Check the meat left on the board
Sanding removes material. If previous owners have already sanded twice and the boards sit proud of the nail heads by only a millimetre or two, there may be nothing left to take. We lift a board or check at a threshold to see the true thickness before advising.
Gaps, movement and squeaks
Gapping between boards is normal in period houses and is filled with a resin-and-sawdust slurry matched to the boards. Movement and squeaks are a fixings and joist issue, not a surface issue — sanding will not fix them, so they're dealt with before the machine comes out.
When we say replace
Widespread rot or woodworm damage, boards sanded past their fixings, a floor that needs to be flat for a new kitchen layout, or a level change you want to eliminate. In those cases restoration is money spent on a floor you'll still be unhappy with.
- Rot or active infestation across multiple joists — replace
- Boards too thin to sand safely — replace or overboard
- Surface only: stains, scuffs, old varnish, gapping — restore
The cost gap
Restoration starts at £28/m² supplied and fitted, with a 1–2 week lead time. New engineered starts at £59/m² and new solid at £72/m², both before subfloor works. Restoration is almost always the cheaper route where the boards genuinely have life in them — and it keeps the original floor, which most period-property owners want.
Living in the house while it happens
We dust-extract sand, so you can normally stay in the property. Rooms are worked one at a time where possible and the aftercare pack is handed over on the last day with the products matched to the finish used.