Hi, I am a newbie and want to get my lighter floors sanded and stained a dark walnut color. I have 1350sqft and will be hiring a contractor, here are my questions and comments.

1) My hardwood floor depth is between min 3/8" (0.375") and max 7/16"(0.4375"). Can these refinished or are they too thin? One contractor said $2.70/sqft and one said $1.80/sqft. Each will do 3 coats. Is this price fair or too high?

2) I want a flat or not shiny/glossy look. Which coats will be used when contractor says total of 3 coats? Which company stain and poly should I keep an eye for? I want be sure they are not using cheap products. I want good quality but want to make sure its not arm and leg. Any other suggestions I should apply on the floors?

3) The contractor said it will take 3 days. 1 day to sand and apply 1st coat. 2nd day will be 2nd coat. 3rd day will be final coat and shoe molding. Is this time amount fair?

4) any other suggestions I should know or question my contractor?

Thank you and greatly appreciated!

Most companies are competitive and know the market in your area. When I have a refinishing contract I specify that repairs will be done before the sanding starts. Loose boards are to be fastened and defects in the surface are to be dealt with. Sanding a loose floor will cause the loose areas to vibrate which bounces the wood up where it is loose into the spinning sandpaper. This sands the wood too much where it has vibrated into the sanding machine. If the flooring is ever fastened down again later, it will be thinner than the surrounding boards, even if the T&G is still intact. Noisy boards need to be fastened, so the area needs to be evaluated before noisy work starts.
It seems that the proposed timing of the contractor you quote is too fast to do all the work necessary, to me. They might have a crew of many people to keep the
schedule. Usually it is a crew of 2-3 people.
Oil based stains which are commonly used with poly will need to dry overnight before the first coat of finish is applied. They may have been thinking"natural" finish instead of dark walnut, which takes a little longer drying since pigments are usually included in the dark colors instead of just dye, so they need to be shaken before use. Pigments close the pores of the wood so the stain takes longer to dry.
If they are going to be using a water-based finish it does dry pretty fast so sometimes 3 coats can be applied in one day. It usually takes overnight to dry,( 6-12) hours for oil based poly..
We all want a good deal on anything we purchase. I would ask for a reference from their last job to see if the work area was left clean and dust free. Did they have a job with a dark stain recently? Dark stained wood work takes special skill from the mechanics. The shoe molding may need to be made up after you choose the color of the floor, if you are matching the floor color instead of white, so it will need to be finished before it is installed, which may be done over a weekend to install on Monday, but it can not be rushed so the finish will be hard enough to install without damage. And puttied before the final coat of finish. Matte finish is available for a low luster finish. Check to know if they used the manufacturers recommended rate for finish application so you get the recommended wear thickness for the finish products. Most companies apply too thin covering more area than recommended so it can dry fast. Matte finish will make the floor look like there is not a layer of plastic on the floor. I like it.
I certainly could not come close to the price you have. It would take at least a week.
If you take care of your floor it will be beautiful for many years, even decades.

Thank you for answer!