The six steps
The steps below come from Mr Sander, a UK floor sanding contractor. The steps describe the order of the work on one contractor's account, not a standard, and a second contractor would use different grit steps.
1. Preparation
The room is emptied of furniture, rugs and curtains. Protruding nails and staples are hammered down or removed, and the floor is swept or vacuumed. You can save the sander time, and save yourself money, by clearing the room before the visit.
2. Equipment and grit
A drum sander does the main area and an edge sander does the corners. The first pass uses coarse paper of about 36 grit.
3. Coarse sanding
The drum sander runs with the grain of the wood and keeps moving. The operator lifts the drum slightly before stopping the machine to avoid divots.
4. Edging
The edge sander works edges and corners, starting coarse and moving finer. Pressing too hard or moving too fast leaves circular scratches.
5. Medium and fine sanding
The floor is sanded again with medium paper at 60 grit and then fine paper at 100 grit, using both sanders at a steady pace.
6. Cleaning and finish
The floor is vacuumed and wiped with a damp, not wet, cloth or mop. Dust left behind can be trapped in the finish. The finish can be polyurethane, varnish or oil.
Dust and safety
MyJobQuote says dust created by sanding can be dangerous and that professionals use a dust extractor on the sander. The Mr Sander steps advise a dust mask, goggles and ear protection and a ventilated room.
What to ask about dust
Ask the sander whether the machines are fitted with extraction and whether the doors to other rooms will be sealed. A sander who answers both in one sentence has done the job before.
What to do at home
Move soft furnishings out of the room, and cover or remove anything in the next room that you cannot wash. You can ask for a final clean of the room as part of the job.
Gap filling and repairs
Gap filling has no per-square-metre rate in the MyJobQuote guide. The guide gives £40 to £250 for 10m², £80 to £500 for 20m² and £120 to £750 for 30m².
Parquet
Parquet repairs can include fixing loose blocks or replacing rotten or missing ones, according to Checkatrade's restoration page, whose price figures are from May 2024 and are not used here.
Board replacement
If boards are rotten or missing, ask the sander to list the replacement as its own line. A fixed number of replacement boards in the quote avoids a dispute on the day.
What sanding and finishing cost
| Job | Per m² (MyJobQuote, 22 Sep 2026) |
|---|---|
| Sanding, straight plank | £12 to £16 |
| Sanding, parquet | £15 to £22 |
| Sanding and varnishing | £15 to £20 |
| Sanding and oiling | £18 to £23 |
| Staining | £4 to £8 |
| Polishing | £8 to £12 |
The same guide gives a day rate of £100 to £200 and says some specialists charge a minimum call-out fee, without stating the amount. The guide lists no Wales-specific price. The sourced prices guide sets this beside the other services.
A rough cost for a 20m² room
For 20m² of straight plank, the guide's figures give £240 to £320 for sanding alone, £300 to £400 for sanding and varnishing, and £360 to £460 for sanding and oiling. The totals are arithmetic from per-square-metre ranges, not a quote, and a minimum call-out fee can raise a small job.
Day rates, ventilation and timing
Day rates by area
MyJobQuote gives a general day rate of £100 to £200 for floor sanding, £220 a day in London and £180 a day in surrounding areas. The guide lists no Wales rate, so you should treat the general range as a guide and ask each sander for a day rate in writing.
Ventilation
The Mr Sander steps advise keeping the room ventilated while the work is under way. Plan where children and pets will be, and ask the sander how long the room should stay closed after the last coat.
Clean and dry before the finish
The same steps say the floor should be completely clean and dry before the new finish goes on, and that dust left behind can be trapped in it. A sander who vacuums and wipes between passes is following that advice.
Choosing the finish
Mr Sander lists polyurethane, varnish and oil as the finish choices, depending on your preferences and the wood. The price guide separates them, which lets you see what the choice costs.
Oil or varnish
MyJobQuote prices sanding and oiling at £18 to £23 per square metre and sanding and varnishing at £15 to £20. For 20m² that is £360 to £460 for oil against £300 to £400 for varnish, a gap of £60 at each end of the range.
Stain and polish
Staining adds £4 to £8 per square metre and polishing adds £8 to £12. Ask whether a stain is part of a quoted finish or an extra line.
Coats and cure time
Neither source gives a number of coats or a cure time before furniture can return, so write both into the quote. A floor that is walked on too early can show marks, and the sander is the person who knows the product.
An older figure for comparison
Checkatrade's restoration page gives £42 per square metre for sanding and refinishing, with a range of £40 to £65, and £30 to £50 an hour for a specialist. The page was last updated in May 2024, and its figure is well above MyJobQuote's 2026 range of £15 to £23 for sanding plus a finish. Treat the gap as a warning that guides define the job differently, and ask each sander to say what the price includes.
Which floors can be sanded
Solid and parquet
Havwoods says solid floors can be sanded and refinished multiple times. The depth you can remove depends on the board thickness, so ask for it in millimetres.
Engineered
Havwoods says engineered floors with substantial wear layers, up to 6mm, can be sanded and refinished multiple times. The engineered and solid wood guide explains why the wear layer sets the limit.
Questions to ask the sander
- How many grits will be used, and what is the finest?
- Is dust extraction fitted to the machines, and how will other rooms be protected?
- What finish will be used, how many coats, and when can furniture go back? Neither source checked gives a cure time.
- Is gap filling or board repair included, and how is it priced?
- For an engineered floor, what is the wear layer in millimetres?
The directory lists 39 floor sanding businesses in Wales on the floor sanding and restoration page. Use the flooring fitter hiring guide to check whichever sander you choose.
What this page does not cover
The process comes from one contractor's article. The page does not cover cure times or coat counts, because neither source gave them. The page does not cover sanding old floorboards that carry lead paint or other hazards. The price guide has no figure for Wales, and the Checkatrade page is dated May 2024, so it is cited for process notes only.