Choosing the right floor sander for your job
For people who haven’t had to sand a floor before, it’s hard to know where to begin with choosing equipment. Here’s a quick guide to the different floor sanders and what you need to know about them.
Drum Floor Sanders
Drum floor sanders are the workhorse of floor sanding tasks and are designed to sand through whatever paint, varnish or stain has been put onto the floorboards to reveal the natural timber product. Even if you are dealing with slightly uneven height floorboards or cupping (edges raised with a dip in the middle) of the floor boards , a machine like the Hiretech Floor Sander or the Hummel Floor Sander are up to the task. For these reasons, with most floor sanding jobs you will want to start with a drum sander.
Orbital Sanders
Compared to the drum sander, orbital sanders are gentler in the way they work. An orbital sander will remove less at a time, making them much better suited for removing topcoats or achieving a finishing sand after using a drum sander. However, for these same reasons they aren’t very good for re-levelling uneven surfaces. As well as being used to finish off a job started with a drum floor sander, orbital sanders like this Floor Orbital Sander are also an excellent way of preparing surfaces in between applying coats.
The floor orbital sander is also well suited to sanding outdoor timber decking, especially where the area might be too small to run a drum sander up and down the lengths of the boards. With the addition of a weighted collar and a heavy sandpaper, it will successfully remove light coatings or prepare the deck for re-oiling. A great feature is that it will also sand over the common dome head style nails which is something that a drum sander cannot do.
Handheld Sanders
Inevitably your sanding job may have areas that the floor sander cannot sand such as under cupboard overhangs or under balustrading or railings. For dealing with awkward shapes and other unexpected obstacles, having a versatile circular sander like this Circular Sander can make things much easier.
Sanding The Edges
After you have been over the floor you are sanding with your drum and orbital floor sanders, you then need something to deal with the edges of the room as neither sander will get right up to the skirting boards. An Edge Sander is designed for this specific function.
If you aren’t sure what you need, then a package deal like our Hiretech Floor Sanding Package and Hummel Floor Sanding Package provides both a floor sander and an edge sander for less than they would cost when rented together. These packages are ideal for most DIY sanding jobs, and the machines themselves are professional grade. As long as you remember the difference between your orbital and drum sander, and don’t forget those edges, you should have no trouble navigating the world of floor sander equipment.
Polishing
If you are attempting the high gloss finish on your floor, a Floor Polisher can be used with a variety of floor pads to bring about the desired results. This machine also has the option of being used a finishing sander or in between coats sander by using sanding screens instead of polishing pads.
If you would like any guidance or have any questions, please do not hesitate to talk with our friendly team at the Hire Desk. Copyright Centenary Hire 2020. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be used without consent from the author. See below for more details.
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