A full sand takes a timber floor back to bare wood. The old coating, grey traffic paths, scratches and most surface stains come off, and the floor is ready for a new finish. It's the biggest single improvement you can make to tired boards, and in many Geelong homes the boards are already there, hiding under carpet or a worn coat of polyurethane.
Geelong Floor Sanders is an enquiry service. You tell us about your floor, and with your consent we pass your enquiry to an independent local floor sander, once one is appointed, who inspects, quotes and does the work. This page explains what a full sand involves so you know what to ask for and what a fair quote looks like.
When a full sand is the right call
A full sand makes sense when the existing finish has worn through to bare timber in places, when there are deep scratches or dents, when boards have been uncovered after carpet comes up, or when you want to change the colour of the floor. If the coating is simply dull but still intact everywhere, a lighter screen and recoat may be enough. Our screen and recoat page explains the difference.
Signs your floor needs the full treatment:
- Grey or black patches where the coating has worn away and the timber has absorbed dirt
- Water marks, pet stains or rings that sit in the wood rather than on the surface
- Old paint, glue, underlay or staple marks from carpet
- Uneven colour from previous patch jobs
- A finish that is peeling, flaking or turning milky
What happens on the day
Every contractor has their own system, but a typical full sand in a Geelong home follows the same broad steps.
1. Preparation
The rooms need to be empty. Nails are punched below the surface so they don't tear the sanding belts, and any staples, tacks and carpet gripper strips are pulled out. Loose boards are refixed. If there are gaps or damaged boards, this is when they are filled or replaced. See floorboard repairs for more on that.
2. Coarse sanding
A large drum or belt sander takes off the old coating and levels the boards. On uneven or cupped floors the first pass is often run at a slight angle across the boards before switching to the direction of the grain. An edger handles the strip along the skirting boards that the big machine can't reach.
3. Medium and fine sanding
Each pass uses a finer grit to remove the scratches left by the one before. Most residential jobs use three grits. The final pass is sometimes done with a multi-disc or orbital machine, which helps reduce the swirl and chatter marks that show up under a clear finish.
4. Cleaning
The floor is vacuumed and wiped down so no dust is trapped in the first coat. This step matters more than most people realise, because dust under the finish shows up as grit and bubbles.
5. Coating
The first coat soaks into the bare timber and seals it. Further coats build the protective layer, with a light cut-back between coats. Most quotes include three coats. Your choice of finish changes the look, the smell and how soon you can move back in. Our floor polishing page compares the options.
Timber you'll find under Geelong floors
Geelong's housing stock covers more than a century of building, and the timber changes with the era.
Period homes in Newtown, Geelong West, Herne Hill and around the city centre often have Baltic pine or other softwood boards. Pine sands easily but is soft, so it dents and it's more likely to have wide gaps between boards after a hundred years of seasonal movement.
Post-war and 1960s to 1980s homes in Belmont, Highton, Hamlyn Heights, Bell Park and Corio commonly have Victorian ash or Tasmanian oak. These hardwoods are pale, take a clear finish well and usually have plenty of thickness left for a sand.
Newer estates in Armstrong Creek, Mount Duneed, Lara and Charlemont are more likely to have engineered boards or hybrid flooring. Some engineered boards can be sanded once or twice, and some can't be sanded at all. Hybrid and laminate floors can't be sanded. Outdoor timber decks are a different job again, covered on our deck sanding and oiling page.
Coastal homes in Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Torquay and Jan Juc see more sand tracked inside, which wears through coatings faster in entries and hallways.
Dust, noise and living in the house
Modern sanders have dust extraction built in, and a good operator also uses an edger with extraction. That cuts down the dust a great deal, but no sanding job is completely dust-free. Expect a light wipe-down of benchtops and skirting boards afterwards. The machines are loud, so it's worth letting neighbours know if you're in a unit or townhouse.
You can usually stay in other parts of the house while sanding is under way. Whether you can stay during coating depends on the finish. Solvent-based polyurethane has a strong smell and most people move out for a couple of nights. Water-based finishes are far milder.
Typical costs
Published 2026 Australian price guides put a full sand with three coats of solvent-based polyurethane at about $30 to $45 per square metre, and water-based polyurethane at about $35 to $50 per square metre. Sanding alone, with no coating, is listed at about $25 to $40 per square metre. Most floor sanders also have a minimum charge, often $400 to $900, so a single small room costs more per square metre.
These are typical national ranges, not a quote. There is no published Geelong-specific price guide, so the only way to get a firm price is an on-site inspection. Our prices page lists the sources and what pushes a price up or down.
What to ask before you book
- Which machines will be used, and do they have dust extraction?
- How many coats are included, and which brand and product?
- Is nail punching, gap filling or board replacement included or extra?
- Who moves the furniture?
- How long until you can walk on it in socks, move furniture back and lay rugs?
- Is there a written quote with the area measured?
Frequently asked questions
How long does floor sanding take?
For an average home, sanding and coating usually takes two to four days. Sanding itself is often done in a day, and the rest is coating and drying time between coats. Staining, extensive repairs or a large floor area add time. Ask the contractor for a day-by-day plan so you know when each room is off limits.
Can engineered timber floors be sanded?
Sometimes. It depends on the thickness of the real-timber top layer, called the wear layer. Boards with a wear layer of around 3 to 4 millimetres or more can usually handle a light sand, while thinner layers of 1 to 2 millimetres generally shouldn't be sanded. Check the product details if you have them, or look at the edge of a board at a doorway. A floor sander should check this on site before quoting.
How dusty is floor sanding?
Much less dusty than it used to be. Modern drum sanders and edgers have extraction that captures most of the dust, but some fine dust still settles on surfaces. Plan for a light clean afterwards, and close doors to rooms that aren't being done.
Should I hire a sander and do it myself?
You can, and hire shops around Geelong rent drum sanders and edgers. The hard parts are punching every nail, keeping the drum moving so it doesn't gouge the boards, getting the edges to match the main floor and applying the finish without dust or lap marks. A mistake on the first pass can remove more timber than a professional would. For a large or valuable floor, a professional usually gives a better result for not much more money once machine hire, paper and coatings are added up.
How many times can a timber floor be sanded?
A solid tongue-and-groove board can usually be sanded several times over its life, because only a millimetre or so comes off with each full sand. The limit is reached when the sanding gets close to the tongue, so floors that have been sanded many times before, or very thin boards, have less left. Engineered boards are limited by their wear layer and may only take one or two sands.