The most expensive mistake in this trade is sanding a wet floor. Brisbane produces a lot of wet floors.
No obligation. Takes 30 seconds.
Floor Sanding and Polishing Brisbane connects Brisbane and greater Brisbane property owners with qualified, connects Brisbane property owners with licensed local floor sanders for water damage. 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.
Waterlogged boards swell and cup — edges high, centres low. Sand it flat in that state and, as the timber dries and relaxes over following months, the boards go concave. You end up with a dished floor and less thickness left to fix it.
Drying can take weeks to months. A moisture meter reading, not a look, is what decides readiness.
More than people expect. Boards that have cupped but not delaminated or rotted usually come back as they dry, and then sand normally.
What can't be saved: boards that have swollen enough to crush their neighbours' edges, anything with rot, and most engineered flooring, which delaminates once water gets into the core.
Photograph everything before anything is lifted or dried. Insurers ask what happened and when.
A moisture assessment from a licensed contractor is useful documentation, and worth having whether or not you claim — because it also tells you honestly when the floor is ready.
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.
The core job — taking a tired timber floor back to bare wood.
Read more →The finish itself — water-based or solvent, and how many coats.
Read more →Lifting carpet to find — and rescue — the original boards underneath.
Read more →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