Throughput
traffic, sunlight and natural scrapes and scores can cause your wood finishing
(and varnish in particular) to look off-colour and tired looking. Of course
this can be aided to a degree by a professional buffing and polishing, but
there will come a time when even that won’t do the trick and your floor will
need to be stripped back to the base wood, sanded and a new topcoat applied.
Floor
stripping is an excellent excuse for fixing those annoying squeaks and creaks
that have accumulated over the years, and damaged boards can also be repaired
or replaced at this time.
Stripping your wood
The best and
cleanest way to remove the old finishing is to use an industrial sanding
machine which you ‘walk’ along the grain of the boards at a slow and steady
pace. The sander will take the veneer off as it moves, leaving your floor
smooth to the touch. The main caveat of using a sander is never to have it
switched on whilst stationary as this will cause nasty gauges in the boards
that will be practically impossible to repair.
When sanding
it is best to leave a circumference of about nine inches or so around the room
that you will work on with an orbital or edging sander to make sure you get
right up to the skirting and into those difficult to reach nooks and crannies.
If you find some particularly stubborn spots that the big sander has not
removed, rather than risk over-sanding and damaging the boards you can use the
hand-held sander in those areas too.
It is unlikely
that you will get away with just one sanding, especially if your floor has not
been stripped for many years, or indeed ever! So when you hire the machine make
sure to select various grades of sandpaper. Your first sanding should be with
paper of the roughest grain, becoming finer with each sanding. After each
sanding leave the dust to settle down for at least 20 minutes before sweeping
or vacuuming and carrying out the sanding.
A general rule
of thumb would be that if your floor has been sanded within the last 15 years
or so you will require two sandings and if your floor has never been sanded to
your knowledge then you can safely sand three times using rough, medium and
fine grades of paper before moving on to the finishing coat.
Stripping
hardwoods is a fairly exacting science and should never be hurried. Don’t try
to squeeze floor stripping into a day off work or even a weekend. Your floor
deserves the best workmanship if it is to look its best and that means
following each step of the process so that you have an evenly stripped and
ultra smooth floor on which to build your new veneer.
If you are
unsure of any part of the wood stripping process you are best advised to take
professional advice rather than risk ruining your floor. A specialist
consultation with a reputable flooring company will be free and you will also
gain an accurate assessment of your floor’s general condition.
Whilst there
are products on the market you can use to strip Hardwood Floor Sanding without benefit of sanding, these products are
not be recommended by wood care specialists in place of sanding. If you do decide to use a wood stripper,
apply in strictly accordance with guidelines.
