Sanding A Softwood Floor

When sanding softwood it s best to avoid using a drum sander altogether and do the job with a flooring orbital sander.

Sanding a softwood floor. Pine floor planking is in the category of a soft wood whereas most wood floors are commonly referred to as hardwood. Spot sanding and touching up is very difficult to blend back in. Equip your orbital sander with 36 or 40 grit sandpaper. Common softwoods include pine cedar spruce hemlock fir cypress larch redwood and yew.

These woods are characterized by distinct alternating bands of earlywood and latewood. Then sand the entire area at the same angle moving constantly as you work. Sand in diagonal. Pine is a common material that was used in flooring in the early 1900s.

There is a significant difference in hard and soft wood as. Begin sanding in the center of the floor. For parquet flooring sand at a 45 degree angle to the pattern. It will almost certainly be a focal point.

It was cheap and readily available so safe to say it s everywhere. That way you ll get a heads up on and hopefully the knowledge to avoid some of the problems you might encounter and some of the mistakes beginners make. City floor supply post author january 14 2020 at 3 03 pm. Overlaps on softwoods like fir and pine are even more vulnerable to cracking and splintering.

This is where edge sanding comes in removing old finish from the room s perimeter where the belt or drum sanding machine won t reach. To sand hardwood floors start by renting a drum sander and installing a coarse grit sandpaper onto the sander which will remove any noticeable damage or old finish from your floors. None of it is rocket science but it will help you to read through all the sanding pages including first things first working with sanders and edgers and the sanding faq before you begin. The earlywood bands are softer and less dense than the latewood bands and lighter in color.

Let s be sure we re all on the same page. Once the central area of the floor has been sanded it s time to tackle the edges. It s less aggressive and doesn t remove as much material. You can sand a softwood floor once with a drum sander but that s about it.

Sanding a wood floor is a multi step process. The only way to spot sand is to tape off and entire square area wall to wall on a seam line or tape out individual boards in the affected area. Put on work goggles and a dust mask before sanding your softwood floors.