Floor sanding

A variety of floor materials can be sanded, including timber, cork, particleboard, and sometimes parquet.

[1] Many old floors are sanded after the previous coverings are removed and suitable wood is found hidden beneath.

Feathering is an industry term used by handling the machine in such a way as to avoid deep scratch marks during start and finish.

In the belt sanders the abrasive material is fitted and secured tight between a drum and a tension device.

The belt moves vertically, along the grain of the floor surface, which assures a powerful stripping, good finish and a lasting abrasive.

These fine abrasives also help to smooth the final finish by removing minor imperfections on the surface prior and between re-coatings.

Staples or tacks used to fasten previous coverings (if any) are removed to reduce the possibility of damage.

When wood floor planks are warped, cupped, or significantly uneven, it may require multiple passes.

[3] The areas which cannot be reached by the large sanders are sanded by an edger, at the same grit paper as the rest of the floor.

[citation needed] Sanding old boards sometimes exposes worm eaten cores, effectively ruining the floor's appearance.

Top coat drying evenly on a large sanded pitch pine floor
Edger
A timber floor after carpet has been pulled. The "fluff" is carpet adhesive .
A rimu timber floor after the first cut.