Many hundreds of people sand their own timber floors each year. Depending on who you talk to you find that some people have excellent results. Others don't, and often the reason that they don't has to do with the type of machines used and the lack of advice that they receive. Most often, less than good results when sanding a timber floor come when you try to sand too much in too little time. For example, 100 m² is at least a two day job. Just because you're using good machines does not mean that you can sand an area like this any faster. On the contrary using good machines and taking your time can allow you to achieve a good result. It is a good result that you're after when sanding.
The first step to sanding your area is to examine the levels. Run your hand over the boards and determine the height difference. Also walk over the floor and ensure that everything is solid. If there are any boards that are loose or you can see that there needs to be repairs complete this activity prior to doing any sanding work. Never sand and seal over a problem.
You should work out three things before speaking to the hire shop. You should firstly know the timber, the area that you wish to sand in square meters and how uneven the boards are. Never exaggerate on how level the boards are. "Expect some unevenness." This is an important consideration when deciding where to start sanding in the grit scale. People who love timber can tell you how to get the best out of your floor using correct sanding grits. It is not simply a matter of coarse, medium & fine.
There are three machines used in sanding activity as a basic rig. These consist of a large belt sander, an edge sander & a rotor or rotary sander.
The belt sander does the level sanding, cleans up the timber and gets it ready for the fine sanding stage. The edge sander levels the edges and gets these ready for the fine sanding stage. The rotary sander does the fine sanding on the floor. There are other machine types available however while good results can be obtained it takes considerably longer using other types of machines.
When you call in and discuss your floor with the experts at VCS Products, we will guide you through the sanding process using a standard rig. We will help you to begin sanding the floor at an appropriate level for your timber and thereby assist you to achieve the best possible result. Please feel free to talk to us about our hire machines and the sanding process at any stage. We have helped many many people to install very good timber floors and to sand them to a very good standard. It may be that when confronted with the option of sanding your own floor you are looking at this purely because you're concerned about how to find a good floor sander, VCS Products can recommend qualified floor sanders in your area that will lovingly finish your floor and bring out it's true quality.