We all are well aware of how our timber floors can start getting a little rough and scuffed over the years with people dragging their feet on them, heavy foot traffic, furniture being dragged and what not. While one may think of replacing the wood for good with something that does not that rough when old, another solution is present. By going for sanding and polishing, your wood floor can easily be restored to its pristine condition. Timber floor polish is applied to your floor after it has been sanded, but what is sanding? We will now delve into the technicalities of how wooden floors and first sanded and then polished and everything that you need to be aware of before you take the step.
First of all you should empty your room of any furniture and cover up all window sills and anything else that might be exposed. The room when cleared is sanded which means that it is rubbed with aggressive sandpaper to take off the topmost layer of your wooden floor to expose fresh new wood. This will be done by professional equipment as by hand, it can be extremely tiring and time-consuming. You also want to punch any nails protruding into the surface of the wood with the help of a nail punch and a hammer, at least 4mm deep. The floor is sanded three times. The first time it is done with coarse sandpaper for example 24 grit.
After that you do it with medium coarse sandpaper and finally with fine sandpaper. You need to vacuum the whole floor in between each sanding process and wipe off the window sills and anything else that might be in the room. Three steps of sanding require three times vacuuming of the floor. It is advisable to keep the windows open for this and wearing a mask for the sander is imperative. Debris from the process may be inhaled and may later cause problems, which is why precautionary steps must be taken.
Sanding should always be done starting from the corner furthest from the entrance of the room and ending at the entry of it. After the tough ordeal of sanding, you need to make sure that the floor is completely clear of any and all debris. The next step is to rub a cloth dampened with mineral spirits. If you want to change the colour of your floor, now is the time to do it. You can make it a little darker to look more regal or any variation of the wood will do. You also want to start from the furthest corner of the room and end at the entry point so you do not trap yourself in a corner. When the stain completely dries off, your floor requires sanding again but only lightly, following again by vacuuming.
This final step is to add polish, which is usually Polyurethane. It is a chemical found in most household items. This will be done with a stain applicator and requires a few days of time in completely drying up. You need to apply a second quote after the first one has completely dried for a good finish. After your second coat of timber floor polish is dry you can move your furniture in. Make sure to do not drag anything as it will scuff the floor. Felt pads are recommended to pad the bottom of furniture.
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