Sanding Cherry Wood Floors

So they need to be sanded with higher grits before the sanding scratches will disappear.

Sanding cherry wood floors. One of the best attributes of this hardwood species is that it sands to a very smooth finish a prerequisite for building fine furniture. Begin from the deep sections of the floor so that your first mistakes can be hidden as you work on your technique. Closed grain woods like maple and cherry have a smoother more uniform texture. In this article we ll explore the best finishes for cherry.

Area with sanding screen. Clean each area with a wood floor cleaner and roughen a 6 x 6 in. So sanding to very fine grits is a waste of time. Use 24 grit sandpaper if there are sander flaws e g.

Tips for finishing cherry oil it spray it shellac it or glaze it. Start sanding with the coarsest grade of sandpaper at a 45 degree angle to the board direction. One in a high traffic zone the other along a wall or in a closet. Swirl marks in the wood or if the finish has worn down to the wood in certain areas.

You will remove a lot of wood stock even when sanding the hardest of wood floor species. When you use a water based polyurethane such as bona traffic hd you can significantly lighten the redness of your brazilian cherry or american cherry hardwood floors. This ensures your hardwood is smooth and that it properly accepts the stain and or polyurethane for a better and longer lasting look. We typically do 3 sandings each with finer grits the grits vary based on the type of wood and age.

Pick at least two test areas on the floor. Bona traffic hd is the best water based poly and since it s water borne it s lighter than oil based poly and it doesn t darken or yellow so much. A step by step video for a home owner on how to use various wood floor sanders and how to apply the finish. Open grain woods like oak and walnut have coarse grain lines and a rough texture.

Then wipe away the sanding residue mask around the test area and give it a coat of polyurethane photo 1. First you sand the floors with sanding machine. Cherry is a beautiful hardwood with rich warm colors and a look of depth that comes from the intense hues of reflected light that originate from deep within. Cherry boards come in all different colors its sapwood and heartwood don t match it can look really blotchy and it darkens as it.

Always follow along the grain of the wood when sanding. This is how to make cherry look great. The biggest key to remember when sanding cherry is that it scratches easily so you really must sand with the grain.