How we research this

Every number on this site follows one rule. It comes from a named source, read at that source on a stated date, or it does not ship. This page says how that works. A claim of "we did our research" means nothing unless you can check it.

Where figures come from

The site draws on five kinds of source. Each is named on the page where its figure shows up. First, published cost guides: NerdWallet, HomeAdvisor, Bob Vila, Fixr, This Old House, Inch Calculator, and Today's Homeowner. Second, the makers' own data sheets for finishes: Bona, Minwax, Varathane, Loba, Glitsa, Osmo, and Basic Coatings. Those sheets carry dry times, coverage, and chemistry the way no blog does. Third, the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook, for wood hardness. Fourth, National Wood Flooring Association public guidance, for wear layers and trade terms. Fifth, safety agencies: NFPA, NIOSH, and the EPA.

The second check

Before anything went live, every figure got a second, hostile check. A separate pass re-opened every cited page. It confirmed the exact words were there, in the stated units. Figures that failed were deleted or fixed. The catch list included quotes that had drifted from their pages, and a rental rate misread from a listing. Each figure sits in an internal ledger with its source, URL, supporting quote, and read date.

The calculator cannot disagree with the pages

The cost calculator reads its rates from the same data file the pages quote. An automated check runs the calculator's own shipped code against that data on every build. If the tool and the copy ever said different numbers, the site would fail to publish. The calculator also refuses to invent. It has no regional dial and no condition dial, because no source we read publishes a real one. Where that limits it, the pages say so instead of guessing.

When sources disagree

Publishers disagree, and averaging them would hide it. So the site prints the spread and names each source. The stairs page, for example, carries three publishers' different stair prices side by side. An estimate is labeled an estimate. A figure we computed says so, with the math shown.

What we refuse to do

• No made-up averages. No made-up multipliers. No "industry standard" figures with no source.
• No retelling of paywalled standards we have not read.
• No analytics script. Nothing on this site tracks you while you read.
• No pay-to-rank. No contractor ratings. No reviews at all.
• No claims of doing the work. We connect homeowners with contractors. We do not sand floors.

Corrections

A figure that looks wrong is worth an email. The contact page has the address. A correction gets checked against the original source. Then the page gets fixed, or you get the citation. The review date in each byline is real. It changes when the figures are re-checked, not on a timer.