If anybody out there has been sanding floors as long as myself, and that is probably thousands even millions, then they will no as well as my self, the intense labour that's involved in rennovating a wood floor, There's also maintenance on my machinery, Fuel to get to a job, Sandpaper, which is very expensive, stains that are not cheap and Varnish, Varnish is probably the most expensive product i use, to use a cheap varnish is completely defeating the object, why go through hours of quality sanding to finish the job with a cheap varnish, It totally defeats the object, the finish is the icing on the cake and to skimp on that is outrageous.

What i'm getting at here, Is how can you save money on the job, beleive me i've tried to find cheaper alternatives but in a trade such as this, I'ts impossible. The only way to save money is to pay yourself less, which with the current echonomic climate is acceptable, but how much less? For such an intensive procedure i'ts really hard to do things for much less.

In the UK, where i'm based the Internet over the past 5 years has created and established a sort of standard rate per M2 depending on Specification. Ie Sand and Seal softwood (pine floorboards) £20 - £25 per m2, Sand and Seal Hardwood £18 - £25 per m2, Blocks floors @ £25 per m2, Staining £4 per m2, It goes on and on, Just search for a uk floor sanding company and 9 times out of 10 they will have a per meterage price displayed on there website. This is all fine and a good way of giving potential customers an idea of your charging rates. The thing is, what you are now getting is new company's popping up every day on Google adwords PPC and Yahoo PPC handing out offers and discounts to beat off competitors.

In the early days of the Recession my company was flourishing and i believed the quality of my work was the key factor as to why i didn't need to compete with others in my field, but as we have gone deeper into a really bad echonomic time i have found that it really is affecting everyone in the building industry, It's affecting everyone, But not because there is less people out there wanting jobs done, I'ts because there is now so much competition, prices have got to the point of me thinking actually that's not enough money to go out , drive 20 miles, work very hard on a floor, bring it up to its utmost best and give 3 coats of the finest quality expensive lacquer. My minimal charge for one day , with me supplying all materials is now £225, which really does only give me a fraction of what i feel my skill and knowledge is worth, Sure i could drop my standard, miss a few grits when bringing up to a finish, use some cheap varnish, I've even heard of others using coloured varnish instead of stain to cut material and labour costs, But to me that is defeating the object, my knowledge,quality, time and dam hard work is worth more than poor end finish and cheap varnish and so is my customers floors, call me a train spotter, but my passion for natural products far outcries my greed for money.

Nowadays i'm lucky to work 2 - 3 days per week, but refuse to work for a pittence, my quality is equally as good as it always was and i tend to allow more time and take things a bit easier as my schedules are no longer banking up on me like they was last year, I try to keep local so a to cut fuel costs. But i still use the absolute best products on any floor i rennovate.

I'ts best i think to let all the new super keen adword junkies promote there cheap services and not enter into the world of cheap sand and seals myself, the bubble will burst, My customers want quality, they understand the importance of having the best of everything to achieve phenominal results that last. Which is what i think it's all about and wouldn't want anything less for my flooring at home either. So all you top flooring guys out there remember quality is foremost in this game and you are really only as good as your last job, don't out price your worth, price sensibly, honestly and give your customers your all and best, leave the cheapo work to those that don't care, who have customers that don't really care too.

Remember the Cream always Rises to the top!