Tips for Restoring a Timber Floor
Lots of us have timber floors in our homes. Timber floors can not only bring a stylish modern finish to a home, but they can also create an old-world charm. Despite the benefits of having a wooden floor in your home, it is important to remember that wooden floors will need periodic restoration. The good news is that it’s easier than you think to restore a wooden floor, and you don’t need to engage the services of a professional to do it. You simply need the right equipment such as quality floor sanding machines for a full strip back, or a floor polisher/scrubber for some lighter surface only cleaning work. A combination of these things will help to make your wooden floor look new. Keep reading below for some more tips on restoring your timber floor.
Make Sure You Use the Right Equipment
As we mentioned above, you need to make sure you hire the right equipment for the job. To restore your floor properly, you’ll need three different sorts of sanders:
- A drum floor sander e.g Hummel Floor Sander or Hiretech Floor Sander
- An Edge Floor Sander
- A finishing floor sander e.g. Floor Orbital Sander
The best tip we have for you when choosing the right equipment for the job is not to buy the equipment but to hire quality equipment instead. Not only will this mean that you don’t have to find
somewhere to store the sanders once you’ve finished using them, but it can also save you money too. For example, there is a Hiretech Floor Package and a Hummel Floor Package available.
Clear and Prepare the Room
The next thing you need to do is to clear the room you will be working in. This will make it much easier. You will then need to close all of the doors to prevent dust from spreading around your
home. However, it’s important to open a window so that you have fresh air coming into the room. Once you’ve done this, remove any screws or punch any nail heads that are sticking out from your wooden floor as these will cause significant damage to the floor sanders. Alternatively, if you have removed vinyl and have hundreds of staple heads from the underlay, you could use a Meteor Floor Grinder to take them back to flush with the floor surface.
Sanding the Floor
Before fitting your sander with some coarse sandpaper, make sure that it is turned off. Once you have fitted the correct paper you can turn your sander on and start sanding the wood. Start at one
end of the room and slowly make your way across to the other side. Once you’ve sanded your floor, you will need to go over it once more with 120-grade sandpaper. This will give your floor a more professional finish.
Now that the main part of the room is complete, you can start focusing on the edges of the room. You will need an Edge Floor Sander for this.
Preparing Your Floor for Coating
Once your floor is smooth, you will need to prepare it for coating. Start by cleaning up. Vacuum up any dust and wipe down the floorboards with a damp cloth. When the floor is dry, rub it with white spirit to remove any excess moisture in the boards. You are then ready to apply your chosen oil, varnish, or stain.
How to Coat your Floor
If you want to achieve a more professional finish, then the best piece of advice we can give you is to go over the floor with 180 grit sandpaper between coats. You will need to use a finishing sander such as a floor orbital sander for this. It can take up to three coats of varnish to get a good, more durable finish. Remember, if you’re still not sure how to restore your timber floor, then contact the professionals for some advice.
