Floor sanding in Beckenham and South East London
We arrange floor sanding for houses and flats across South East London from our base in Beckenham. A trusted flooring trade we bring in repairs, sands and reseals worn floorboards and parquet, and our own team can repaint the skirting boards once the floor is finished.
- Floorboards, parquet and solid wood brought back
- Sanded and sealed by a trusted flooring trade
- Skirting boards repainted by our own team, if you want
- Free visit and a written quote
4.9 out of 5
From 38 MyBuilder reviews
Get a quote for your floor sanding
Wood floor restoration for the floor you already have
Sanding takes off the worn top of a wood floor, with the old finish, scratches and stains, down to clean timber, which is then sealed again. It suits:
Original pine floorboards, often found under old carpet, with loose boards fixed and gaps filled first.
Parquet and woodblock floors that have lost their colour or shine.
Solid oak and other hardwood floors that have gone grey, scratched or patchy.
Engineered wood, if its top layer of real wood is thick enough to take another sanding.
Sanding can't put back wood that isn't there. Boards worn down to their tongues (the thin edge that slots into the next board), split or gone soft, and parquet with missing blocks need boards or blocks replaced, or a new floor: see wood flooring.
How a worn floor is sanded, pass by pass
The first pass, with coarse paper, takes off the old finish and flattens boards that have cupped (curled up at the edges) or gone uneven.
Finer passes remove the scratches the coarse paper leaves, until the surface is smooth.
The edges and corners
The main machine can't reach the skirting boards, so a smaller edging sander and a hand scraper finish them.
A thorough vacuum between passes and before the first coat, so no dust sets into the finish.
Filling the gaps between your floorboards
Gaps between old boards let in draughts and collect dirt. There are two usual ways to close them:
Timber slivers: thin strips of wood glued into the gaps and sanded flush. They move with the boards, so they suit wider gaps.
Filler: a resin mixed with fine dust from the floor's own sanding, so the colour is close. It suits narrow gaps, but it can crack as the boards move with the seasons.
Lacquer, oil or a stain: choosing your finish
Lacquer (often called varnish) is a clear, hard coat that sits on top of the wood, in matt, satin or gloss. It wipes clean easily; once it wears through, the floor usually needs sanding again.
Oil and hardwax oil soak into the wood for a natural, low-sheen look. Worn patches can be touched up without sanding the whole room, but the floor needs oiling again from time to time.
A stain changes the colour of the wood under the lacquer or oil. Pine and oak take stain differently, so a test patch on your own floor is the surest way to see the colour.
Living around a floor being sanded
Furniture out
The room has to be completely empty, with curtains tied up or taken down.
Dust
Sanding makes fine dust, so the doors to the rest of the home stay shut while the work goes on.
Drying
Each coat has to dry before the next, and the last one before you walk on the floor or bring the furniture back. How long depends on the finish, the temperature and the airflow in the room.
What's included in your floor sanding
Loose or squeaky boards fixed down
Gaps between the boards filled
The whole floor sanded, edges and corners included
Coats of the finish you choose
Skirting boards repainted by our own team once the floor is dry, if you'd like them done
Why ask a decorating firm to restore your floor
The skirting boards made good
Sanding right up to the edges can scuff them, and a fresh floor makes tired paintwork stand out. Our own team can repaint them once the floor is dry, so the room is finished in one job.
The rest of the room, if you want it
Walls, ceilings, doors and windows can be redecorated by our own team at the same time: see painters and decorators.
Easy to check
Registered at Companies House on 22 March 2007 (company number 06178781), on Checkatrade, verified on MyBuilder and insured for £5 million public liability.
Three steps from worn boards to a finished floor
Send us photos of the floor, and lift a corner of the carpet if it's still down.
We visit free of charge to look at the boards, the gaps and the wear, then send you a written quote.
The trusted flooring trade we bring in sands and seals the floor, and, if you'd like, our own team repaints the skirting boards afterwards.
Our flooring page sets out how every floor we arrange is run.
What affects the cost of sanding your floor
The size and shape of the room
alcoves, bay windows and fitted cupboards mean more edge work.
The condition
paint splashes, old varnish, carpet glue or deep stains take more sanding.
The repairs
loose boards, gaps to fill and any boards to replace.
The finish
the product, how many coats it needs, and whether you want a stain.
The skirting boards
whether you'd like them repainted as well.
Request a callback
What customers say
4.9
out of 5 from 38 reviews on
“They were on time and did a fantastic job. I would most definitely come to them in the first instance for any other decorating jobs!”
“We’re really really impressed with the level of finish and found them to be extremely courteous and respectful. We’d highly recommend them and would definitely use them again next time we need some work doing.”
“Such high quality work, very impressed Helped sort a few other issues as well when they were there”
Questions about floor sanding
Call 020 8249 7303
Can engineered wood flooring be sanded?
Often, yes, if its top layer of real wood is thick enough. That layer varies from one product to another, so it has to be checked on your floor before anyone sands it.
Can laminate flooring be sanded?
No. The wood look of laminate is a printed layer under a clear wear coat, so sanding would go straight through it. Worn or damaged laminate boards are replaced instead.
Can I stay at home while the floor is sanded?
Yes, as long as you can keep out of that room until the finish has dried. If the floor is a hallway or the only way through the house, plan around it, as nobody can walk on it between coats.
How do I look after a newly sanded floor?
Sweep or vacuum it, and clean it with a well-wrung mop and a cleaner made for its finish, because oiled and lacquered floors need different products. Felt pads under chair and table legs and a mat at the door stop grit from scratching it.
What's the difference between floor sanding and polishing?
Sanding takes the floor back to clean wood; polishing usually means the finishing that follows, the coats of lacquer or oil, sometimes buffed between coats. A sanded floor needs both: left bare, it marks and stains quickly.
Sanding wooden floors in churches and other buildings
Wooden floors in churches and other commercial buildings are on our commercial flooring page.
Flooring in Beckenham and South East London
Flooring in Beckenham and South East London from a family firm. Free visit, a written quote and tidy work.
Carpet fitters in Beckenham and South East London
Carpet fitters in Beckenham and South East London from a family firm. Free visit, a written quote and tidy work.
Commercial flooring in London and the South East
Commercial flooring for offices, blocks of flats, churches, gyms and shops across London and the South East. Free visit and a written quote.
Show us the floor you want restored
A few photos, close up and from the doorway, tell us most of what we need, with the size of the room and your postcode. We reply to every enquiry within one working day.