How to do Floorboard Polishing?

Floorboard polishing is the art of polishing the wooden floors of your home. When you do floorboard polishing, it is best that you have prior knowledge of it. Polishing can be of many types like oil based, polyurethane, water based, hard wax or penetrating oil polishing. If done the right way it adds shine to the floor but if done incorrectly, the floor can be ruined. So, it is suggested to hire some trained professionals for this task and they can polish your wooden floor with some floorboard polishing methods.

Floorboard Polishing

Tips and tricks on floorboard polishing: 

• You need to remove the floor coverings. Carpets are alright on the floor, but when you have to remove it for floorboard polishing, it can be quite cumbersome. To ease handling, it is suggested that you cut the carpet into small and manageable squares with a sharp utility knife. Start with the edges and remove the pieces, be careful of pins and tacks.

• The surface of the floor has to be prepared for floorboard polishing. You have to remove all nails that protrude from the floor surface. Use a nail punch with a hammer to punch every floor fixing nail to below the surface of the floor, to a depth of 3-4 mm. Then you need to clear all the furniture in the room. Start with the smaller furniture and work your way to the biggest. After you remove the furniture, you need to vacuum the floor and walls thoroughly to clear off all dust.

• All the power points and computer orifices, including any vents have to be covered with masking tape. Keep in mind that floorboard polishing throws up very fine particles and these could cause serious damage to electrical equipment later on. Then go over the sanding equipment you hired and ask the hirer to show you how it operates.

• You will be operating a drum sander, a beast of a machine that is extremely heavy, and dangerous in the wrong hands. Use safety gear like work gloves, face mask and protective eyewear. The sander will be operated like a lawnmower, i.e. you will be pushing the sander. If you pull it, the sanding contact will be lost. Do not try to lift it.

Floorboard

Things to remember when you do the floorboard polishing:

Do not attempt to start the sander when the sandpaper is in contact with the floor and also do not stop the machine when the belt is in contact with the flooring. This will damage the floor. Rough sand is done with higher grit sandpaper at a 45-degree angle to the floor from one corner to another. The perimeter of the floor cannot be reached with the drum sander, nor should it be attempted. This is done with a hand sander. Some trained professionals can do it because they know the process very well and they can easily incorporate these heavy machineries.

• All the nail holes and spit holes along with knotholes are fixed with putty that is water based. The next round of sanding is done with finer grit sandpaper. You need to get down with the hand-held sander and work on the edges also.

• When you apply the floor finish, you have to be careful to read and follow the instructions on the pack. Normally the method of application is by brush or lamb’s wool applicator. Before applying the floor finish, be sure that the floor is free from dust particles.

As you can see, floorboard polishing takes a fair bit of work to be done properly.  So, it is better to call for professional help in this regard.