This surprises most people, because sanding looks like surface work rather than building work.
No obligation. Takes 30 seconds.
Floor Sanding and Polishing Brisbane connects Brisbane and greater Brisbane property owners with qualified, licensed local floor sanders for licensing. Tell us the rough floor area and what condition the boards are in and we'll match it to a licensed contractor covering your suburb. Firm per-square-metre price after an inspection.
The QBCC issues a **Floor finishing and covering (hard sector)** licence, and its scope expressly includes *'prepare, sand and apply coatings to timber floors'*, along with repairing non-structural strip flooring and parquetry.
So it isn't a grey area. There's a named class covering precisely this work.
Separately, any building work valued over $3,300 requires a QBCC licensed contractor. A whole-house sand at $35 to $60 a square metre passes that figure on almost any house.
So for a typical job, both tests point the same way.
Sanding is irreversible. Your floor has a finite number of sands in it, and a gouged or over-sanded board cannot be undone — it has to be replaced and matched.
Unlicensed building work also sits outside the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, so if it goes wrong you have materially less recourse.
The QBCC keeps a free public register. Search the licence number before anyone starts.
If a quote arrives without a licence number on it, ask for one. A licensed contractor will give it without hesitation.
Brisbane.
Where this job typically sits. Access is usually a bigger cost driver than size.
| Job | Indicative price | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Sand and polish, per square metre | $35 – $60 /m² | The standard way this is quoted. Covers sanding plus coats. |
| Typical 3-bedroom house (~110m²) | $3,800 – $6,500 | Whole floor, sanded and finished. Condition drives the range. |
| Single room (~15m²) | $700 – $1,200 | Small jobs carry proportionally more setup. |
| Carpet lift and staple removal | $8 – $15 /m² | Often quoted separately. Staples and tack strips take real time. |
| Board replacement | $90 – $200 per board | Matching an old profile costs more than the timber does. |
| Extra coat of finish | $8 – $14 /m² | Three coats is standard; a high-traffic hallway may want four. |
| Stain or colour change | $10 – $20 /m² | On top of sanding. Sample it on your actual timber first. |
| Parquetry restoration | $70 – $120 /m² | Slower and more skilled than strip flooring. |
| Recoat only (no full sand) | $18 – $30 /m² | Where the finish is worn but the timber is sound. Far cheaper. |
| Moisture assessment | $150 – $300 | Worth it on any floor that has been wet or looks cupped. |
Prices are indicative only and usually quoted per square metre. What a floor costs depends on its condition, the timber, how many coats it needs and whether boards have to be replaced. You get a firm price after an inspection.
Yes. The QBCC issues a Floor finishing and covering (hard sector) licence whose scope expressly includes preparing, sanding and applying coatings to timber floors. On top of that, any building work valued over $3,300 requires a licensed contractor, which a whole-house sand comfortably exceeds. People assume the trade is unlicensed because it looks like surface work.
The QBCC keeps a free public register — search the licence number before work starts. It takes about two minutes. If a quote arrives without a licence number on it, ask; a licensed contractor will give it without hesitation.
Unlicensed building work sits outside the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, so you have materially less recourse if it goes wrong. That matters more here than in most trades because sanding is irreversible — an over-sanded or gouged board cannot be undone, it has to be replaced and matched.
The core job — taking a tired timber floor back to bare wood.
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The finish itself — water-based or solvent, and how many coats.
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Lifting carpet to find — and rescue — the original boards underneath.
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Replacing damaged, cut or borer-affected boards before sanding.
Read more →Tell us the suburb and the floor area and we'll get it to the right person.
Call 0468 158 248