Hardwood floors are among the most popular being sold today. This type of flooring comes in a wide range of wood species, colors, patterns, installment methods, and more. In fact, along with the more conventional woods used such as oak, cherry, walnut, pine, and mahogany, we now see a wonderful selection of renewable options to include cork and bamboo. However, for people who appreciate a country, rustic, or cabin look and feel, timber flooring remains at the top of the list.
Without doubt, timber floors are gorgeous but for them to look great, they have to be well maintained. Floors such as this should be bright and shiny but the only way to accomplish this is with occasional sanding. After sanding, a special chemical application would be applied and the floors buffed. The result is an amazing look that would enhance any room of the home.
Although you could spend good money hiring someone to do the sanding for you, there is no reason why you could not do this on your own. In fact, you would not even need to invest in a sanding machine unless you wanted to. Instead, visit a local machine rental company in the city where you live and rent one for time needed. If you want to purchase a machine, because timber floors need to be sanded a few times each year, it would probably be an investment worth making.
Regardless, we strongly recommend that before starting on a large area of the floor, the first time you sand timber floors you find an inconspicuous area so you can become accustomed to handling the machine. If renting, you should do this each time in that you may not get the same machine each time. Some sanding machines apply heavier pressure than others do so this step is actually very important.
Then, prior to sanding the timber floors, take time to look over every square foot, looking specifically for any cracks. Sometimes, timber floors will experience cracks caused by high humidity levels. Because of this, the gaps may appear in the summertime when humidity levels are high and then seem to disappear during the winter when levels are low. If you find any gaps, you can fill them with wood putty, followed by sanding after the putty has dried.
Now, if your timber floors are made of pine, any notched holes should also be filled. However, for this the easiest method would be using a wine cork cut to size. The cork would be pressed firmly into the notch, filled with putty, and then sanded. In both instances, after the putty has been sanded smooth, be sure to use a soft cloth to wipe the floor of any dust left over. Additionally, before sanding, make sure the skirting boards have been taken off to avoid them being damaged. Then while down, this would be the perfect opportunity to repaint or stain them.
From there, you would start in an area of the timber floor, sanding using slow, controlled, circular movements. As you go over the entire floor, take a double look to make sure nothing has been missed. When done, use a soft bristle broom to sweep up the dust or you could use the brush attachment of the vacuum. After that, wipe the floor down with a slightly moist cotton cloth to remove any lingering dust. Finally, apply the chemical compound as instructed by the manufacturer.
For the final step, you would use a rented or purchased buffer. Once the chemical compound is completely dry, the timber floors would be buffed, which is what gives them the magnificent shine. Depending on how you want the floor to look, you may need to go over them several times but in the end, your timber floors would be repaired and look brand new for you to enjoy.
