Sanding a wooden floor is one of the stages of floor restoration, the main purpose of which is to prepare the wooden surface. Sanding removes the protective layers of the wooden surface - be it varnish, oil, paint or oil wax - and makes the surface smooth and clean before getting a new finish.

Sometimes, due to damage to the floor, a thinner or cracked floorboard or a loose parquet block may need to be reinstalled or even replaced. The main causes of floor damage are moisture, wear and tear or lack of rigidity.
Sanding a parquet floor requires the skills of the sander to notice details. Because the parquet blocks and pattern can be in different directions, sanding parquet presents greater challenges than wooden floors.

It is possible to use water-based or solvent-based varnishes, as well as oil wax and oil in different shades, for finishing the parquet floor.
The top layer of wooden parquet can be 2.5 - 6 mm. This is the minimum at which we can talk about table parquet when it comes to sanding. This thickness allows for a specific number of sandings during the life of the parquet.
It is important to sand only the top layers in order to preserve the most beautiful wood pattern. If the floor is in very bad condition, sanding alone may not save the floor.

"If the floor is covered with varnish, then worn places, which are mostly tracks, chair table bases, cannot be repaired. If it is covered with oil wax, it is possible to perform renovation oil waxing. For example, a new layer of colorless oil wax is applied to the walkways with a roller, several layers can also be applied if necessary. However, you should monitor your floor and, if possible, prevent this situation from occurring," says Ivo Vahkal, CEO of Lihvimeister OÜ.

How many times of sanding can be done during the lifetime of a wooden floor? Ivo Vahkal is proud that there are no restrictions for solid wood floors. For other floors, for example slatted parquet, 3-4 times. It depends on how straight the floor is, because the drum sander sands more in higher places and so the veneer can come off. In exceptional cases, of course, more. All types of wood can be sanded, including exotic wood floors.

What mistakes are made? "In most cases, a disc sander is rented, and it is assumed that the entire floor can be finished with it, right up to the final sanding. However, to create a beautiful floor, professionals use 4-5 different machines, depending on the floor. Therefore, at each stage, a corresponding machine is used, which you must also know how to handle. A very common mistake is related to oiling. Oiling the floor can be done, but it is forgotten that after oiling, the excess oil must be collected from the floor. The consequence is that the floor remains stained and the excess oil does not dry. By reacting immediately, it is possible to save the situation," explains the specialist.

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Since the restoration of old painted wooden floors seems to be rather a troublesome job for people, it is usually preferred to call in a specialist in their field. However, those who want to renew the floors with their own golden hands should follow these tips shared by an expert.

Ivo Vahkal, who already has many years of experience in restoring floors at Lihvimeister OÜ, thinks that old wooden floors are worth fixing because of their history. "There were times when the table to put on the floor was carefully chosen. Among other things, the place where the wood grew, the time of cutting and the drying period were important. Therefore, it was possible to be sure that the floor would be preserved for decades to come," said Vahkal.

Where to start when renewing a wooden floor with your own hands?

According to Vahkal, you should first remove the skirting boards and drive in or pull out the nails protruding from the floor.

Then you have to do the most difficult work, i.e. remove the old paint from the floor. For this, according to the specialist, it is possible to use either an infrared lamp or a steel disc.

When working with an infrared lamp, the floor surface must be heated until smoking, then place the lamp on a new spot and remove the melted paint from the heated spot with a scraper. Good ventilation must be ensured in the room and it is definitely worth using protective equipment.

However, when removing paint with a steel disc, the floor should be sprayed with oil (e.g. cooking oil) beforehand. The use of oil ensures smoother operation, among other things, less dust is generated.

What to do if the paint is removed from the floor?

"It would be best if as much of the old paint could be removed from the floor. At the same time, the paint residues between the two tables do not prevent moving to the next stage of work,» explained Vahkal.

Next, according to the specialist, the floor must be treated with a drum sander, moving diagonally across the floor. The purpose of the work phase is to smooth out the curvatures of the wooden floor and eliminate paint residues. "Initially choose sanding paper with roughness no. 16, it is, so to speak, a coarse sanding," Vahkal knew. 

After the diagonal step, the specialist recommends to process the floor with a drum sander also while moving the longitudinal boards. In doing so, you should always use sanding paper with progressively finer grit (e.g. 24, 36, 60, 100). For the edges of the floor, however, Vehkel recommends using an edge sander and following the same roughness scheme.

"When the sanding is finished, the resulting dust must be removed very carefully from the floor," described the specialist.

The finished finish of the renewed wooden floor

According to the floor specialist, you can use any finishing materials you like on the sanded wooden floor. Their main difference lies in their further maintenance process. "For example, the floor can be covered with oil (including tinted oil), oil wax or water-based varnish. Information about the application of the respective product on the floor and maintenance can usually be found on its packaging," advised Vahkel.

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