Timber Floor Sanding & Polishing

How long it takes depends on the condition of your floor and the size of the area. We can typically complete a standard room in 1-2 days, but we’ll provide a more accurate timeline once we see your space. 

A general guideline is: 

• <40 m2: 2-3 days
• <50m2: 3-4 days
• <100m2: 4-5 days
• <200m2: up to 2 weeks

Staining adds more time to the job, but it makes a huge impact on your flooring and how it looks in your space!

Sanding and polishing can be a bit dusty and smelly, but we prioritise cleanliness and minimal disruption. We use dustless machines to help throughout the installation process, and we vacuum and clean everything prior to coating so your home is nice and clean. 

If you’re concerned about dust, it’s best to drop sheet protection where required over appliances, decor, or pictures. Your furniture will be fine as all will be removed from the room prior to timber flooring installation, sanding, and coating.

Yes, you can sand and polish most timber floors, including engineered timber flooring and parquetry. That said, you can’t keep sanding back your floors over and over. Engineered timber flooring is thick enough that you’ll likely be able to sand it back several times, but check with us to make sure your floors have enough thickness.

Floors are usually touch-dry within a few hours, but we recommend waiting at least 24-48 hours before having any light traffic over them. The full cure of the floors starts at around 10 days and continues to get harder for up to 6 months after, so it’s best to leave your shoes off and be careful with furniture placement. 

If you’re making any big changes, like repainting the house or changing your curtains and flinds, we recommend the floors be redone at the same time. On average, this will be every 12 years or so. 

That said, all floors wear at different rates. Proper cleaning and maintenance helps your floors last longer, and you can also recoat every few years to prevent the need to bring them back to their raw timber state.

To keep your floors clean after sanding and polishing, simply sweep or vacuum regularly to remove dust and dirt.

For cleaning, use a damp mop with a mild, pH-neutral cleaner specifically designed for timber floors. Avoid using excessive water and harsh chemicals, which can damage the flooring finish. Place protective pads under furniture legs to prevent scratches and avoid walking on the floors with high heels or abrasive shoes. Periodic re-coating might be necessary depending on foot traffic and wear.

If you need more help with timber floor maintenance, we can help with that too. 

The amount of wood removed during sanding is determined by the condition of the floor and the type of sanding being done. A gentle sanding can remove a small amount of wood. A stronger sanding can remove up to 1-2 millimeters of the wood surface. We do this to eliminate deep scratches or stains.

We aim to remove as little wood as possible to make your timber floors smooth and long-lasting.

Sanding and polishing can effectively remove most surface damage, including scratches, dents, and discolouration. However, deeper damage may require more extensive repairs. The Kustom Timber team can assess and recommend the best course of action for your floors.

Sanding your timber floors is like giving them a mini-makeover. Here’s why you might want to do it:

• Floor restoration: Floors can get dull and scratched up over time. Sanding strips away the rough top layer, revealing the fresh wood underneath that’s just waiting to shine.
• Smooth moves: Ever notice how some parts of the floor seem more worn out than others? Sanding evens everything out, making your floor nice and smooth again.
• Change of scene: Fancy a new look? Sanding cleans the slate and gets rid of the old finish so you can introduce a new colour or type of polish.
• Repair damage: Got some scratches, watermarks, or other damage? Sanding can make these much less noticeable, sometimes making them disappear altogether.
• Longer Lasting: Just like a good spa day can rejuvenate you, sanding and then sealing your floors can make them last a lot longer.

Sanding is pretty much a fresh start for your floors. It’s all about getting rid of the old to make way for the new, making your solid and engineered timber floors look as good as the day you first fell in love with them.