| |
When you return home from the rental store with
the equipment, take a moment to make a final inspection for nails, tacks, etc. and remove
any items from the area. Sweep the floor one last time and then get ready to sand!
Before you start to sand your hardwood floors, it
might be a good idea to know just what you want to accomplish. Sanding is a process in
which you cut your floors with different abrasives to remove old finish, level the floor
and smooth out the wood to accept the new finish! The heavier grits make deeper cuts into
your floors and the successive lighter grits remove the earlier scratch marks to make the
hardwood floor ready to be finished with your choice of coatings.
Sanding jobs can be completed in either 3 or 4 cuts
with the different abrasive grits. It depends on the condition of the floor being
refinished. New floors will not need as aggressive cuttings as a floor being sanded and
refinished.
For reference (Sand & Refinish old floors):
The first cut is to remove the old finish and
level the floor so it is flat across the room, remove high and low spots. This will be the
heaviest sanding and will make heavy scratch marks. Most of the time sanding a room can be
completed with all grits with the grain of the wood. Most finishes can be removed
with the proper grit of sandpaper. Sanding your floor at a 45 degree angle to the grain
should be a LAST RESORT!!!
The second cut is made to eliminate the roughness
from the first cut, smooth out the scratch marks and to remove any finish that may not
have been removed on the first cut.
The final cut is done to obtain a smooth finish
when the coating is applied. It also removes more of the remaining marks from the previous
sandings.
For reference (Sand new floors):
The first cut is to level the floor. Although it
is a new installation there will still be unevenness. The wood mills cannot make each
piece of wood the same thickness, there are some variations. Of course, the leveling
process for a new floor is not nearly as aggressive as for an old floor. The sandpaper
grit used will be higher, so the marks to be removed will not be as deep. You finish the
sanding process in the same manner as with a refinish project.
Start your sanding using the lightest grit possible
to achieve the objective of the first cut, if a 36 grit will do the job then stay with it.
If you find the finish is not coming off, then go down to a 20 grit sheet. 20 grit sheets
will make heavier scratch marks and you'll have to do more sanding to get your desired
finish. We recommend a sanding process that includes: 20, 36, 60 and 100 grits.
Now that you know what you want to accomplish,
start the sanding. At the rental store pay attention to the person helping you. He or she
should show you the proper method for paper installation for the sander and edger. The
most common problem that renters encounter is incorrect installation of paper on the
sander drum.
Take the SL-8 floor sander to the room to be
sanded. Sanding will be done from the right to the left. Locate an outlet in the room that
will allow the cord to be behind you as you sand. Before you put on any sandpaper or plug
the machine into the wall you may want to practice the movement of sanding. Practice
lowering the drum to the floor while you are moving forward and also feathering the drum
off the floor as you approach the wall. Do the same practice motion as you would make the
return cut.
Note: Some sanders will sand with the edger first and then follow with
the sander. The reason they do this is so the edger casters are not rolling across the
floor where the sander has already finished its cut. They believe that the caster marks
will show in the finished floor, especially with a soft wood.
Many floor refinishers use the sander first and follow with the edger. The reason
behind this was to sand the field of the room to the desired level and then bring the
edges to that same level. The caster marks, if any would be removed with the screening
process.
Finally, it comes down to you. This page is going to follow the sander then edger
method.
Tilt the SL-8 back so you can install the paper
(Remember, you only need to turn the cams 1/4 turn in the correct direction to install the
paper). Once the paper is installed on the drum, tie the dustbag on the dust tube elbow
securely. The SL-8 sander is designed so the drum does not touch the floor until the user
wants it to make contact. Look at the machine, it should be resting on the back of the
chassis. Plug in the sander to your outlet. The SL-8 runs on 14 amps, but we suggest you
try to find a circuit that is not overloaded. When you are ready to turn on the machine,
put the cord over your shoulder or make a loop and put it in your belt buckle, it will help keep it out of your way as you do your
return sanding. Put on your earplugs and dustmask, you are going to
sand the floor!
Note: Always unplug any sanding equipment before you change
abrasives. Then remember to plug them back in after the new abrasive is installed
Note: If you trip a breaker or blow a fuse, turn the equipment
off. Then reset the breaker or replace the fuse.
Note: Remove all sawdust from the house as you empty the
dustbags. Empty you sander bags when they are 1/2 full. It will help the dust pick up.
Sawdust can be flammable and you do not want it in your house.
When you sand a room with the floor sander you
will do it in two sections. Start the sanding with 2/3's of the room in front of you with
the grain of the wood. Sand this section of the room from right to left, overlapping the
previously cut path. Then turn around and sand the remaining 1/3 overlapping the
two sections. Stagger the place where you lift the drum off the floor to avoid stop marks
where the two sections of the room meet.
Sand both forward and backward in the same path
with the Silver-Line floor sander, just like a professional floor sander. As you begin to
move in either direction, slowly lower the drum to the floor by lifting up on the handle. Remember tobe moving before you
lower the drum. Keep constant upward pressure on the handle to assure continuous contact between the floor and the drum. A smooth feathering action with the drum and constant movement when
the drum is in contact with the floor will eliminate gouge marks. The backwards cut will
be your most aggressive and also the best for dust pick up. Never stop moving the sander
once it is in contact with the floor. Pay attention to your position in relation to the
wall you are sanding towards. Don't get to close to the wall in front of you before you
lift the drum, you may not get the drum off the floor completely. Don't walk into the wall
behind you as you make your return cut, it will cause you to stop the drum in contact with
the floor.
If the cutting action of your
sander seems to slow or diminish, it is probably time to change the sandpaper. In
an effort to save money, don't try to extend the life of the paper, replace it as needed.
If you hit a nail but the paper does not break, beware, there will be heavier wear in the
paper at the point where the nail hit. If you do not replace the paper, there will be a
mark in your floor because the grit on the sandpaper was worn away.
Note: If you skimp on the amount of paper you use on this project it will
effect the end result. Don't look at the cost at the time of sanding, but rather over the
life of the floor. A $3.00 dollar sheet of paper over a 10 year period is 30 cents a year.
Replace abrasives to get the same type of cut across the floor.
After you sand the field of the room with the
floor sander it is time to sand the edges with the floor edger. Unplug the SL-8 floor
sander and move it out of your way, unless someone else is running it. Put the bag on the
edger, lay the edger on it's side and install the paper. Check to make sure the edger
on/off switch is OFF, and then plug the unit into the power.
Pick the edger up and rest it on the casters only,
tilted back off the disc pad. Turn on the edger and lower the pad to the floor. Moving
from left to right, level the floor from the area the floor sander has already sanded
towards the wall or baseboard. Move the edger in 12 to 18 inch sections and then move
over, always keep the edger moving, work in a semi-circular motion. When you sand along a
wall that the wood runs perpendicular to, rotate the edger to the right on each board so
you avoid sanding against the grain.
Another method of edging is to sand from the
wall or baseboard to the area that has already been cut by the sander. In this method you
cut a line along the baseboard, and then sand out to the drum area in 12 to 18"
sections. In either method, move left to right.
Let the edger do the work, don't put extra
pressure on the machine. Work at a pace that you're comfortable with, and take frequent
rests. If two people are working together, the person running the edger is responsible to
the person running the sander in regards to the cords. Keep an eye on both sets of cords
so none get run over.
Sand the room with both the sander and the edger
with all the required grits. Don't try to skip grits to save time and money. Remember
that the process requires removal of previous scratch marks with successive cuts.
When the sanding is completed with the SL-8 and
SL-7 it is time to do areas not reached by this equipment. If you have baseboard heating,
radiators or toekicks in the room or rooms that you are sanding then you will need to sand
under these obstructions. Use the Silver-Line U2 underadiator sander in
these applications. It uses a 5" pressure sensitive disc (PSA) and will fit under
these items because of its elongated nose. Sand right to left with this unit and repeat
all the grits that were required with the other sanders. There is no dust retrieval system
so make sure you are wearing a dustmask.
When you're done with the electric floor sanding
equipment, it is time to scrape the corners and crevices of the room. The rental store may
rent or sell a good scrapper. Get on your hand and knees and scrape all the corners. Keep
the blade sharp as you scrape, especially when you must sand against the grain of the
wood. Don't forget to look for any areas that the edger could not sand, around door casing
and thresholds etc. Hand sand the areas after you scrape them.
After you have sanded the floors and scraped the
corners, look at the floor one more time and check for errors. If you see drum marks,
gouges or spots with old finish, scrape these areas. After you scrape, hand sand these
areas.
When you're done with the sanding process, return
the sanders. Rental stores will charge for time out, not time used. When you return
sanders, remember to bring back:
- All Cords
- Wrenches
- Bags
- Unused Supplies
Please remember to read our disclaimer page before beginning a project.
|
