For those of you who plan to sand wood floors on your own instead of hiring a professional floor sanding company to do the work, be careful. There are a number of pitfalls awaiting those who are inexperienced at this type of home improvement project and lack the skills necessary for doing the work properly.
Tread carefully as you decide to embark upon this task, a wood floor is very easy to damage if you do not know what you are doing. Think before you act, because while it may be attractive to do the job on your own and keep some extra cash in your pocket, you could end up paying twice or even three times more in repair costs than you would have spent had you hired an expert.
Let’s face it, a lot of you are still going to attempt to do the work and so we want to help you avoid the mistakes that too many other homeowners just like you have made. Keep in mind that you need to have a steady hand and a specific vision of how you want to your floor to look when you’re finished:
Take It Slow
When you’re working with a hardwood floor, speed is not your friend. You should never rush it when you’re sanding your floor because the wood is delicate and even the smallest mistake can turn into a big problem. Before you get started, be sure you know how long the work will take and don’t try to pick up the pace because you might have underestimated the time required for doing the job correctly.
If you don’t have enough time to do the work right, don’t even bother to attempt to do it. Hire an expert and let them do the job. That way you know there won’t be any mistakes.
Choosing the Best Grit
Each floor is different, so we can’t tell you which grit will work the best for your floor. However, if you consider critical factors such as the age of the floor, the species of the wood, and the amount of wear and tear the floor has sustained, you can find the grit that will do the trick.
A good rule of thumb to consider is to pick a coarse sandpaper to start and then choose finer options to get the wood to that precise finish. You may need more than one or two, or six to get the floor looking just how you want it.
The Right Tools
Based on the amount of work your floor needs, you may want to go with a drum sander to handle the job. They are efficient but they can also damage your flooring if used improperly. Be slow and deliberate as you work and don’t apply too much pressure, that could result in the sander cutting too deep into the wood surface.
For those floors with just minimal wear and tear, you might opt for a handheld sander instead. That way you aren’t putting your floor at risk for damage.
