HSS Hire's DIY guide for how to sand a floor.

1. How to sand a floor
Brought to you by HSS Hire

2. First, be sure to clear away all furniture and fragile items from the room,
including curtains and soft furnishings. Also tape up doors and cupboards if
they cannot be moved to prevent the wood dust getting in. Ensure you are
wearing the correct breathing apparatus and protective clothing required
for the task.
Ensure the flooring is completely clear and any loose nails or potential haz-ards
are removed. You can knock protruding nails well beneath the woods
surface to prevent the floor sanding paper from tearing.
Tidy up the wood panels before starting to sand, by making any necessary
repairs to the panels and giving the floor a good sweep and vacuuming
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3. Be sure to read the manual for the floor sander before starting any work.
Load the floor sander with the appropriate sanding sheet, ensuring that it
remains tight against the drum to prevent slipping.
Position the floor sander against one wall, with over half of the remaining
floor in front of you. Keep the sanding drum elevated, and as you start to
move forward with the machine gradually lower the sanding drum onto the
wood flooring to start sanding. Be sure to sand with the grain.
Keep moving forward at a gradual pace, until you reach the end of the
room. At this stage, lift the drum off the floor and turn around, ready to
repeat the same procedure over the same area of flooring.
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4. When you have completed one pass, reposition the sander around 7cm across from the first
area and repeat the process. Gradually you will reach the opposite side of the room, go over
each pass evenly and carefully.
Turn off the belt sander and work on neatening up the corners and small areas not reached
by the drum sander. Do this by using an edge sander; you can blend the two sanded areas to-gether
by a using semi-circular motion with the edge sander as you work towards the corners
of the room.
If you are looking for a rich varnished style or even a “freshly sanded” look, it would always
be recommended to finish the flooring with a varnish. This varnish will help to seal and pro-tect
the floor the stains, marks and damage from spills.
For a classic rich finish, always go for a quality varnish. We would recommend Ronseal Dia-mond
Hard Floor Finish for best results. Before applying the varnish however, it is always
recommended to give the floor a vacuum to remove any dust and debris, which could become
stuck in the varnish.
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Varnishing
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5. When applying the varnish to the floor, be sure to keep the room well venti-lated,
by opening doors and windows and even wearing a mask if possible.
Begin applying the varnish with a wide brush in even strokes, which follow
the grain of the wood.
Repeat the varnishing process across the whole floor, with at least 2 hours
drying time between each coat. A minimum of 3 coats are recommended to
give the floor maximum shine and protection.
Allow the floor to fully dry. At least 8 hours after the final coat is applied is
recommended. Allow at least 72 hours drying time if the floor will be heavily
used.
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