Floor Sanding, Anyone can technically do floor sanding on a DIY basis if they have the van, machinery and know what products to use to restore and finish. However doing it well is another matter. The amount of times I have been called into a job after it’s been done poorly to re sand and redo the entire job is amazing. Simply put unless you finish the floor the right grit & that doesn’t mean skipping grits either then you will be left with scratching, sander marks and swirls all over the floor, with if you are finishing the floor with a coloured oil for example can be disastrous.
A wooden floor sanding project is a process, you have to start low and work high on the grits. You must start with the body of the floor and work towards the edges and corners, between all high grits the floor must be hoovered & always finish with an orbital sander to remove profiling marks left by the large sanders. NEVER sand against the grain/ it’s a saying for a reason.
All that effort only to buy cheap finishes. Tut tut
Buy cheap, buy twice but in this instance the ‘ buy twice’ part will mean having to have your floor sanding done all over again in short succession. If you buy a cheap off the counter floor varnish (not naming and shaming any) then you will not be properly protecting the wooden floor compared to specialised floor lacquers and oils. Why go to all that effort only to skimp out at the end? ..I have been to clients houses where signs of wear to me look in the decades and I ask ‘when did you last have this done, if you can remember?’….the reply is ‘last year sometime’ and I’m amazed. Floor protection is all about layers as well as finishing the grain to a high grit 120+ you must prime prime prime the wood flooring and then apply 2 or more top coats of lacquer. With a buff in between to remove grain raising.
If the grain isn’t finished highly then the wood floor is more porous, more likely to absorb spillages and be less water resistant. If the lacquer isn’t thick enough of hasn’t been primed then the wood flooring becomes susceptible to dirt penetrating the grain. Not to mention cheap varnishes don’t have good quality levelling agents, so you will need to hand apply with a paint brush as opposed to a wide roller. (Time is Money).
So when considering if to DIY it or get a pro in who does floor sanding day in day out I think it’s an easy question to answer. However if you need to do it yourself then remember, don’t rush, follow processes and don’t buy cheap products. Follow our instagram feed from the home page for more examples of well finished floors.
