Sanding a floor entails using abrasive materials to remove the top surface of the wood that composes it. You can sand a number of materials such as timber, cork, particleboard and parquet, but only on specific conditions. Many homeowners sand their floors when they find suitable wood under previous coverings. Floor sanding is a process that involves preparation, sanding and, at the end, coating with a protective sealant. Sanding the floor is often the solution for old floors that need a new and fresh look, but sometimes a floor can be so damaged that a simple sanding will not solve the problem. But do not worry—even in this case, evaluate the option of replacing some of the board so that you will not have to replace the whole floor.

What Do You Need To Do To Prep The Room?

Ideally, a room whose floor needs to be sanded has to be completely empty. This is not as much for the floor itself, but it is done more for the furniture. You should also be able to move around easily. After emptying the room, remove all existing floor covering that is not the floor you want to sand, remove all the nails and thoroughly clean the room. You should be starting with an empty, clean surface, just like a canvas.

Which Are Some Of The Tools And Equipment You Will Need?

The main tools you will use are a drum sander and an edging sander. You have the option to hire these tools for as long as you need. These are very easy tools to use and exponentially reduce the time you would spend sanding the floor by hand. Other tools you might need are a hammer, a nail punch, sandpaper and a vacuum cleaner.

How Do You Sand A Floor?

Start first with the edges of the room using the edging sander. After you have finished with the edges, use the drum sander to do the rest. If you have uneven floorboards, try evening them out first using the drum sander and then continue as normal. As for the sandpaper, first, use the rough one to get rid of all the grime and the dirt that has accumulated over time. Sanding with the rough sandpaper will leave your floors bumpy and a little rough to the touch. What you do to fix that is going over with the finer sandpaper so that you make the surface smoother.

How Do You Stain Or Varnish The Floor?

After having cleaned and sanded your floors, staining and varnishing will be a piece of cake. Use a brush or a roller for varnishing and a piece of cloth for staining. If you use a brush, make sure to go in the direction of the wood grains to get a smoother looking and crisp floor.