Floorboard repair jobs
Damaged or stained floorboards
Boards split, burnt, gouged or stained black by water from a dishwasher, a fridge or a pot plant. The damaged boards are cut out between the joists and new boards of the same species, width and thickness are fitted, so the floor can be sanded and coated as one.
Patches where something came out
A wall removed, a fireplace hearth taken up, or an old heater vent leaves a gap in the floor. The patch is woven into the existing boards rather than laid as a square, so the join doesn't show after sanding.
Squeaky floorboards
A squeak is a board rubbing on a nail, a joist or the board beside it as it moves under your weight. The usual fix is to re-fix the board to the joist with screws, which pull it down tight, and to pack or glue it where it's lifted away from the joist.
Lifting, cupping and gaps
Boards that lift or cup usually have moisture coming from below or above. Gaps that open in winter and close in summer are timber moving with the seasons. The cause is found first, then the boards are re-fixed or replaced.
How much does floorboard replacement cost in Brisbane?
Floorboard repairs are priced on how many boards are replaced, whether matching timber can be found, and how much furniture and floor covering has to move. A few boards in one room is a small job; a patch across a removed wall takes longer, because each board is cut to stagger the joints.
The biggest variable is matching the timber. Old Brisbane floors are often hardwood in a width and thickness that isn't milled any more, so boards may come from a recycled-timber yard or from inside a cupboard in the same house.
Sanding and coating the whole floor afterwards is a separate floor-finishing job. For carpenters' published hourly and call-out rates, see carpenter rates in Brisbane.
Matching old hardwood floors
Floors in older Brisbane houses are often hardwood, sometimes under carpet or vinyl, in narrower boards than are sold today. New boards are matched by species, width and thickness; the colour comes together once the floor is sanded and coated.
If boards are being taken from a cupboard or a built-in to patch a living area, the cupboard floor is then filled with new boards where nobody sees them.
Bouncing or sagging floors and the subfloor
A floor that bounces, slopes or sags across a room is usually a subfloor problem: a cracked or rotten joist or bearer, or stumps that have settled or rotted. Under Queensland's Building Regulation 2021, structural repairs that affect no more than 20% of a building's structural components of the same type can be self-assessable; Brisbane City Council's storm-repair fact sheet lists repairs to more than 20% of framing members as needing a building approval.
Subfloor and stump work is structural. Over $3,300 it needs a contractor whose QBCC licence class covers it: subfloor framing is in the carpentry and joinery classes. Restumping and raising a house are work for a QBCC-licensed builder; whether they need approval is for a building certifier and Council to decide. See carpenter or builder: QBCC licences.
Termites and floors
If you suspect termites in the floor, have a pest manager deal with them first. The boards and any damaged framing are repaired afterwards, so the new timber isn't attacked too.
Old floor coverings and asbestos
Taking up old vinyl, lino or tiles to reach the boards underneath needs care in a house built before 1990. The Queensland Government says such a house has "a good chance" of containing asbestos, and that it's often very difficult to identify by sight. Have old floor coverings tested before they're lifted. See asbestos before renovating.
What to send with your enquiry
- Which room, and how many boards are damaged
- What damaged them: water, a burn, a removed wall
- The timber, if you know it, and the board width
- Whether the floor squeaks, bounces or slopes
- Photos of the damage and of the floor beside it
- When the house was built
Questions about timber floor repairs in Brisbane
Can a few floorboards be replaced without redoing the floor?
Yes. The damaged boards are cut out between the joists and new boards fitted. On a floor that's sanded and coated, the repair shows until the floor is recoated; on an older floor the whole room is often sanded afterwards so the colour evens out.
How do you fix squeaky floorboards?
Most squeaks stop once the board is re-fixed to the joist with screws, or packed where it's lifted away from the joist. Squeaks that move around a room, or a floor that also bounces, can point to the subfloor, which is structural work: over $3,300 it needs a contractor whose QBCC licence class covers it.
Where do you find matching old floorboards?
Recycled-timber yards stock old hardwood boards in widths that aren't milled now. Boards can also come from inside a built-in cupboard in the same house, with new boards laid in their place.
Is floor sanding part of a floor repair?
Sanding and coating are usually done by a floor sander once the carpentry is finished. Say in your enquiry if you want the floor sanded too, so the timing of both jobs can be planned.
Why are there gaps between my floorboards?
Timber shrinks in dry weather and swells in humid weather, so gaps that open and close with the seasons are normal. Gaps that keep growing, or boards that cup or lift, usually mean moisture coming from somewhere, which is found before the boards are fixed.
Where this information comes from
The rules and figures on this page come from these published pages, checked on 28 October 2026.
- Building Regulation 2021 (Qld) · Queensland legislation, version in force from 14 August 2026 (schedule 1, accepted development, including section 13)
- Brisbane City Council: repairing or rebuilding dwelling houses after a severe weather event · Brisbane City Council fact sheet, March 2025
- QBCC: when you need a licence · Queensland Building and Construction Commission, last reviewed 11 August 2021
- Queensland Government: homeowners, look, check and prepare · asbestos.qld.gov.au, undated page
- Queensland Government: common locations of asbestos in domestic and commercial buildings · asbestos.qld.gov.au, undated page
