Restoring hardwood floors is an incredible process. One advantage of solid boards over engineered ones is that they can be sanded and refinished several times. Even defects like curling and warping can be corrected by sanding. Refinishing is hard work, but it is the only way to restore a damaged floor.
The traditional methods of floor sanding created a large amount of dust. Therefore, it was imperative to prepare carefully by covering doors and windows. Technologies have advanced considerably from this, and best-served professionals are now equipped to offer dust free floor sanding. Virtually no dust is created throughout the process, and it is argued that this process offers a superior finish.
The Process of Restoring Hardwood Floors
In preparation, it is important to clean the floor with a hardwood floor cleaner. It is important to fill gaps and cracks before sanding. Sanding a hardwood floor primarily involves the use of two heavy machines, a drum sander and an edger. It also requires a certain amount of skill.
The drum sander, which is used for the bulk of the floor, wears about 1/16 inch of wood off the wood on each pass. Although the machine is usually run along the flooring, some professionals make diagonal passes with coarse paper to level severely warped floor. The edger, a heavy disk sander, sands many areas that the drum sander cannot reach.
Sandpaper with a grit coarser than 60 is not always necessary. It creates deep scratches, so it is wise to limit its use to situations for which it is necessary. These include severely warped or cupped floorboards or a hard finish that does not come off easily. If the floor is level and the finish comes off easily, only two passes with the floor sanders may be needed, one with 80-grit paper and one with 100-grit. A final pass with 120-grit paper leaves the floor exceptionally smooth, but it is optional on hardwood because small scratches blend with the grain and most finishes fill them.
Most stains are easy to simple to apply. Always work to a doorway so as not to get stuck in a corner. By dragging the finish along the grain of the wood with the applicator, streaks, bubbles and brush marks are avoided. Two to three coats of a wood finish are usually required. This process results in the complete restoration of the hardwood floor. If you would like to request a wood floor restoration quote, please get in touch by calling 07738 022813.