Getting there
Chanhassen is about 45 miles from the Cokato shop. We take Highway 12 east and come down Highway 7 or Highway 5 depending on the address. Carver County is in our regular service area, and we pair Chanhassen jobs with Eden Prairie and Excelsior when the week allows.
New builds and the floors builders ask for
Chanhassen still has room to build, and the houses going up near Lake Minnewashta and on the larger lots at the edges of the city follow the pattern we see across the west metro. Wide plank white oak, 7 inches and up, is the default. Over in-floor heat and on lower levels it is engineered. On a wood-framed main floor without radiant heat, solid white oak is still a good choice and some builders prefer it. Site-finished is the norm because the floor has to match the stair treads and often a herringbone entry or a border at the dining room. The scheduling conversation matters to builders here as much as anywhere. We are on the approved lists of firms including Hage Homes, Denali Custom Homes and MD Williams Homes, and the floor goes in during a window after drywall and before cabinets and trim. We hold the week, and because we have crews to move, a delay on another site does not become a delay on yours.
The 1980s and 1990s subdivisions and their red oak
The neighborhoods around Lotus Lake and Lake Susan and along Highway 5 filled in during the 1980s and 1990s with two-stories and walkouts. The main floors got red oak, 2 1/4 or 3 1/4 inch, finished with the oil-based polyurethane of the day. Thirty years later it has gone orange and worn thin in the kitchen and the mudroom path. A full sand and a new stain under a water-based finish is the fix, and it is the single most common job we do in these neighborhoods. Two things come up in these houses more than owners expect. The first is pet stains that have gone black into the wood, which a sand will not remove and which need board replacement. The second is a prior buff and coat done with the wrong product, which leaves a finish that peels in sheets. We check for both at the estimate so the quote holds.
Lower levels, lake lots and the humidity swing
Walkout lower levels are the rule here, and on lake lots they run damp in a wet spring. Engineered hardwood is the only wood floor we recommend below grade, and we match its face to the solid floor upstairs so the house reads as one. On the main floor, solid red or white oak handles the Minnesota swing fine if it was acclimated and installed with the right expansion gap. Winter gaps between boards in a solid floor are normal and close in summer. Gaps that do not close, or boards that cup, point to a moisture source we should look for before any refinishing starts.
Refinishing hardwood floors in Chanhassen
For the 1990s red oak in most Chanhassen subdivisions, our hardwood floor refinishing page is the place to start. It covers the sand, the stain sampling and the schedule for a typical main floor. How a refinish runs, start to finish.
Around Chanhassen
- Lotus Lake
- Lake Susan
- Lake Minnewashta
- Highway 5
Hardwood services we bring to Chanhassen
- Floor refinishing
- New Construction Flooring
- Engineered Hardwood Install
- Stain color matching
- Floor Installation
- Water damage repair
Every hardwood service, on one page.
Questions from Chanhassen homeowners
Our builder is framing now in Chanhassen. When should we get you involved?
Now is good. We want the species, width and finish decided before the builder orders cabinets and stair parts, because the floor sets the color for both. We then book the install week into the schedule after drywall. Our estimates go to the builder itemized in JobTread so everyone sees the same numbers on the draw.
The dog left black stains in our oak. Will sanding take them out?
Usually not. Pet urine that has turned the wood black has gone through the finish into the fibers, and sanding deep enough to remove it would leave a dip in the floor. We cut out the stained boards, lace in new red oak, and sand and finish the whole floor so the repair matches. Light gray stains sometimes sand out.
We're on Lotus Lake and the lower level feels damp. Is any hardwood safe down there?
Engineered hardwood is, provided we confirm the slab is not actively wet. We test the slab for moisture before quoting. Engineered planks with a plywood core stay flat where solid wood would cup. If the moisture test fails, we will tell you and suggest fixing the water problem first, because a wood floor over a wet slab will not last.
Can you install herringbone in just the entry and plain plank everywhere else?
Yes, that is a common request on new builds here. We lay the herringbone field in the entry with a border, transition to straight plank at the threshold, and sand and finish everything together so the color matches. It adds a few days to the schedule compared to plank alone. We can do the same in a dining room.
Nearby
We also work in Eden Prairie and Excelsior. Everywhere we work.