If you want pristine, sparkling, and beautiful floors the only way to attain an even smoothness and sheen throughout is to sand and seal the boards effectively. This process does two important things:
1) Improves the look of the floor.
2) Significantly lengthens the lifespan of the wood.
Homeowners who enjoy the luxury of a real wood floor will understand the importance of keeping the wood in tip-top condition. There is nothing more beautiful than a well-kept wooden floor. It lends space and light to any size of the room, and even a small bedroom appears significantly larger when a wood floor has been installed. Real wood flooring brings elegance, charm, and an uncluttered beauty to public rooms and a sense of cleanliness and roomy quality to smaller areas.
Floor Sanding Tips For A Win-win
Keep your wood floor in great condition and enjoy its stunning looks knowing that the floor can only ever be a selling point if the day comes when you decide to move on. Because real wood floors are a win-win for the homeowner, it is unsurprising that so many people want to keep them in good condition. A well-maintained floor will, as well as look good, offer protection from mold, mildew, and rot all of which can be expensive to treat.
Sanding and sealing the boards is the best and only effective way of ensuring your floor lasts for many years to come. In fact, a properly maintained wood floor can easily last a century or more.
Choose a no-cost flooring assessment
If your floor has been neglected in the past then coax that natural shine back to the surface by sanding and refinishing. Whether you decide to turn your floor over to a specialist wood sanding team or do the job yourself is, in the main, down to personal choice and circumstances. However, if it is all about cost then it may be worthwhile having the floor professionally assessed first to get a clearer idea of how much you’ll need to spend and what needs to be done. Many quality wood floor companies offer a no-obligation quotation.
On the other hand, if you are an enthusiastic DIY person and you fancy having a go yourself then remember to give yourself enough time to complete the job thoroughly.
Because a specialist company takes, for example, two days to refurbish a floor does not mean you won’t take double – or even triple – the time. Never be tempted to cram the whole process into a long weekend, as the drying time alone for the finishing product can be as much as 48 hours, depending upon the type of finishing you choose.
Renovation rules
If you have recently purchased an older-style home with intact wood floors and are renovating top to bottom remember to restore the floors before tackling any painting and decorating. A general rule of thumb is to renovate from the bottom up to avoid spoiling your fresh décor. If you are having wiring re-done or new pipes fitted it is preferable that you complete this work before starting on the floor.
Once you have taken the decision to sand the floor take the opportunity to carefully inspect for signs of loose, missing, or damaged boards and repair these before continuing on to the sanding process.
When sanding has been completed you can apply the refinishing of choice. It is not recommended for a novice DIYer to attempt to stain the floor, as this is a fairly tricky task. If wood stain is inexpertly applied the look of the floor is ruined and you will have to sand off the botched stain before beginning again.
In a domestic setting a refinished wood floor should last around 10 years and for commercial premises 3 or 4 years.
