Blog · Company News & Lumber Market
Lumber Chart, October 2022: Tracking the Futures Market
Tracking the Lumber Futures Market: flooring project guidance from The Hardwood Guys, serving North Metro Atlanta.
By David Brannan · Published October 4, 2022 · Updated August 2, 2026 · 3 min read
- 500+ Google Reviews
- Featured on TV Multiple Times
- 25 Years in Business
Why We Track the Lumber Market
Hardwood flooring material costs move with the broader lumber market, which has swung sharply over the past several years on supply chain disruptions, mill capacity, and housing demand. We keep an eye on those trends because they affect lead times on special-order species and stock availability, not just sticker price.
That volatility is exactly why we quote every project on-site instead of publishing a price list: material costs, species availability, and job conditions can all shift between the time a homeowner starts researching and the day the crew actually shows up. An on-site estimate locks in a real, written number for your specific project.
Our cost guide walks through everything that actually drives a refinishing or installation quote up or down — square footage, existing floor condition, species, stairs, and finish choice — without relying on a lumber market snapshot that could be stale by the time you read it.
What Actually Drives Your Quote
Stairs are usually the single biggest cost factor on any job that has them, since every tread, riser, and stringer is worked by hand rather than run under a large floor sander. Beyond stairs, the current condition of the floor matters most — a lightly worn floor that only needs a screen-and-recoat is a fraction of the time and cost of one that needs a full sand down to bare wood.
Wood species is a real factor too: red oak, white oak, hickory, and maple all sand and finish differently, and harder species take longer under the sander regardless of what the lumber market is doing that week. Staining also adds real time and cost over a clear or natural finish, since it is a full extra step with its own dry time.
Financing is available up to $55,000, with interest-free options starting from $30 a month, subject to approval, for any project regardless of where material markets happen to be at the moment.
Ready to Get a Real Number for Your Project?
Every quote comes from an on-site visit, not a market snapshot. Request your free estimate today.
How We've Adapted Over 25 Years
In 25 years and more than 50,000 completed jobs, we have worked through more than one lumber market cycle, and the approach has stayed the same regardless: assess the floor in person, recommend the service that actually fits its condition, and give you a written number before any work starts. A water-drop test (a few drops on a worn spot, wait ten minutes) is still the fastest way to tell whether a floor needs a full refinish or a lighter screen-and-recoat, no matter what raw material is doing.
Financing up to $55,000, with interest-free options starting from $30 a month, subject to approval, has stayed available through every market condition we have seen.
500+ Reviews, 25 Years, One On-Site Process
Lumber markets are outside anyone's control, but our process is not. Every project starts with a free, on-site visit where we assess your floor's actual condition, bring physical stain and finish samples, and write up an itemized estimate before any work begins. That process is the same one that has earned The Hardwood Guys more than 500 five-star Google reviews and multiple TV features since we started in 2001.
More than 50,000 completed jobs later, the crew that shows up for your estimate has seen just about every combination of species, finish, and floor condition North Metro Atlanta has to offer, market swings included.
Call 470-826-3581 or request your free estimate below, and we will give you a straight, written answer on what your project actually needs, market conditions aside.
Whatever the futures market shows on a given morning, the crew and equipment that show up for your project stay the same — a planetary sander, real finish samples, and a written estimate before anything starts.
Ready to Get Started?
Schedule a free on-site estimate — we’ll assess your floors and give you an honest recommendation, not a sales pitch.
Request a Free Estimate
Tell us about your project and we'll get back to you with an estimate — usually the same business day.
Thanks — We'll Be In Touch
A member of The Hardwood Guys team will call or text you during business hours (Mon–Fri, 7AM–5PM) to schedule your free on-site estimate.