Is your floor losing its lustre and appeal due to wear and tear? Thinking it’s time for a fresher look but dreading the work that comes with the job? We are here to tell you it’s not as bad as you think! Sanding your timber floor will make a huge difference to the result, especially if you are applying a new stain or finish.
Here are our top reasons why sanding is so important.
- Sanding your timber floor achieves a smooth finish while at the same time removing imperfections and developing surface adhesion for stains and finishes to adhere too.
- Floor sanding restores the timber. It removes minor flaws, dents, scratches, or watermarks from timber surfaces that have been sustained over time.
- Floor sanding, especially between coats ensures sound inter-coat adhesion1, removes airborne matter2, and reduces grain raising3.
- Sanding your timber floor will thoroughly prepare your timber surface for the coating application.
The process
The flooring process is logical. Here is a snippet of what you can expect from you and the floor sander. The homeowner will remove furniture, cover curtains, doorways, cupboards (tape) and vents with plastic sheets to prevent dust spreading throughout the home where sanding will take place. It is also good practice to remove any items from benches. The floor sander will then come into the home and begin by punching down nails and repairing or replacing (if required) damaged timber. They will then put on their PPE equipment (respirator mask, safety glasses and ear protection) to begin the sanding process. Learn more.
Floor sanding removes the top surface layer of the wooden floor using a sanding machine, 120-150 grade sandpaper or screenback on a flexible pad. The first cut is completed with a coarse grade sandpaper to remove the old coatings and make the floor flat. The floor sander will start from one end of the room slowly making their way to the other end sanding along the grain of the timber.
The sanding process is repeated using a finer grit of sandpaper. Repeating this process will ensure your floor has a smooth finish and will adequately prepare the timber for staining or sealing. Floor sanding machines are fitted with dust bags. The bags collect most of the dust, and the vacuuming picks up any dust that may be lingering on the floor. This minimises dust contamination in the coating. While the sanding process is minimised as much as possible, thin remnants of dust may appear on exposed areas not covered. This dust is easily cleaned once the floor is ready to be walked on (normally 24 hours) once the final coat has been applied.
Floor sanders make every effort to clean up as much dust as possible. However, any dust that settles around the home, especially when not covered by plastic, nor a room a floor sander is not working in cannot be expected for the floor sander to clean up. Once the floor sander has applied the chosen finish or stain, they will provide you with the following information.
- When you can walk on the floor
- Replacing furniture, mats, and rugs
- Mopping
- Maintenance
Some may even provide you with additional information to help protect your floor. Learn more.
As you can see, there is no need to put off that sanding job any longer for fear of all the dust and cleaning. Every opportunity is taken to minimise the likelihood of stressful cleaning for you throughout the sanding and coating process.
The result will be well worth the process as you will be rewarded with a beautiful, restored timber floor. Would you like to learn more? Contact Us to speak to our friendly technical services department.