Sanding old parquet floors: cost, process and when it is not possible

A worn parquet floor from the seventies can look hopeless and still come back as new in three days. Sanding is nearly always cheaper than a new floor and keeps the building's original character.

The only question is whether your floor has enough wear layer left.

Can the floor be sanded?

Solid wood floors can be sanded five to eight times. Factory-lacquered parquet with a three to four millimetre wear layer handles two or three passes. Thin parquet at 2.5 millimetres usually allows only one.

Check at a threshold or by a radiator, where the edge of the wear layer is often visible. If nails or tongues break the surface, the floor cannot be sanded again.

What it costs

Sanding in three passes plus three coats of lacquer typically costs 250 to 450 SEK per square metre in Sweden in 2026, materials and labour included. Moving furniture and replacing individual blocks come on top.

On 60 square metres that is 15,000 to 27,000 SEK before the ROT deduction on labour. A new parquet floor over the same area often costs double.

Lacquer, oil or hardwax oil

Lacquer gives the toughest surface and the easiest upkeep, but damage means re-sanding the whole floor. Oil can be repaired in patches but needs maintenance roughly every other year.

Hardwax oil is the compromise many now choose: a matt natural look, reasonable durability, and local repairability.

Preparing your home

The room must be completely empty, and curtains and pictures should come down because of dust. Modern machines have extraction, but some dust always escapes.

Allow three days for a normal room: sanding on day one, lacquer on days one and two, light foot traffic from day three. Furniture should wait a week.