How To Gently Sand Unfinished Wood Floor With Sanding Stick

Not sanding a freshly laid hardwood floor and finishing it as is makes the installation less messy and time consuming but it would be a mistake.

How to gently sand unfinished wood floor with sanding stick.

Sanding the floor will kick up a lot of dust so protect light fixtures and tape over electrical outlets. But a new coat of polyurethane may not stick to your existing finish. Always sand in the direction of the wood grain with the largest grit sandpaper first. Before you start sanding remove everything from the room and vacuum the floor.

Solid hardwood boards are 3 4 inches thick and each has a groove milled in its side that overlaps the tongue of the adjacent board. Because this wood was new i started with an 80 grit gently make contact with the floor while the machine is in the on position and you are moving forward. If your floor s finish was applied before the 1970s it s probably wax old fashioned varnish or shellac. Most people tend to think that sanding can only be done by experts but in this article i ll show you how to sand hardwood floors like a pro and teach you all the tips and tricks you need to know in order to achieve perfect results.

Sanding removes on average about 1 16 inch of material and sometimes more so you can safely sand a solid hardwood floor two or three times but no more. No new finish will stick to a wax finish or any other finish that s ever had wax applied to it. Walk slowly towards the other side of the room. Sanding levels the edges of the floorboards which can vary from one another by as much as 1 4 inch.

If you want to learn how to sand hardwood floors like a pro and refinish yours without breaking the bank then today s your lucky day. The groove overlap is typically about 1 4 inch thick. You ll need to sand the entire floor not just one section.