Stairs are quoted per flight rather than per square metre, and in a Sydney terrace there is a second reason: there is usually nowhere to stand.
No obligation. Takes 30 seconds.
Floor Sanding and Polishing Sydney connects Sydney and greater Sydney property owners with qualified, connects Sydney property owners with licensed local floor sanders for stairs. 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.
A drum sander cannot go near a staircase. Treads are done with a small orbital or by hand, risers by hand, nosings by hand, and the join between them by hand. A flight of thirteen steps is perhaps three square metres of timber and most of a day's work. Anyone quoting stairs at the floor rate has not seen them.
Terrace stairs are narrow, steep, and frequently the only route between the two halves of the house. There is no second staircase, no room to work from the side, and often a turn or a winder at the top that has to be done entirely by hand. Coating alternate treads so the flight stays walkable is standard practice here and it adds a day.
A gloss finish on a stair tread is genuinely slippery and it is the most common complaint after a staircase is refinished. Matt or satin gives more grip for the same durability. Where the stairs are used by someone unsteady, an anti-slip additive can go into the final coat, or a clear grip strip at the nosing.
Carpeted stairs hide the same surprises as carpeted floors plus a few of their own. Nosings get chewed by carpet gripper. In an old terrace the treads may be a different timber to the rest of the house, or softwood that was never meant to be seen. Worth knowing before the carpet comes off.
Sydney.
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.
The core job — taking a tired timber floor back to bare wood.
Read more →
Getting owners corporation approval before the floor goes in — in the right order.
Read more →
Meeting the noise rating your by-law sets — and proving it.
Read more →
The softwood under most inner-Sydney terraces, and why it's treated differently.
Read more →Tell us the suburb and the floor area and we'll get it to the right person.
Call 0468 165 354