How To Remove Your Stain With A Floor Sander

Home & Garden Blog

If you want to refinish the wood flooring throughout your house, you will probably need to rent a floor sander. In reality, removing the existing stain can be the most time consuming and dirty part of the job. You will kick up a lot of dust that you need to avoid spreading throughout your entire house. This is one of the reasons the prep work is so important. Nonetheless, you can speed up the removal of your existing stain by renting a floor sander. Even if you have never used one of these heavy machines, you can probably handle the task. This article will help show you how.

Prepping the Rooms

To properly prep your hardwood floors to be sanded, you will need painter's plastic, a lot of cardboard, and masking tape. You can use recycled cardboard from old boxes you have lying around the house. The goal is to cut the cardboard into strips that will sufficiently cover the baseboard around your house. Use a utility knife or box cutter to make these cuts. Then, tape them over the baseboards. You need to protect the baseboard from being hit by the side of the floor sander. The vibrating and hard edges on the sander can easily gouge the wood. Even if you don't have baseboards, you probably need to cover the lower 6" of the wall (check the floor sander to see where it will hit).

Sanding Techniques

A floor sander is heavier and more powerful than a vacuum. If you are not able to handle the weight of the machine when it is turned off, you will have an even harder time when it is powered on. When sanding, you should always have a firm hold on the handle. You need to be especially concerned when it comes to powering up your sander. You don't want the sander to jolt forward and scratch the wood grains when it is first turned on. The key is to always keep the sander moving while it is turned on.

You also want to sand in straight lines and keep the sander level as you push it along. If you push down too much on one side or the other, you are likely to leave behind an uneven surface. Make sure you slightly overlap the lines too.

Lastly, you might need to use a handheld vibrating power sander to reach tight corners that the sander can't reach.

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29 August 2016

Carpet Cleaning Tips And Tricks

Hello, it's Trinity Wilson here and I love cleaning carpets. Having five children gave me a crash course on this fine art. While renting, it's important to keep the carpets free of stains despite the chaos that multiple children bring down after all. I learned how to lift liquids out of the carpet before they could set. I learned how to remove hidden stains well after the kids moved something over the top to cover their crime. I've even taught my kids how to clean stains out of their carpets using both natural and commercial products. I've decided to apply my skills to this website to teach my readers the best ways to approach carpet cleaning. I will share how to clean the carpet by hand, with a machine and even when to hire professionals to get the job done. Welcome to my site, please come by often!