Wooden floors polish work brings back the sheen of boards that have gone dull from foot traffic, grit and years of cleaning. Polishing usually means a deep clean, a buff with a floor machine and a fresh maintenance coat, and it is much cheaper than a full sand. It suits pine, parquet, oak and other timber floors that are scuffed but still sound. Send one request and floor polishers and sanding contractors in your area quote you directly. It is free and there is no obligation.
Polish, buff or sand?
The right treatment depends on the state of the finish:
- Clean and polish: for floors that are dull but whole. The dirt is lifted and a polish or maintenance coat goes on.
- Buff and recoat: a machine with a fine abrasive pad lightly keys the old coat, then a fresh coat of water-based polyurethane or oil goes on.
- Sand and seal: needed when the finish is worn through to bare wood, stained or peeling. See floor sanding.
A good contractor tests a small patch before choosing, because the wrong product on an old finish can peel or cloud.
What the finish on your floor is
Before anything goes on the floor, find out what is already there. Polyurethane and acid-cure lacquer form a hard film on top of the timber. Penetrating oil sits in the wood and is topped up rather than sanded. Old wax lies on the surface of many 1960s and 1970s parquet floors.
Never put wax on top of polyurethane. It looks glossy for a week, then turns patchy and slippery, and it stops new coats from bonding, so the floor has to be stripped. Use a polish made for the finish that is on the floor. If you are unsure, the polisher can test it with a drop of solvent or water on a hidden corner.
Machines, prep and aftercare
Professionals use a rotary or orbital buffing machine with pads of different grades, and a dust extractor where the room allows. Furniture comes out, skirting is masked, and the floor is vacuumed and cleaned to remove grease before any coat goes on. Allow a day or two before heavy furniture goes back, and about a week before rugs are laid. Afterwards, sweep, damp mop with a neutral cleaner and use felt pads on chair legs. A maintenance coat every few years keeps traffic areas from wearing through to bare wood, and it is far cheaper than resanding. See also wooden floors.
Comparing polishing quotes
Polishing is quoted per job, per room or per square metre after a site visit, because the price depends on the finish, the wear and the access. Send the size of each room, the type of floor, whether it is pine, parquet or oak, and any deep scratches or stains. Ask each polisher what they will use, how many coats they apply, how long the floor must stay clear and whether furniture moving and skirting are included. Check for a written scope, so a buff and coat is not mistaken for a full sand.
What to include in your request
- The rooms and their size in square metres
- Floor type: pine, parquet, oak or other
- Finish if known: polyurethane, oil or wax
- How dull, scratched or stained it is
- Your suburb and when rooms will be empty
Wooden Floor Polishing for different clients
- Homeowners: a buff and fresh coat that brings dull pine or parquet back without a full sand
- Flats and townhouses: quiet machine polishing of a lounge and passage, timed to the body corporate's rules
- Builders, developers and renovators: a final clean and polish on boards after the builders have finished
- Landlords and letting agents: a quick buff and recoat between tenants that hides scuffs and brightens a floor
- Offices, practices and showrooms: polishing of boardrooms and reception floors after hours so work is not disturbed
- Guesthouses, lodges and restaurants: regular polishing of lodge lounges and restaurant floors that see heavy foot traffic
- Shops, salons and cafés: a tough maintenance coat for shop floors, applied overnight before trading starts
- Schools, halls, gyms and studios: hall and gym floors polished in the school holidays and recoated for the term
Frequently asked questions
Do you polish wooden floors?
Can I use wax on a polyurethane floor?
How often should a wooden floor be polished?
Is polishing cheaper than sanding a floor?
Wooden Floor Polishing by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg