Sanding back timber floors: hiring a floor sander well
How floor sanding brings tired boards back to life, what moves the per-square-metre rate, and how to choose a sander whose finish still looks good years on.
There's a moment in most renovations of an older home when someone lifts a corner of tired carpet and finds solid timber underneath. Sanding those boards back is one of the highest-impact jobs in the house — a floor that looked past it becomes the best feature in the room — but it's exacting work, and the result lives with you every day.
The job is more than running a machine over the surface. Done properly it's preparation, patience and a finish applied in the right conditions, which is why the same floor can look flawless or patchy depending entirely on who does it.
What floor sanding actually involves
A floor sander strips the old coating and a fine layer of timber with successively finer grits, punches down protruding nails, fills gaps and cracks, then applies several coats of finish — commonly two or three coats of polyurethane — sanding lightly between them. Edges, corners and stairs are done by hand or with a smaller machine, which is the slow, skilled part of the job.
It suits solid timber and thicker engineered boards that have enough wear layer left to sand. Thin overlay and laminate can't be sanded back. A good sander will check the boards before quoting, because painted, water-stained or badly cupped floors need extra passes, and the odd board may need replacing before any finishing coat goes down.
How the cost works
Sanding is priced per square metre, covering the passes, nail punching, gap filling and finish coats. A single room is a small job with a minimum charge attached, while a whole-house sand and polish is where the per-metre rate does its work — the more continuous floor there is, the more efficient the job.
Condition and finish are the levers. Painted or damaged boards add sanding passes and cost; a standard clear polyurethane is the baseline, while stains, limewash and premium water-based coatings sit above it. Staircases and intricate patterns like herringbone are hand-heavy and priced accordingly. Treat any rate as indicative — the sander needs to see the floor's condition to give a real number.
Choosing a sander
Floor sanding is an unlicensed finishing trade, so the usual licence check doesn't apply — your protection is track record, dust control and a clear scope. Ask how many coats are included, whether nail punching and gap filling are in the price, and to see photos of finished floors, ideally a few years old rather than only fresh ones.
Dust is the practical differentiator. Modern machines with proper extraction leave a home far cleaner than older gear, so ask how they manage it. And pin down the finish conversation: water-based coatings cost more but stay clearer over time and let you back on the floor sooner, while solvent-based polyurethane is cheaper and hard-wearing but ambers with age.
Mistakes to avoid
Most floor-sanding regrets come from rushing — either the decision or the drying. The finish needs time and an empty, dust-free room to cure properly, and no machine can undo a coat applied over a poorly prepared surface.
- Walking on or moving furniture back before the coats have fully cured
- Not confirming how many coats and what finish are included before comparing quotes
- Assuming every timber floor can be sanded — thin overlay and laminate can't
- Skipping board repairs and expecting the finish to hide splits and gaps
- Choosing solvent-based finish without knowing it yellows over the years
- Booking the sand before other trades have finished tramping through the room
Indicative range only, not a quote — see the full guide for worked scenarios and what moves the price.
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