing: 4 to 5 days end-to-end for a typical 800 to 1,200 sq ft job. Solid hardwood install: 5 to 7 days plus 5 to 7 days of wood acclimation on-site beforehand. Pre-finished plank install: 3 to 5 days, walkable the same day, no cure window. Custom staining on a refinish: adds 1 to 2 days for stain panels and dwell. Board repair: typically same-day or two-day depending on scope.
Should I refinish or replace my existing hardwood?
Refinish is the right call 9 times out of 10 if the boards are structurally sound and have at least 1/16" of tongue depth left above the nails. Solid 3/4" plank can typically be refinished 4 to 5 times across its life. Replacement is the right call when the wear layer is gone, the boards are cupped beyond what sanding can level, or there is structural damage from water or termites. We measure remaining tongue depth at the assessment so you know exactly where you stand.
What is the difference between site-finished and pre-finished hardwood?
Site-finished means the boards are raw when installed and we sand, stain, and apply finish on-site. The result is a fully fused single sheet that can be re-coated later in one pass. Pre-finished means the boards come from the factory with finish already cured: walkable same day, no sanding smell, but the factory bevel between boards is permanent and refinishing later is more complex. Site-finished gives more flexibility long-term; pre-finished gives faster turnaround.
What finishes do you use?
Bona Traffic HD (commercial-rated water-based polyurethane) is our default for most projects: low odor, fast cure, doesn't yellow, walks in 24 hours. Oil-based polyurethane for clients who want warmer amber tone and deeper grain pop. Rubio Monocoat hardwax oil for matte European feel and spot-repairability. Each has tradeoffs we walk you through at the estimate. We do not use bargain-tier polyurethane regardless of budget pressure.
Do you handle the furniture moving?
Yes. We move and protect furniture within the work zone as part of the labor rate, then put it back at the end. For whole-house projects with large pieces (pianos, antique armoires), we coordinate in advance and may recommend a specialty mover for the heaviest items.
