Guide · Updated October 2026
Polish or Full Sanding: Which Does Your Staircase Need?
Staircase polishing vs full sanding: what each does, what it costs in Singapore and how to tell which your wooden stairs need.
Polishing
Polishing buffs the existing varnish and adds a fresh coat. It removes dullness and light scratches, takes about a day per flight and starts from $350. It only works if the old varnish is still on the wood.
Full sanding
Full sanding takes the stairs back to bare timber, removing grey wear, deep scratches, stains and old yellowed varnish. It's followed by a sealer and two coats of varnish, takes 1 to 2 days per flight and is quoted after inspection.
The 30-second test
- Look at the most-used step in good light.
- If it's dull but the colour is even, polishing is enough.
- If the middle is grey, black or lighter than the edges, the varnish has worn through: you need sanding.
- Run a fingernail across the worst scratch. If it catches in raw wood, that step at least needs sanding.
Side by side
| Polishing | Full sanding | |
|---|---|---|
| Removes | Dullness, light scratches | Grey wear, deep scratches, stains, old varnish |
| Time per flight | About 1 day | 1 to 2 days |
| Price | From $350 per flight | Quoted after inspection |
| Can colour change? | No | Yes, with stain |
Related staircase services
Staircase Polishing
Buff, clean and re-varnish worn timber stairs in a day. From $350 per flight.
From $350 per flightWood Staircase Repair
Loose, creaky, broken or damaged treads and nosings repaired with matching timber.
From $350Broken Tread Repair
Cracked, split or missing pieces on stair treads replaced with matching timber.
From $350Dog-Chewed Stairs
Chewed nosings, claw marks and pet stains repaired and refinished.
From $350Scratch & Dent Repair
Scuffs, scratches, dents and gouges in timber stairs removed or filled.
From $350Discoloured Stairs
Grey worn paths, sun fade, black water marks and yellowed varnish restored.
From $350Sanding & Varnishing
For worn-through stairs: sanded to bare timber, sealed and varnished like new.
Quoted after inspectionParquet Staircase
Parquet and strip-timber clad steps and landings polished to match your floors.
From $350 per flightStaining & Colour Change
Walnut, dark or two-tone treads with white risers, tested on a patch first.
Quoted after inspectionWant your staircase fixed and looking new again?
Send 3 or 4 photos of your stairs on WhatsApp, including a close-up of the damage, and get a price, usually the same day.