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Before
you Begin
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Be sure to remove any
quarter round molding and inspect the floor surface.
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Replace any damaged
boards.
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Countersink all raised
nail heads and clean the floor thoroughly to remove any particles that
could cause adhesion or finish blemishes.
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If your floor is coated
with wax or shellac, it will need to be removed by a chemical stripper
and washed before sanding.
Step 1 - Primary Sanding
New Floors - Even out factory variances of wood thickness - 50 or 60 grit
sanding with the grain of the wood.
Old Floors (Good) - Remove coats of finish and minor imperfections - 36 or
40 grit sanding with the grain of the wood.
Old Floors (Poor) - Remove layers of finish and smooth out warped or
cupped boards - 16 or 24 grit at a 45 degree angle to the grain of the
wood.
Old Floors (maintenance/upkeep) - Remove minor scratches in the finish and
prep the floor for a new coat of sealer - use a buffer machine and mesh
screen - 120 to 220 grit.
Step 2 - Intermediate Sanding
Smooth out the scratches left by the primary sanding step.
It's important to not skip more than one grit when performing the
intermediate sanding step. By skipping too many grits, you will not
sufficiently smooth the scratch marks.
New Floors - 80 grit
Old Floors (Good) - 60 or 80 grit
Old Floors (Poor) - 36 or 40 grit
Step 3 - Finish Sanding
Completely smooth out the coarser grit scratches to begin prepping the
floor for the first coat of stain/sealer. All floors should be
finished with 100 or 120 grit. Once you have completed the finish
sanding step, be sure to fill cracks, gaps, blemishes and nail holes with
wood filler for a blemish-free finish.
Step 4 - Screen Sanding
Before applying stain or finish to the wood surface, you need to
"screen" the floor to blend the edges of the room with the field
of the room. Because the edges are sanded in a circular high-speed
fashion with an edger sander, it will absorb more stain or sealer than the
field of the room, which is sanded with a straight cutting drum or belt
sander. 120 to 220 grit screen is used depending on the color of the
stain being applied. You should go coarser (lower numbers) for
darker stains to ensure even penetration, and finer (higher numbers) for
lighter stains or natural floors.
Step 5 - Between Coats
Sanding
After each coat of stain and/or finish, sand the floor to remove the
raised wood fibers and dust particles that come to the surface. At
this stage, all abrasive products are very fine in grit range and are
designed to remove minimal amounts of finish to properly prepare the floor
to accept the next coat.
This tutorial has been provided by
Norton Abrasives. For more information about Norton's abrasive
products and accessories as well as other floor sanding supplies call us
at (847) 967-9585. Or if you have access to email drop us an email
at Colorcenter@aol.com
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