Removing Varnish Using A Floor Sander

Wooden flooring can add a stunning look to a home and a varnish can help to enhance the natural look of the wood. While varnish helps to protect your wooden floors from scratches and spillages, polyurethane varnish, in particular, tends to turn yellow over time, which takes away from the sleek and stylish look of wooden flooring. The best way to remove your dull and tatty varnish and rejuvenate your floors is by using a floor sander and here’s how you can make a start at home.

How to Sand Your Floor

1. Safety first! You’ll want to put on a dust mask, some goggles, and ear defenders to keep yourself protected as floor sanders produce a lot of dust and noise. Also, make sure that you open up your windows to reduce dust pollution and increase ventilation.

2. Begin by hoovering the floor. Any debris that isn’t removed from your flooring before you start sanding might damage the equipment. It’s also important that your floorboards are all rigidly fixed, and if you notice any nails or screw heads above the surface of your flooring, use a hammer to knock these down to ensure that your surface is as smooth as possible.

3. Once you’ve finished with the preparation, you can now load your belt sander with medium grit paper.

4. Align your machine diagonally to the floorboards, with your sander tilted upward. When the drum reaches full speed, begin moving across your floor and then repeat in the opposite direction.

5. Now move across your floor with your floor sander in the direction of the wood grain. Keep the sander moving – you don’t want to rest the drum on the floor at any point as it will form a dent in your flooring.

6. Sand over each area until the varnish has been removed.

7. Once you’re sure that your old varnish has been sanded off, hoover up the floor thoroughly again, removing any dust and checking over any rough spots. Should you find any, just go over them with the sander again.

Why Use a Floor Sander to Remove Varnish from Wooden Floors?

Removing varnish using a floor sander is advantageous over newer methods such as heat or chemical stripping for several reasons. Heat striping can be incredibly messy, and more alarmingly, chemical stripping your floors can even be dangerous because of the fumes that are released during the stripping process.

Sanding, on the other hand, is the most traditional option for removing varnish that will get your flooring looking smooth and refreshed again, ready for a new coat of varnish. Although hand sanding is great for smaller sanding jobs, it proves time-consuming and lacks the power of floor sanding machinery. This is why we strongly recommend a floor sander to remove varnish from your wooden floors.

So, there you have it, with our step-to-step guide, you’re all ready to get sanding! Should you fall into any trouble or need expert advice on floor sanding, be sure to contact us to see how we can help.

 

 

 

Real wood floors are a great way to finish off any home and give it a high-quality look with a unique character. They’re great to finish off a room and if they’re looked after well, they’ll last a lifetime.

Wooden floors are also relatively easy to keep clean as they don’t collect dust, pet hair, or absorb liquids as carpets would – this means that they aren’t prone to mould or mildew. However, they do require some occasional care to ensure they remain looking their best. With a little care, you can ensure your wooden floor retains its quality and also refinish distressed wood floors to bring them back to life.

How to Care for Your Wooden Floor

 

 

● Try to keep your children off the floor if they’re playing with toys. Car wheels or hard plastic can easily scratch the wood.
● It’s hard to keep your floor completely scratch-free if you have dogs. Their claws are constantly clipping the floor, so it’s best to try to keep your dogs away from the room as much as possible, or perhaps protect the floor with a rug in the well-used areas.
● Sweep your floor often with a soft-bristle brush to keep it clean from dust and hair.
● When washing the floor, ensure you use a good wood cleaner that can be mixed with water and ideally wipe the surface down by hand to avoid soaking the floor with a mop. Soaking the wood repeatedly over time could cause the water to soak through and the wood may begin to warp. Always use a damp – not a wet – cloth.

 

 

How To Bring Your Wooden Floor Back To Life

 

Despite all your care, wood is a natural material and will, of course, age over time. However, it’s nothing that can’t be revitalised using a floor sander.

To help you sand your floor efficiently, we’ve given you a few tips:
Make sure you use a nail punch to push down any nails that might be starting to work their way out.

Depending on your floor type, you’ll need to consider what level of grit you need. If your floor has a lot of scratches or damage, you’ll need a harder grit type. Whereas for maintenance, lighter grit should work.

Always sand in the direction of the boards, not across the boards to keep the wood grain from splitting.

 

 

Hiring A Floor Sander

 

 

Let’s face it, you’re not going to be using a floor sander that often; it might be every couple of years at most. Although floor sanders do a great job, it might not be worth purchasing one for yourself. However, there are lots of companies out there that will hire out floor sanders to make your floor care routine much more convenient.

 

 

The Benefits Of Floor Sander Hire

 

 

● Convenience

Hiring a floor sander means that you can have one at your home when you need it and have the flexibility of being able to use it whenever you need to. It’s much more beneficial than borrowing from friends or relatives, as you’re able to have it delivered and collected without the need to find transport and you can hire it for as long as you need.

● Cost

Floor sanders are expensive and it’s a big cost for something that you only intend to use a couple of times. Hiring a sander comes at a fraction of the cost and you don’t need to feel that you’ve wasted your money – you only pay for the usage.

● Storage

Sanders are large pieces of equipment and finding a permanent home for them while they aren’t in use can be a struggle. Hiring a sander means that you don’t have it cluttering up your shed or garage for the majority of the year. You can hire it whenever you need it and give it back once you’re done.

● Quality

Floor sanders can be expensive, so to cut costs it’s tempting to buy the cheapest product. However, this could mean that you don’t get the best equipment and, as a result, you might achieve a low-quality job. Hiring a sander means that you can get a better quality product for a cheaper price.

 

 

Sanding your floor is a necessity to keep it looking its best. To keep costs low if you’re on a budget and still achieve the very best finish, hiring a floor sander is your best option. To do so please contact us or call at 02084 276604 for our best hire packages and deals.

After learning to clean your hardwood floors correctly, it will only be something you wish you’d known sooner, with how simple it is. However, it is important not to get caught up in misinformation spread online, which will result in your beautiful flooring being damaged. Whether your floor is brand new or has been installed for years, it is important to make sure you continually take care of it so that it maintains its fresh look.

Using the wrong cleaning products or not keeping on top of your cleaning routine can result in a buildup of dust, debris, and dirt that are regularly brought into our homes from the outside. When this build-up is accumulated, not only will this show in the appearance of your hardwood floors but can also cause damage to the finish. So, to ensure your floor has a natural shine all year round, what exactly should you do? Continue reading How To Clean Hardwood Floors →

Sanding wood is easy, right? You just grab a piece of sandpaper and sand away all the rough and uneven surfaces…

There’s actually much more to it than that to ensure you achieve a professional sanding job every time.

Continue reading The Best Ways to Sand – First Time →

Wooden flooring gives a beautiful finish to any room. It works well with modern designs to provide a minimalist feel, or with comfy farmhouse décor too. However, it is more delicate than carpet or tile and will need you to provide the proper care to keep it looking its best.

Spillages, marks, and scratches are bound to happen, especially if you have children or pets, so it’s important that you understand the right aftercare for your wooden flooring to stay on top of any issues. Water damage, cracks, or scratches will only get worse if you don’t fix them straight away.

To protect your floor from damage, you’ll need to apply some rules in your household.

• Always remove shoes when you walk on the floor.
• Keep your pet’s claws trimmed to avoid minor scratches.
• Put down a rug if your children intend to play with their toys in that room.

Say Goodbye to Scratches and Marks!

To keep your floor looking shiny and new, you’ll need to understand how to maintain it properly and ensure you keep up with your care routine. Accidents happen but can be resolved more quickly if you constantly maintain the floor. It’s much more difficult to pull it back to perfection if you don’t continue the upkeep.

1. Ensure you give your wooden floor a good clean once per week. For this, try not to use a hoover or hard bristle sweeping brush. Microfibre mops are the best solution. They’re gentle on your floor and will remove the dust without creating scratches.

 

1. Don’t use abrasive chemicals. Some cleaning products can damage the protective coating on your wood, even if they say they’re intended for floor use. Instead, use a damp (not wet) microfibre cloth with clean, warm water.

 

1. Never use a mop and bucket. Soaking your wooden flooring could cause the wood to warp and bend, creating large cracks.

Handy Tips 

Depending on the type and colour of your wooden flooring, there may be items in your pantry that can help you maintain and provide the proper aftercare for wooden flooring.

Olive Oil and Baking Soda – After removing any dust or dirt from the floor surface, you could mix some baking soda with a couple of drops of olive oil until it makes a paste. Gently apply this to any areas of scratched flooring, leave for a few minutes, then buff away with a microfibre cloth. Your scratches should appear reduced.

Walnut Finish – The rich oil within walnuts can help disguise a scratched or marked wooden floor. Simply warm up the nut first (in your hand will do), then gentle rub on the affected area in a circular motion. This acts as a wood stain and will cure any visible blemishes.

Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is thick enough to fill cracks in its solid form. Rubbing a little into a larger crack, letting it dry, then buffing off the excess can help restore a smooth surface.

Wood Stain – Wood stain is a great idea to recover from any scuff marks. Gently sand away the affected area with fine sandpaper then conduct a patch test in an unseen area to ensure you have the right colour and finish. Remember, wood stains will dry slightly darker.

Once you’re confident that your damaged wooden flooring has been restored to its former glory, you should finish it with a water-based silicone polish to maintain its integrity and shine.

Contact us 

We hope that our blog has been informative, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0208 427 6604 or head over to our contact page to fill in our online enquiry form.