Why Sanding Hardwood Floors May Be Needed
This article examines why sanding hardwood floors may be necessary as a way to restore the wood's luster and beauty and repair the damage that has been wrought on such floors. This is a time consuming and tedious task but this particular component of the procedure for hardwood floor repair is an important one in providing the elegant look to your flooring. Also, this task need not be unpleasant if you know how to perform it correctly. Therefore, here are some tips on how to conduct the task of sanding hardwood floors in a proper manner.
First of all, the tools that are required for sanding hardwood floors are not the common power tools. You may have to purchase them from a hardware store or rent them from a tool rental company. It is advisable to just rent these tools because buying them is not really cost effective because you may only need to perform the refinishing job every few years. These sanding tools include a vacuum cleaner, sandpaper with three ratings, edge, sander, buffer, and various gloves, goggles and masks.
Before you can begin sanding, cleaning hardwood floors is a prerequisite. Dust and dirt should be thoroughly removed and any nails that are found sticking out should be removed. After cleaning the planks or boards, you can start sanding using the heaviest sandpaper. After this, you will need to apply the lighter sandpaper. Lastly, you can utilize the lightest sandpaper for the final sanding process. As for the corners and edges of hardwood flooring, a hand-held edger may be required because these are areas that are difficult to reach.
However, if the damaged area of the hardwood floorings is confined to a relative small area, spot sanding can be used where you only apply the process on that small area. Fine sandpaper can be utilized to solve the problem of discoloration in a particular area. However, if the damage is caused by a burn that has modified the texture of the affected surface, sanding would not be enough. You will need to scrape off the burnt surface by using a small knife or razor. Meanwhile, screen sanding is used as part of the screen and recoat process that is designed to fix or upgrade certain colors. This particular process involves the abrading of the current finish to prepare it to accept a new coat.
It is important to realize that sanding hardwood floors is a messy undertaking. There will be lots of dust flying around because of the wood that is being sanded. Therefore, wearing goggles is essential. Remember to close all vents that lead other rooms. If this is not done, the dust can travel to the other rooms of the house. The only vent that should remain open is the one leading to the outside. The doors should also be closed and wet towels or rags can be positioned around the edges of doors to trap the dust particles and therefore prevent them from being scattered to other rooms.
