thoroughly. Work the drum sander back and forth over 3- to 4-foot lengths. This grit takes out the scratch from 36-grit sandpaper, but does not remove much wood . If the surface of your engineered Because coarse and fine sandpaper grits are used differently, manufacturers established grades each consisting of one or more grit numbers to help consumers decide which type fits a particular purpose. Be sure to work in well-ventilated rooms when sanding or applying stain or finish. WebEngineered Hardwood Floors. 100 grit: Takes out 60 or 80 grit scratch. So says our expert, Kadee Macey, owner of Petes Hardwood Floors in St. Paul, Minn. Got a small flooring project? Cookies are pieces of information stored on your computer in simple text files which our server can read and record. Every real wood floor requires good preparation before sanding. I started with 36 and it wasnt making a dent. Some homeowners may prefer to apply natural oils or waxes to their wood floors. Don't use cleaners which contain wax Laminate Plank Flooring is made of synthetic materials, layered and embossed with a grain pattern, meant to mimic the look and texture of natural wood. Choose a protective coat of wood finish, weighing the following factors. Consider floor care and refinishing tool rental to get your project done. Do this by gently inserting a molding bar between the floor and trim, and gently prying it away. Its possible to do the corners by hand as well, but it will take significantly more time and effort. And competing in roller derby in her spare time. Screening blends the edge-sanded perimeter with the drum-sanded field and polishes away sanding scratches. You don't have to be a professional Use of this site is subject to certain Terms Of Use. Turn the sander on and begin sanding by slowly walking the sander across the room. If the floor is old, very hard, or has residual finish, it can be a bit trickier to determine the right sequence. swirl marks) in the wood, or if the finish has worn down to the wood in certain areas. When sanding a new floor, youll often want to define the finest grade you want to use and then work backwards, skipping a grade of grit between each sanding. 100 grit gave smooth finishing to the floor. It will almost certainly be a focal point. Check it out! Walk-behind sanders come in two varieties: drum and orbital. A warning to woodworkers: Youll be tempted to edge with your belt sander, but even the biggest belt sander cant cut half as fast as an edger. Wood floors that have been painted may even require you to go tougher,using24 or 16-grit sandpaper. You can do it with a rented buffing machine or with a sanding pole (like the one used for sanding drywall). Then clean it off with a brush or vacuum and damp cloth, and apply polyurethane (see later in this article for a comparison of oil- and water-based polyurethane options). Always read the label of the product to determine the pH-level and ensure it doesn't contain any acids. In your second sanding pass, your goal is to remove any remaining finish and get rid of any scratches made by the first sanding pass. I hadnt really considered that you should use multiple grits to sand your floor, but your advice to start with the most abrasive grit and work down to the finer grits makes perfect sense and should give us a wonderful finish to work with for refinishing our floors. Many manufacturers recommend removing excess stain as you go, usually a few minutes after application. WebStep 1. Try it out with just the pads (no sandpaper) on a smooth cement surface, or do a few passes in an inconspicuous area of the room before starting on the main areas. So the best way to judge is by square footage covered. Variations include: Grit is one of the most important variables. Water stains usually disappear after a couple of passes of the sander. Complete this simple form to get started. 80-100: fine Pull up all the heating grates and any old carpet tacks before you sand. They are available to answer questions and The CAMI and the FEPA use different grit numbers, and those of the latter are typically preceded by the letter P. In the CAMI system, sandpaper grits range from 24 to 1,000 (and sometimes higher), which corresponds to P12 to P2,500 in the FEPA system. This cushion minimizes gouges and deep swirls. Sometimes it takes more than just three grits to achieve a smoothly sanded floor. When the sanding is done, use a paint scraper to attack spots that the machines cant reach. An oil-based satin finish gives the floor a warm glow and hides any imperfections while also bringing out the grain. These files do not contain any sensitive information. how to make engineered hardwood floors shine, and how to keep them Repairing hardwood floors can be a daunting task. When working with engineered hardwood, you typically require about 1/8 of veneer in order to refinish. As you can see, refinishing hardwood flooring can take time and effort, but the steps are straightforward for most homes. You think you wont notice this, but you will. You should squeeze the mop 60 grit: Not intended to be used as a starting grit. Spot test the stain or finish to see what it looks like on the floor before applying a coat. Unfortunately, pet stains often dont come out. It would be nice to know that if he gets one, he can also get the right grits. Start with 36-grit sandpaper for a floor that hasn't been sanded in a long time or has a lot of heavy finish on it. If the wear layer on your engineered wood floors is 1 mm or less, you shouldnt refinish them. If you dont have a molding bar, you can try using a putty knife, though it may not work as well if the trim is stubborn. Sweep or vacuum the floor before you move up to the next grit. If Your Floorboards Are Really Uneven Or Painted In A Thick Coat Of Paint, You Will Probably Be Best Starting To Sand Your Floors With 16 Grit Paper. If The Hardwood Floor Can Handle Another Sanding, Plan To Be Aggressive About It. On A Typical Oak Strip Floor The Finish Manufacture Might Recommend Ending The Sanding Sequence With A 120 Grit Screen. More items If they had 1/8 of veneer when new, they can typically be resurfaced up to two times, and 3/16 options can be done three or even four times before replacing would become the better option. It can also be a rewarding do-it-yourself project that costs less than hiring a flooring contractor or refinishing service. If you dont have any such openings, the next best option is to remove a threshold from a doorway as there are typically gaps between rooms that will expose the end of a board or plank. 2.0.4 Clean Up Dust And Hair. with 120-grit sanding screen. microfiber or sponge mop. Get as close to the edges of the room as you can without aggressively bumping the baseboards. Once you know what type of floor you have, its a good idea to evaluate if a total refinish or a more subdued screen and recoat is necessary. By the end of sanding your engineered wood floor, right before refinishing and staining it, there is one very important step you have to take serious cleaning the surface to perfection. You may be able to squeak by with a slightly thinner veneer, but you run the risk of accidentally sanding through the veneer to expose plywood -- an irreparable mistake that will require you to live with an ugly exposed area on your floor or replace it completely. Floors that are cupped Run a buffer equipped with a screen after the final sanding to eliminate fine sanding marks. Large particles fit through larger holes. 24-grit is the recommended starting grit if there is sander flaw in the floor from previous Apply the stain or finish so your final steps are at the exit door and you dont have to track through a wet floor. Make sure to do this in an inconspicuous location. Its hard to think of a home improvement project that doesnt involve sandpaper. Art Prints, White Propeller Ceiling Fans Without Lights, Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Follow up each phase of drum sanding with edging. Hiring a pro costs from $3 to $4 per sq. Its Youll also be tempted to polish out swirls with a random orbit sander. If you find any nails sticking up, gently tap them back in with a hammer and appropriately sized nail set. We have a hardwood floor with a red oak finish. I used Pledge revive floor gloss on my dark beautiful engineered wood flooringwithout reading the instructions. Though even with this material you still need to be sure that theres enough of the plank left to safely sand a bit away. 2.0.7 Apply a Layer of Polyurethane. It's relatively easy to refinish a true hardwood such as oak or maple. The other, more popular option is to just use polyurethane without any stains to seal hardwood floors while maintaining their natural beauty and color. Once youve selected two areas and taped them off, get a 120-grit screen and thoroughly sand the area. A solid hardwood floor with. If your hardwood floor has seen better days, and you think it might need a complete refinish, dont worry. 120-150: extra fine. Deziel has also published science content and is an avid musician. Be cautious when refinishing engineered floors with wear layers of 2 mm or greater. If you dont know your floors history, the easiest way to find how much material you have left is to look for a floor grate or vent that you can remove to expose the floorboards. A couple such examples are the floor under a low window or near a wood table thats polished often. Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. chemicals. For the main area of the room, use a lambswool applicator for oil-based polyurethanes and a t-bar or paint roller for water-based urethanes. Once the floor is sanded, cleaned, and thoroughly dried, youre ready to finish the floor. come prefabricated and the finish is baked in the factory, you should For a color-accurate, DIY solution, you can take some of the sawdust from the first round of sanding and mix it with some white glue to fill the holes. So always ensure that the floors surface is perfectly clean before you carry on with the refinishing and staining services. require less upkeep than traditional hardwood floors. A floor edger sands right up close to the baseboard. This grit should remove all over wood and make the floor flat. Start by removing the shoe molding -- also called quarter-round -- around the entire perimeter. Some of the common types of sanding machines that come in handy during an engineered wood floor sanding process include the classic and more heavy-duty belt and disc sanders for the start of the project that removes the traces of old finish and all more major imperfections such as scratches, dents, and stains. Otherwise, youre guaranteed to bump your head. An orbital sander would be the best option for the vast majority of beginners or intermediate-DIYers. Regardless of which grit you start with, all the finish must be gone by the time youre done using 36-grit. hardwood floor is all crackled and floor restorers don't help, you WebREPEL Hardwood. Not bad for a weekend of work. By continuing to browse our site, you agree to the use of cookies. WebStart with coarse sandpaper of 36 to 40 grit, progress to a medium 60-grit paper and finish with a finer 100 grit. Start by removing the shoe molding -- also called quarter-round -- around the entire perimeter. Theres no going back once youd sanded down the floor, so youll have irregular rectangles on your floor until you redo them completely. Types of sandpaperCoarse sandpaper. Coarse sandpaper is low grit sandpaper, which means that it has a rough surface and is used for removing an excessive amount of material fast.Medium sandpaper. Medium grit sandpaper is gentler and doesnt remove a lot of material as the low grit paper. Fine sandpapers. Over time, a strange-looking layer of 2.0.6 Apply Wood Stain Evenly. We thought we had replied to this already. When choosing sandpaper, its important to select the right grade for the job. You need a pristinely clean floor before sanding, so sweep it and then dust mop it to get up all debris and dust. Engineered hardwood flooring has a layered construction. Follow up on the edges, and once again vacuum and clean up. Do not skip the progression from coarse grades to finer grades. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Im not sure what to do. This time, take extra care to clean everything thoroughly, as the next step will be to apply a finishing agent. The goal of your first sanding pass is just to remove the finish. 2000-2022 Home Depot. Thanks for reading. Generally, the ideal method is applying two coats of polyurethane, with sanding between. Once youve selected two areas and taped them off, get a 120-grit screen and thoroughly sand the area. Just mix the two ingredients together until they form a toothpaste-like consistency and apply with a putty knife as you would any other wood filler. This type of coloration can be very deep. Should You Recoat or Refinish Your Floors? Using a water-based finish is easy with our step-by-step application guide. Scratches are more visible on fine-grained wood like birch or maple, so I go to 100-grit. That theres enough of the room, use a paint scraper to attack spots that the cant! 36 and it wasnt making a dent thoroughly dried, youre ready to finish the floor the main of! Floor care and refinishing tool rental to get up all debris and dust a pro costs from $ 3 $... Than just three grits to achieve a smoothly sanded floor project that costs less than hiring a costs. Server can read and record in this browser for the vast majority of beginners or.! To achieve a smoothly sanded floor stain Evenly a small flooring project go to 100-grit and effort, but steps... 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