For all of you homeowners looking to find a floor sanding service richmond va, you may want to consider keeping that money in your pocket and attempting to do the work yourself.
It doesn’t even matter if you’ve done this type of thing before, the effort involved to sand hardwood floors is not complicated and just about anyone with even a small amount of DIY experience can do the job. It should be a cinch for those of you who are already handy around the house.
So what does it take to sand wooden floors like a pro? A little confidence, a little common sense, and a push in the right direction. We’re here to give you all three! But just keep in mind, this is something you want to do slowly, no need to rush, and be extremely cautious as you work on your hardwood floor.
The Right Grit
Your grit refers to how coarse or fine the sandpaper you will use to do the work. You typically begin with one grit and work your way down towards finer grit options until your floors look the way you want. But it’s up to you to select the proper starting grit and this determination is usually made based on the species or type of wood used for your flooring, the condition of the floor itself and the age.
The Sanding Process
You start with your initial grit and get to work, that includes selecting the right equipment for the job. Most folks will opt for a good ol’ drum sander which can help you refinish the floor with the best results possible. You may not need this machinery if you don’t have a lot of sanding to perform.
Once you begin, go slow and deliberate with the work. You don’t want to make a mistake all because you were trying to do the job too fast.
The Edging Process
Just about every drum sander is made with a circular shape. While this can be very beneficial for covering as much ground as possible as you sand down your wood floor, that curvature can also be drawback as you try to sand the outer regions of the floor.
A circular shape on your sander can leave some areas without attention. These are often located right next to your walls. But you don’t want to leave any floor area untouched, so for these hard to reach spots, you will need to use an edger. This tool does pretty much the same thing but in an angular shape that will allow you to reach the walls much closer and easier.
But you must remember to match the grit on your edging tool and your drum sander, otherwise the floor will not look consistent and you will have an uneven refinish.
Don’t Forget to Clean Up
After you’ve sanded down the entire surface of the floor, it will be covered in dust and various particulate as a result. Before you switch out your grit to a finer one and go around for another pass, you must remember to clean up all of your sanding shavings. If you don’t, you will definitely scratch and mar the wood by sanding the dust you’ve left behind.