An Eye-Opener: Your Wood Flooring Equipment Costs vs. Labor

I had a great conversation with wood floor pro Mike Somodean about equipment costs, and he made an excellent point: "There's been plenty of talk about 'knowing your numbers,' and anyone just starting to strive for profitability should feel like they're late to that party. If you don't know your numbers, you can't properly budget for equipment maintenance, replacements, truck repairs, savings for future growth and more. Without that clarity, you're not running a business—you're working a job, just scraping by and making ends meet."

Let's take a closer look at the true cost of your equipment.

Equipment and square foot costs

Managing equipment costs is crucial to maintaining profitability as a wood flooring pro. Let's walk through an analysis of the key sanding tools over the lifetime of the tools. This is intended to help you understand how equipment expenses impact your overall pricing structure.

1) Belt or Drum Sander (the "big machine")

• Initial cost: $6,500–$10,000
• Maintenance cost: $2,000 every 5 years
• Lifespan: 10–20 years (average 15)
• Total cost over lifetime:
  • Low end: $6,500 + $6,000 (maintenance) = $12,500
  • High end: $10,000 + $6,000 (maintenance) = $16,000
• Square footage sanded over lifetime: 720,000 ft²
• Cost/square foot:
  • Low: $0.0174 (1.74 cents)
  • High: $0.0222 (2.22 cents)

2) Planetary Sander

• Initial cost: $5,000–$8,500
• Maintenance cost: $2,000 every 5 years
• Lifespan: 10 years
• Total cost over lifetime: $6,750 (average cost) + $4,000 (maintenance) = $10,750
• Square footage sanded over lifetime: 480,000 ft²
• Cost/square foot:
  • Low: $0.0224 (2.24 cents)
  • High: $0.0307 (3.07 cents)

3) Edger

• Initial cost: $2,000–$4,000
• Maintenance cost: $500 every 5 years
• Lifespan: 10–20 years (average 15)
• Total cost over lifetime: $2,250 (average cost) + $1,500 (maintenance) = $3,750
• Square footage sanded over lifetime: 720,000 ft²
• Cost/square foot:
  • Low: $0.0052 (0.52 cents)
  • High: $0.0073 (0.73 cents)

4) Buffer

• Initial cost range: $1,500–$4,000
• Maintenance cost: $750 every 5 years
• Lifespan: 10–20 years (average 15 years)
• Total cost over lifetime: $2,500 (average cost) + $2,250 (maintenance) = $4,750
• Square footage sanded over lifetime: 720,000 ft²
• Cost/square foot:
  • Low: $0.0066 (0.66 cents)
  • High: $0.0097 (0.97 cents)

5) DCS Vacuum System

• Initial cost range: $1,500–$4,500
• Maintenance cost: $1,000 every 5 years
• Lifespan: 10–20 years (average 15 years)
• Total cost over lifetime:
  • Low end: $1,500 + $3,000 (maintenance) = $4,500
  • High end: $4,500 + $3,000 (maintenance) = $7,500
• Square footage sanded over lifetime: 720,000 ft²
• Cost/square foot:
  • Low: $0.0104 (1.04 cents)
  • High: $0.0146 (1.46 cents)

Equipment cost analysis

Here is an analysis based on equipment costs from $18,000–$22,000, with a 15-year lifespan and annual maintenance costs of $1,500.

Without maintenance:

• Yearly cost:
  • Low end: $1,200/year
  • High end: $1,467/year
• Monthly cost:
  • Low end: $100/month
  • High end: $122/month

With $1,500 maintenance/year:

• Yearly cost:
  • Low end: $2,700/year
  • High end: $2,967/year
• Monthly cost:
  • Low end: $225/month
  • High end: $247/month

Equipment costs vs. labor costs

When analyzing equipment costs compared with labor in the wood flooring business with a two-worker crew, it's important to recognize that equipment costs are relatively fixed, while labor costs vary depending on project size and hours worked.

Labor cost scenario:

• Labor rate: $25–$40/hour per worker
• Crew size: 2 workers
• Workweek: 40 hours/week
• Weekly labor cost:
  • Low end: $2,000/week
  • High end: $3,200 per week
• Annual labor cost (working 48 weeks):
  • Low end: $96,000 per year
  • High end: $153,600 per year

Labor vs. equipment costs

• Equipment cost with maintenance: $2,700–$2,966.67 annually
• Labor costs/year:
  • Low end: $96,000 (32 to 36 times higher than equipment costs)
  • High end: $153,600 (52 to 57 times higher than equipment costs)

Equipment costs as a percentage of total costs

• Total labor and equipment cost:
  • Low end: $98,700–$98,966.67
  • High end: $156,300–$156,566.67
• Equipment as a percentage of total costs:
  • Low end: 1.89%
  • High end: 2.74%

The big picture

Let's think long term: These equipment costs range from $0.0052–$0.0307 per square foot, which is extremely low compared with the typical rates charged by wood flooring professionals (from $4–$10 per square foot). Despite equipment being a small fraction of overall project expenses, many wood floor professionals may inadvertently hurt their businesses by not investing in well-maintained, high-quality tools. Poorly maintained equipment can lead to inefficiencies, lower production rates and errors that compromise job quality. Investing in durable tools and regular maintenance allows professionals to enhance productivity and profitability while keeping operational costs low.

Listen to Matt discuss equipment costs: