Cost to Polish Floorboards

Hi all,

I need to polish the floorboards in one of my IPs when the lease is up in 6 weeks. They look like they need it and it will add value - nicer floorboards always do.

I have never done this before and so looking for some examples on what type of price others have paid to get this done.

The IP has appoximately 150 sqm of floorboards (boards circa 1930).

Anyone have any idea how much this will cost?:confused:

Thanks:)
 
Last time I had this done it was $500ish for a 16sqm room, but that was in 1999 so you can probably add 50% to that figure now.

Basically, its not particularly cheap.
 
Get a few quotes over the phone. They should be able to give you a ballpark figure if you know the size of the job.

The biggest problem you will possibly have is getting somebody to fit your time frame. Ring soon, as floor sanders tend to be booked out weeks and weeks ahead.
 
we have 20+ apartments with oak and hemlock floors, so we bought a sander, the same as the ones you hire, from a closing down hiring company, now it costs ~100 for urethane varnish and sandpaper per house to do, and its kind of therapeutic.

Edit: If it suits the character of the house, we have an old(WAY old 1890) house with hemlock boards, and did not sand back all the wear marks, just reduced them and revarnished to retain the character a bit, looks very shmick
 
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I think I recall reading somewhere here, just recently, that steveadel had a few rooms (?4) done for $1000.

As you're from Adelaide too, perhaps you could PM him and ask. Otherwise I'm sure when he's next here, he'll read this thread and confirm this. I'm sure it was him :confused:.
 
Are you talking about the cost of hiring the sander and doing it yourself, which cost us a couple of hundred bucks for memory, or paying a professional to do it for you, which we were quoted something like $1000 plus for memory?
 
$3000 vs $300 + 2 days

There have been a few questions like this in the past, someone might have to link a couple into here if you can find them.

Sanding floors is easy, just start in a bedroom to practice and keep moving the sander going with the grain (not across the boards) then do the edging with a finishing sander, use the belt sander for fiddly bits. The fumes from the polyurethene are fantastic, might want to buy a mask, I didn't.

Have a go at doing them yourself.

Lots of fun.

Cheers
quoll
 
There have been a few questions like this in the past, someone might have to link a couple into here if you can find them.

Sanding floors is easy, just start in a bedroom to practice and keep moving the sander going with the grain (not across the boards) then do the edging with a finishing sander, use the belt sander for fiddly bits. The fumes from the polyurethene are fantastic, might want to buy a mask, I didn't.

Have a go at doing them yourself.

Lots of fun.

Cheers
quoll


You may have given me inspiration (I think!). Nail holes in timber flooring then. How are they filled in? Some sort of woodfiller?
 
I'm about to do this myself, debating doing it myself a room at a time vs hiring somone. DIY types, stories please!
 
I'm not uptodate on the latest products but from what I gather the polyurethane fumes are a good reason to get someone else to do it - they are highly toxic. Even when inspecting the job wear a mask. Air the room out for a week or so afterwards if you can, which also gives the coating plenty of time to harden. If possible use a natural alternative.

cheers

Mike


The fumes from the polyurethene are fantastic, might want to buy a mask, I didn't.
 
Yep, $20-25 per sqm is about right.
So you've been renting this place out for a while and the tenants have been a bit hard on the floors and you need to refinish them? I'm assuming you'll be claiming this as a deduction?
As someone said, do a search on this topic and you'll read lots of personal experiences.
I did it once and will never do it again.
Factor in the cost of the sander, the edger, the coating, and your time.
Then consider the fact that you are unlikely to do a job as good as a professional.
Consider also the risk - it's very easy to really stuff up a floor, especially if it's an old pine floor, with those big drum sanders.
Scott
 
Didn't fill the nail holes, filled the knot holes with a darker colored wood putty, went with a walnut color which might be a tad dark, medium brown would have been better. hate it when chippies fill the knots in pine boards with the pale pine putty, looks crap.

Have a read of the container for directions and hints on how toxic the stuff is. There are a few different alternatives, talk to the guys at the paint shop they can help.

Lambs wool roller to apply it and just chuck it in the bin when you finish, $10ea way too hard to clean.

Cheers
quoll
 
make your own nail filler using PVA glue mixed with the dust from your sander the color will be a perfect match. :)
 
I am with Scott on this one. I would never attempt to sand floors myself (or hubby). I have seen some really obviously "DIY" jobs and when you consider that the floor is one of the biggest things you look at in a room, if you mess it up, it is hard to hide "the elephant in the room".

For the "bang for buck" impact that floor sanding gives, I would always use a professional. I think it is a small price considering the impact it gives. A house takes a professional about a week to do. I imagine DIY would be possibly double that, not to mention the dust and fumes you are sucking in.

Last job I think cost us $1500 or thereabouts and for me, it is just not worth doing ourselves.

The other thing I have noticed is that over about 20 years since we had the first floors done, sanders don't seem to last the distance. We have had sanders who refuse to wear masks because they are hot and cumbersome and the last sander we used gave up the job for health reasons. Those machines take their toll on bodies and the fumes look after the rest.
 
Hi guys

I definitely agree that polishing your floors is one job that you should leave to the professionals. Why?

1. Its a horrible job
2. It actually quite a hard to get a really nice finish without any bubles etc.
3. Using a professional is relatively inexpensive - somewhere around $23-$28 per square meter (depending on what type of polish you use)
4. After you have hired all the equipment needed and spent your time doing actually doing the job you would hardly be saving any money.

Don't get me wrong, I love renovating my investment properties but this is one DIY project that you should steer clear of.

Cheers Banjo Smyth


www.SharesPropertyMoney.com
www.BanjoSmyth.com
 
I've done a number of floors myself- and I agree with the people who say to get it done professionally.

The floors I did were for 1BR units at the bottom of the rental range- so it didn't matter that the polish was not that great a job. There are pit marks from where the sander dug in, corners where the sander did not reach, and bubbles and grit in the polish. But it suited the standard of the place.

A professional job will give you a mirror finish floor.
 
I agree.

If you tried to sand hubby, you may rub him up the wrong way ;)

LOL Geoff. I had a chuckle at what I wrote :D. Didn't see it at the time.

Have to say, however, that hubby wouldn't mind being rubbed up the wrong way, he would quite enjoy it :p.
 
I have an IP where I was planning to sand and polish the floors. the property has two levels and I think would be a total of 120-150sqm. But I must say that I am forced to reconsider considering the views on this thread.

I think based on the figures on this thread, getting the work done would cost 140 x 25 psm = 3500 and getting it done myself might cost less than 500 for material and equipment hire, so it is a substantial savings doing it myself. But I am reconsidering now. Should mention here that I consider myself a decent renovator having done floating floors, repairing uneven walls and tricky paint jobs myself though I haven't sanded the floors myself.

Would you still not recommend me doing it myself.

Cheers,
Roopam
 
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