Floor Sanders – Tread Carefully Here – A Bad One Can Ruin Your Beautiful Wooden Floor

Choosing the right professional floor sander is incredibly important. That’s lots around and some are a lot better than others. Remember that your wooden floor is incredibly valuable and will have an extraordinary history if you live in an older villa. Imagine how many generations have walked or danced on this floor of yours. How many different dress styles your floor has seen. With this in mind it doesn’t take too long to take the top surface off your floor whether its done well or badly, but if its done badly, there’s no undoing it, it’s ruined forever.

So, if price is a factor to you, remember that generally the cheapest isn’t usually the best and will probably be the start of something disastrous. However, that’s not to say that the most expensive is the best either. But, if you have a friend, who is a home handyman, or, a friend recommends a home handyman, take this tip cautiously. He may be great at pruning roses, but if he’s never sanded a hardwood floor, just say no.

Floor sanding equipment is available at hire stores so the handyman may convince you that he can obtain the right equipment. Still say no. This equipment is well used by a lot of different people each weekend – having a go, and getting into all sorts of trouble with it. The main machine is a rotational sander that operates rather like an electric motor mower, except that the sanding disc is permanently down on your floor. The result when an inexperienced operator starts it up is that the sanding disc at speed can dig into your precious floor and cause an instant and ugly groove. The only way to cover this up is with false plastic wood, which never looks the same colour, so, you’ll probably end up with a carpet over this part of the floor forever.

Other mistakes an inexperienced floor sander can make is to be overly cautious on the timber floor. The result of this is that if he hasn’t sanded off the probable three to four coats of top coat polyurethane, then when you go to varnish your new floor, if he hasn’t got all of this off, then you’ll get dark patches where it still lays, so, it will just mean that you’ll have to have it sanded all over again.

So, hopefully this has convinced you to hire a professional floor sander. If this is the case don’t be scared of asking for references and credentials. There isn’t a training program as such like the plumbing or electrical trade, for floor sanders but if they can’t produce credentials as to past work then I would be very suspicious about this and wonder why. If they’d put a card in your letterbox, it could be that they are off to the hire shop to hire some second rate equipment.

So hiring the best floor sanders can be a little difficult, but word of mouth is the best reputation of all, or, otherwise another way is to go down to your polyurethane wholesaler and ask some qualified staff who they would recommend.