How To Sand Floors
| Article Summary: This article is about how to sand a wood floor so that you end up with a nice, clean and smooth wood finish, ready to accept whatever finish you choose to use on it. |
Step 1 - Remove the Old Floor Finish
First you have to check the surface of the floor for nail or screw heads. If a sanding machine runs over either of these the sanding belt will tear or even be totally destroyed. Just use a hammer or screw driver and make sure that all these items are well below the surface of the floor before you start.
If you are starting with a bare wood finish you should now fill any holes, dents or any other imperfections with colored filler. If you can't get hold of the correct color, a tip is to add saw dust collected from a small area of the wood and mix it with plain colored filler. This works very well and should give you an exact match.
If you have a lacquered finish, you can sand away any lacquer surrounding a dent or hole, then fill it, or first sand the entire floor, fill imperfections and then re-sand using a very fine sand paper.
Use the Correct Equipment
All the equipment you need to carry out this job is easily obtained from your local hire shop. You will need a large belt sanding machine for the majority of the floor surface, and a smaller edging sander for the perimeter of the floor up to the skirting boards. When you hire the machines, make sure the hirer gives you instruction on how to correctly fit a new sanding belt and how to properly operate the machine. The big sander is rather like a mowing machine and is guided across the floor surface, making sure that you don't ever stop in one spot. If you do you may well end up with a gouge out of the floor - not a good look!
Although all these modern machines have dust bags to suck in the majority of dust, you will need to use a vacuum cleaner to pick up any remaining dust after you have completed sanding. This is important before any final finish coating is applied.
PPPPP
What? - Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. A well used cliché, I know. But honestly, doing a job like this, this pretty much sums up how to get a perfect job done first time.
So, prepare for sanding by sealing up all electrical outlets, lighting outlets, switches, heating ducts, ventilation ducts, and telephone sockets. Dust can escape a room via doors so seal up any doors as best you can with either tape or by simply hanging a sheet over the door. It should go without saying that any and all items of furniture should be removed from the room.
Stage 1 - Rough Sanding
First, open all windows in the room to allow adequate ventilation. Then, using a 24 grit sandpaper sand diagonally across the room so that you are facing a 45 degree angle as you walk the sanding machine across the room. This will ensure that the machine does not get 'stuck' between planks that may lie at different heights to one another.
When you first start the sanding machine, tilt it backwards on its wheels so that the belt is not in contact with the floor. Start pushing the machine forward and gradually lower the belt onto the floor. You will gradually get a 'feel' for the machine and you will get more confident as you go.
IMPORTANT : Never start or stop the sander while the sanding belt is in contact with the floor. You will most likely create a big gouge in the floor if you do.
As you reach the end of a run always tilt the machine so that the sanding belt lifts off the floor when you come to a stop. The floor edging will later be sanded using a smaller edging sander. Keep sanding in this fashion, moving across the room until you are happy that all the old finish has been removed from the wood.
It is good practice to overlap each run you make by about 3 inches (75mm), so that you keep a nice flat surface without any ridges. Keep moving in a slow but steady pace until you are happy with the finish. If it needs to be done a second time, do it, your floor will look better if you do.
Next you will need to use a smaller hand held sander to sand the outside edges of the room. Go around the perimeter until you are satisfied that all the wood has been taken back to a satisfactory finish. You will notice that because these machines are round, you will be unable to get to a very small portion of flooring at each internal corner. For this section you can either use a square or shaped machine or sand by hand.
Having completed this stage, clean up all dust and particles from the floor with a broom and vacuum cleaner. This is so that there are no large particles present that will easily clog up the next grade of sandpaper you use on the next sanding run...
Stage 2 - Medium Sanding
The next stage is to repeat the sanding again, but this time use a finer 80 grit sand paper. Change the sanding pattern from diagonal to straight up and down the longest run of the room. Complete the sanding by again going around the perimeter of the room using the smaller sander until you have a smooth, ridge-free surface.
At the end of this stage again clean up all dust and wood particles from the floor using a brush and then a vacuum in preparation for the final stage...
Stage 3 - Fine Sanding
Using 100 - 120 grit sand paper, repeat the process again. Follow the direction that the floor boards lay and overlap runs. Use the smaller edging sander and hand or machine for the corners. This final sanding stage should give your floor a very smooth finish that will be ready to take whatever final protective coating you decide to use.
At the end of this stage of sanding comes probably the most important of all - clean up time. Make absolutely sure that ALL dust and grit is removed from the floor. Don't forget window ledges, lights, skirting, door handles, in fact anywhere that dust could have settled. There is nothing worse than seeing dust particles in a freshly lacquered floor.
Stage 4 - Finish you Floor
Having made absolutely sure that the entire room is spotlessly clean, and using protective equipment to guard against strong vapors given off by some lacquers, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and apply whatever finish you desire to the floor. Remember, some of these vapors will get into the rest of your house so it may be a good idea to arrange alternative accommodation for a few days, if necessary.
If you've managed to get to the end of the process - well done! You now have a wood floor every bit as good as if done by a professional - but at a fraction of the cost.
| Sanding machines | Colored Filler |
| Hammer/Punch | 24/80/100 Grade Sandpaper |
| Scraper | Finishing Lacquer |
| Putty Knife | Masking Tape |
| Brush/Vacuum | Dropsheets |
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