The Benefits of Different Types of Flooring

Why a Homeowner Should Never Try to Sand Their Own Timber Floors

21 April 2017

Marian Moreno

Sanding timber floors can remove stains, smooth down chips and cracks, and allow you to add a new coat of sealant or stain. While you can rent sanders and other equipment from the hardware or home improvement store and tackle this job yourself, you want to consider carefully if hiring a floor sanding professional is a better option. Note a few reasons why this is and why you may want to leave this in the hands of a professional.

The floors may not actually be timber

Many floors that look like solid hardwood are actually veneers, or they may be a material that is a mixture of wood and plastic. These types of materials are often used because they're more durable than actual timber, but this also makes them more difficult to sand down. You may waste several hours of your time and actually ruin equipment if you try to sand down a veneer with sandpaper meant for solid timber, and some plastic mixtures may need a grinder rather than a sander. Let a professional evaluate the floor material and then determine the tools needed to get the job done right.

Stains

Many stains in timber floors can be sanded out so you can then cover them with fresh coats. However, this isn't true of every stain; some stains may have permeated so many layers of the wood that sanding simply won't remove them. If you're thinking of sanding your floors just to get out food stains, pet stains and other such marks, it's best to have a professional evaluate those marks and note all your options. He or she may recommend a darker stain colour than you were planning or may even recommend that certain slats of the floor be replaced altogether.

Coating on the timber

If you don't know the coating that is currently on the timber floors in your home, you don't want to try to sand them on your own. If there is a wax coating, the sanding process can melt and then respread the wax so that you are left with clumps and globs of wax all over the floor. If there is old stain, it might not come up very well and you may damage the surface of the wood by trying to remove it completely. Older paint may also contain lead; dust from lead-based paint could be harmful to your health. A professional will know the various types of coatings on a timber floor and how to remove them properly and safely.

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