This blog is about how to sand wood with a sander. Like most dry tasks to achieve a really good finish, you’ll need to put a little bit of time and effort into the preparation.
How To Sand Wood With A Sander?
First, sweep the entire floor thoroughly. Then check the general condition of the boards. You’ll be spending quite a lot of time on your knees so it’s a good idea to wear knee pads. If you have any damaged boards, you might need to replace them. Try obtaining a reclaimed board of a similar type and colour. This will blend in better than a new board.
If you need to lift a floorboard to replace it, take follow us on how to lift old floorboards. Check that each board is firmly fixed and that there are no protruding nails or screw heads.
If there are drive these below the surface using a hammer and a nail punch or by tightening the screws. If there’s a gap between any of your floorboards you’ll get a better finish if you fill in the gaps before you start sanding the boards. We’re going to use this thin filler strip that’s been cut from a reclaimed floorboard. Just drop it into the gap and the joists will stop it from falling through.
To do the job properly, you’re going to need to use a professional sanding kit. Edging Sander which is available from your local tool hire centre. We also have this corner sander, which is available to buy. You’ll need all three types of the sander to get the job done. When using this equipment, always follow the instructions to prevent damage to the floor and avoid any injuries. Before you start sanding seal any doors to other parts of the house by taping plastic sheets over them to protect against the spread of dust.
The first sound in the main floor area using the drum sander fitted with a medium grip paper is going to be noisy and it’s going to be extremely dusty. So wear overalls, goggles and a mask and ear defenders or earplugs. Start by aligning the machine diagonally to the floorboards raise the drum and when it reaches full speed, lower it and start sanding.
The purpose of this stage is to smooth any irregularities and remove any old finish. Keep moving and when you reach double to lift the drum before stopping. Never let the drum rests on the floor while the sander is on as it will sound hollow into the floor. Then sand the balls diagonally in the opposite direction.
After that work along the grain of the boards once all that’s done, you can start on the edges with the edging sander. Hold the edging sand firmly and using both hands work around the edge of the room. The last job for this stage is to use the corner sander to sand into the areas that the edging sand couldn’t reach.
Now it’s time for a good sweep-up so that we can inspect the floor. This has come up really well. However, you might want to repeat the process if you’re not happy with the result. To get a better finish, fill in each nail and screw hole using a wood filler that matches the floorboard colour as far as possible.
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