FAQ's The Floor Sanding Process

Many wooden floor materials can be sanded including wooden floor boards, parquetry, cork tiles, particleboard and strandboard, prefinished wooden tile and engineered wooden flooring. Many Beautiful old wooden floors are found suitable for sanding and polishing after the previous coverings have been removed.

There are three stages, floor preparation, floor sanding, and then coating with you choice of protective sealant.

Our flooring specialists use modern equipment  The majority of the job is done by a big belt or drum sander.  Where this floor sanding machine cannot reach we will usually use an edge sander, corners are then scraped out by hand and the finishing specialised floor polishing machine is used.  Floor Preparation- staples and tacks from previous floor coverings are removed as our floor sanding machines do not like them and may cause damage.  Nails are punched and any required floor repairs are undertaken.  

Floor Sanding

Wooden floors are usually angle sanded with 40 grit to level out any differences in height between the wooden floor boards. Our flooring specialist will then sand the woodgrain multiple times with various grits of sandpaper including 60 grit, or 80 grit to the medium stage of sanding. The edges are also sanded ready for the fine sanding stage.

If there are any gaps that are required to be filled this is then completed. These gaps are identified in the initial quote. We do not routinely fill the wooden floors as many customers like the 'rustic' look. The wooden floor is then left to dry depending on how much filler has been used.  In nthese first stages of floor sanding, it is okay for you to walk on your wooden floor.  Our flooring specialist will then fine sand and disc your floor ready for the first coat.

Floor Coating 

At this stage of the floor sandingprocess, the floor cannot be walked across as we need to protect the exposed wooden floor from contamination. Even opening a door to peek inside can allow a certain amount of dust to blow in and onto the wooden floor. A sealer is applied, followed shortly by the second coat. Our floor sanding equipment is designed to keep harmful dust to a minimum at all stages of the floor sanding process.

YOU MUST NOT WALK ON THE WOODEN FLOOR ONCE THE COATING PROCESS HAS BEGUN AS THIS COAT TAKES 24 HOURS TO DRY. If you stand on the polyurethane that has not quite cured not only will you have a sticky substance stuck to your foot, but you risk putting a footprint or dust in your wooden floor. Fixing this can be costly for you as the customer.  

Our Floor Sanders will return the following day (usually in the afternoon to allow time to dry) to apply the third coat. You may walk on your wooden floor 24 hours after the final coat has been applied. We recommend you remove your shoes to prevent any damage to the fresh coat. It takes 3 days for the polyurethane to reach full strength.

Putting furniture back in position

It is recommended not to put furniture in the area once the floor sanding is complete for 7 days. However, we know you need to get on with your lives. 48 hours (at your own risk) and DO NOT DRAG your furniture across the polished timber floors as you risk scratching or gouging the wooden floor.

Handy hint: Cut small pieces of felt or carpet and apply it to the feet of your furniture. This will also prevent and damage to the polished wooden floors if the furniture is moved again.

Mats/Carpet

It is recommended that mats and carpets are put back after the 7 days as they can leave marks or imprints on the new polished timber floors.

Handy hint:  If your find they are sliding on your polished timber floors your can purchase anti-slip mats that can be cut to size from any hardware shop.

Floor cleaning post staining and coating

Cleaning instructions - use an anti-static mop to collect dust and dirt, wash the floor boards regularly with hot water and gentle detergent for water. Be careful to use only a damp mop, not wet, as excess water will damage the floor boards. We do not recommend the use of steam mops as they can damage the floor making it look patchy and worn. Waxes or silicone cleaners should never be used on the floor they can damage the floor and make it very slippery.