The short answer: expect a starting rate of $35/m² for a standard sand-and-polish on the Mornington Peninsula, moving up to $50–$60/m² for jobs with staining, repairs or lime wash.
The longer answer — because floor sanding is one of those trades where the true price depends heavily on what’s underneath the coating — is worth unpacking.
Typical Peninsula floor sizes
A rough guide to whole-house costs:
- Small unit or coastal cottage (60–80m²): $2,100–$3,600
- Standard three-bedroom home (100–140m²): $3,500–$6,300
- Larger family home or period property (180–220m²): $6,300–$10,000+
These are for straightforward sand-and-polish work. Add stain, board repairs, staircases or lime wash and the number moves.
What Peninsula-specific factors change the price
A few things about working on the Peninsula that either add or subtract from the standard rate:
Coastal exposure adds cost when it comes to coating choice. UV-stable water-based finishes cost slightly more than basic oil-based — but they’re worth it in a house that sees hard summer sun through big north-facing windows.
Holiday-let scheduling can add cost. Working around booking calendars sometimes means weekend or between-tenant turnarounds, which are trickier to price than a standard weekday job.
Older Frankston and Rosebud stock often has hidden damage. 1950s-70s houses in these pockets frequently had carpet installed over hardwood in the seventies. Once the carpet comes up, we often find surprise water damage, stapling damage, or previous patch jobs. All fixable, but they don’t quote until we’ve seen them.
Mount Eliza, Frankston South and Mount Martha period homes tend to have larger floor areas and more intricate borders, which affects both m² total and detail-sanding time.
What doesn’t change the price much
- Whether it’s Blackbutt, Tas Oak or Spotted Gum — all sand at similar rates.
- Whether you’re inland or coastal — the day rate for our team is the same.
- Whether it’s ground floor or upstairs — unless access is genuinely difficult.
What to expect from a proper quote
A Peninsula floor sanding quote should be:
- On-site, not a phone estimate. Sanding is impossible to quote sight-unseen.
- Itemised — base sand rate, coating spec, any repair costs called out.
- Honest about what could go wrong — e.g. “if we find damage under the coating we haven’t seen, here’s how we’d handle it and roughly what it would cost.”
- Clear on the finish system — product name, sheen level, number of coats.
If the quote is a single dollar figure with no breakdown, ask for one.
What we typically see on the Peninsula
Most Peninsula sand-and-polish jobs land between $4,000 and $6,500 for a whole-house scope. That includes some minor repair allowance, a good-quality water-based coating system, and honest project management around your household or booking calendar.
Higher-end jobs — period homes, coastal properties with staining and lime wash, or floors needing significant restoration — head into $8,000–$12,000 territory.
Lower quotes exist, but they usually reflect a smaller scope, a cheaper finish system, or shortcuts we wouldn’t take.
If you want a real number for your specific floor, an on-site visit is the only way to give you one that won’t move at the end.