Quoted per square metre, so the number you're given depends entirely on being measured properly.
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Floor Sanding and Polishing Sydney connects Sydney and greater Sydney property owners with qualified, connects Sydney property owners with licensed local floor sanders for prices. Tell us the rough floor area and whether you're in a house or an apartment and we'll match it to a licensed contractor covering your suburb. Firm per-square-metre price after an inspection.
Floor sanding is quoted per square metre, and in Sydney the square metres are only half the question. Whether the floor is in a strata building decides how much of the cost is sanding and how much is approval, acoustic underlay and a test report.
Taking the floor back to bare timber and building the finish up again. Sydney rates run above the national average, and terrace access is the usual reason.
In an apartment this is usually the difference between a quote and a bill. Most Sydney strata by-laws require approval before hard flooring goes down, and most require a measured acoustic performance.
A light abrade and one or two fresh coats. Roughly half the price of a full sand, and on a sound floor the same result to look at.
Sydney's older stock brings its own problems. Baltic pine is soft, narrow and often over a century old, and parquetry is a different trade again.
If two quotes are far apart, they are usually not quoting the same job. In an apartment, ask both what they have assumed about the by-law.
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 | $40 – $70 /m² | Sydney rates run above the national average. Covers sanding plus coats. |
| Typical 3-bedroom home (~110m²) | $4,400 – $7,500 | Whole floor, sanded and finished. Condition drives the range. |
| Typical 2-bedroom apartment (~70m²) | $2,800 – $4,900 | Before any acoustic underlay, which is a separate line. |
| Single room (~15m²) | $800 – $1,400 | Small jobs carry proportionally more setup. |
| Acoustic underlay, supplied and laid | $25 – $60 /m² | Strata work. The test report matters as much as the product. |
| Acoustic test report | $400 – $1,200 | Field testing to demonstrate compliance where a by-law requires it. |
| Board replacement | $100 – $220 per board | Baltic pine and old hardwood profiles are both hard to match. |
| Extra coat of finish | $9 – $15 /m² | Three coats is standard; a high-traffic hallway may want four. |
| Parquetry restoration | $80 – $130 /m² | Slower and more skilled than strip flooring. |
| Recoat only (no full sand) | $20 – $35 /m² | Where the finish is worn but the timber is sound. Far cheaper. |
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. In a strata building, acoustic underlay and testing add to it. You get a firm price after an inspection.
<strong>$40 to $70 a square metre</strong> for sand and polish. A three-bedroom home of around 110m² lands between $4,400 and $7,500; a two-bedroom apartment around 70m² is $2,800 to $4,900 before any acoustic work. A single room is $800 to $1,400.
Acoustic underlay at $25 to $60 a square metre, and a test report at $400 to $1,200 where required. If you are in an apartment and the quote does not mention acoustic underlay, the quote is incomplete.
A recoat at <strong>$20 to $35 a square metre</strong> instead of a full sand — roughly half the price, it spends none of the floor's remaining thickness, and in an apartment it avoids the approval process entirely because it does not change the acoustic performance.
The core job — taking a tired timber floor back to bare wood.
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Getting owners corporation approval before the floor goes in — in the right order.
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Meeting the noise rating your by-law sets — and proving it.
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The softwood under most inner-Sydney terraces, and why it's treated differently.
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Call 0468 165 354