If you are one of those residents of Lambeth who still believes that a Victorian wooden floor can’t be sanded, it’s high time you debunk the myth. All you need to do is to try a DIY if you have adequate experience in floor sanding or approach an experienced professional who can ease the task for you. Sanding is like restoring those delicate bones of your property with much care and sensitivity. You just need to prepare for the task and not only sanding but even refinishing it will become easier.
Floor Sanding in Lambeth? Be Wise While Choosing The Power Tools
Unless you approach a professional for the task, you need to choose the ideal power tools all by yourself which can really be daunting if you are doing it for the first time. The best is to hire a hand-held belt sander or a floor sander instead of buying one, as you won’t be requiring it quite often. Choosing the right tool will become easy if you first consider few points like the number of rooms you are willing to sand, the time span during which you are willing to complete the task, and the type of floor in your property.
If you are planning for floor sanding, Lambeth is one of the places where you can find numerous reliable companies offering the service. Letting a professional sander survey your property and suggest a power tool that will suit your rooms the best is always recommended. Do a bit of research and you will definitely find a company charging a reasonable price for it. You can also consider buying it if you don’t want to finish the job under time pressure.
Dedicate Adequate Time
If you are sanding a big property and don’t have prior knowledge about it, devoting adequate time is a must. The best is to break down the entire project in small chunks so that it can be completed within an hour or two. Whenever you can find time from your daily household task or other commitments fit the work in. Just be aware of the fact that the time taken to sand floors having even height is generally less than sanding those plank floors having different heights.
Few Vital Steps To Follow While Floor Sanding
- Estimate the grit sequence.
- Start with one sequence at a time and use a drum sander to sand it.
- Use an edger to sand areas which can’t be reached using a drum sander
- Sweep the sanded rooms or use a vacuum cleaner.
- Move on to the next sequence and repeat the process.
- Sand the toe-kick areas using a radiator edger.
- The corners of a pipe can be either scrapped or sanded.
- Try hand-sanding if any edger swirl is visible.
- The straight sanding cut from the drum can be blended with the circular sanding cut from the edger using a buffer or pole sander.
- The entire area should be vacuumed once or twice.
- The remaining dust can be removed from the floor using a lint-free textile or a dry microfiber cloth.
It’s Less Dustier Than You Think
There are a few who tends to stay away from it just because they think the process is dusty. This is simply nothing more than a myth. Though it’s dusty, the dust generated is definitely lesser than you think. In fact, those brick or plaster work creates a more horrible mess as the prickly dust goes here and there. The dust bags attached with the sander collects a majority of the dust generated while sanding your floor in Lambeth. Hiring one of those tools which can be connected to the vacuum cleaner is a wise decision.
When you start, tape the room to prevent the dust from spreading. You can use those masking tapes to seal all the four sides of the door frame. Wait for a few minutes and let the dust settle if you want to leave the room for a break. Also, change that dusty dress and shoes before leaving. Ask your family members to leave the house for a day if you are sanding an open area. Since the generated dust can lead to respiratory issues, letting a professional shoulder this responsibility is always recommended.
Changing Or Oiling The Floor
Pull up the carpet from the floor and you will be shocked to see the condition of the wood. You generally have two options to deal with the issue, change it or sand and oil it. Though laying brand new flooring is always treated to be a safer option but definitely not economical. Let a professional undertake the task of sanding and oiling it and it will definitely look like a brand new floor.
You can even change some of the faulty planks before oiling and stay assured that you won’t notice much difference. Floor Sanding in Lambeth not only helps you save a few bucks but you also get back that lost charm and character of your wooden flooring. Those oddly spaced gaps can also be corrected and filled using those hardboard strips.
A Final Quick Tip
Wearing gloves, goggles, a proper respirator, and ear defenders is a must while sanding. Make sure to buy adequate sandpapers if you are trying a DIY. This will give you the freedom to change your sandpaper frequently and the floors will be sanded much faster. One of the common mistakes people often make while floor sanding is to underestimate the amount of sandpaper they will require for the task.
If you are having a problem in determining the exact amount of sandpaper you require, ask a professional to visit your house and they can calculate the amount for you. Buy the paper when you are hiring the machine and ask whether you can return the surplus. Issues arise when you are sanding the floor during weekends and there aren’t many shops open to get hold of more when you run out of paper!
Door Stripping and Floor Sanding in London 