James Peck
Owner, Mr. Green Turf Clean - Professional turf care specialist serving San Diego County since 2023.
Last updated: 2026-05-17
What Redfin Got Right About Hiring a Flooring Contractor
Redfin's eight questions cover licensing, insurance, references, and timelines. They are all fair. They also miss the one question that matters most for hardwood floors in San Diego County: how the crew handles subfloor moisture. Skip that one and you get cupped boards by the next winter rain.
Last updated: May 2026
We saw the Redfin piece show up on the home improvement feeds last week. Solid list. Generic enough to apply to a roofer, a plumber, or anyone with a tool belt.
Our crew installs hardwood, refinishes oak, and pours metallic epoxy. We have done it in 200+ homes since 2019, mostly in Valley Center, Escondido, Rancho Santa Fe, and the North County coastal towns. Here is how we would answer those eight questions for a homeowner getting flooring bids today.
Are You Licensed and Insured in California?
Ask for the CSLB number. Not the logo on the truck. Type it into cslb.ca.gov yourself and check the status. We carry $2M general liability and our license has been current every year.
If a bidder fumbles when you ask for the number, walk away.
How Long Will the Job Actually Take?
Most homeowners get told four days for a 1,000 sq ft sand-and-refinish. Real answer is seven to ten. Three coats of waterborne finish need 24 hours between coats. A solid oak floor in a Rancho Santa Fe home that sat closed up all summer needs an extra acclimation day before we even start.
And the dust. Even with a dustless system, fine particles keep settling for 48 hours after the last cut.
What Is the Real Cost in 2026?
| Job Type | Range per sq ft |
|---|---|
| Solid hardwood install | $10 to $16 |
| Engineered hardwood install | $8 to $13 |
| Sand and refinish existing hardwood | $4 to $7 |
| Metallic epoxy garage floor | $8 to $14 |
| Polished concrete | $6 to $12 |
Anyone quoting $3 per square foot for installed hardwood is either putting down box-store laminate or skipping the underlayment. We turn those bids down. The customer always pays twice.
Will You Pull Permits?
Flooring usually does not require a permit in unincorporated San Diego County. Subfloor repair past a certain scope does. Carlsbad and Encinitas tighten that up inside the coastal overlay. We tell you straight up when a permit applies and pull it ourselves.
Who Is Actually on the Crew?
Some shops send a polished salesman, then subcontract the install to whoever bid lowest that week. Our crew is the same three people. The owner is on every job site.
How Do You Handle Moisture? (The Question Redfin Missed)
This is the big one. San Diego County is not one climate. A Valley Center home sits at 1,300 ft elevation off Cole Grade Road and gets dry inland summers. A Del Mar home down by Camino del Mar sees coastal fog and 70% relative humidity by 6 a.m. half the mornings of the year.
Same species of white oak. Two completely different acclimation plans. We pull moisture readings with a Tramex CME-5 before any plank goes down. Above 4% on a slab gets sealed and we wait. We have walked away from jobs where the homeowner refused the wait time.
What If Something Goes Wrong?
We tear it out and redo it on our dime. That has happened twice in seven years. Both times the failure was on us, not the material.
Can I See Recent Work?
Yes. Look at our project gallery or drive past a finished job. We have recent installs in Escondido off Citracado Parkway, a herringbone job in Valley Center, and a coastal hardwood install in Carlsbad near La Costa Avenue.
The right contractor will answer Redfin's eight questions and the ninth one about moisture without dodging. If you are getting quotes in San Diego County, look at our flooring services or our service areas. If we have done work for you in your neighborhood, we would love to see that mentioned in a Google review.