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After the sanding is completed you should screen
the floor before you apply any coating or stain to achieve the best possible finish. A
professional floor sander will screen all his work. Spend the time and money to screen the
floor.
Why? You identify any mistakes in the floor before
you put finish on the wood. This process also blends the areas that were sanded by the
sander and the edger to attain a uniform look. The floor will end up with a better sheen
and a finer appearance if you screen.
How do I Screen?: Using a polisher, either rotary
or orbital, a nylon pad and a screen mesh disc you will screen the floor. A screen is an
abrasive product that looks like the screen you would see on your door or window. They
come in various sizes, grits and shapes. You will be using a round screen with a rotary
polisher and a rectangular screen with an orbital polisher, the rental store will be able
to give you the proper screen.
Note: When you first use a rotary polisher, start the machine in the middle of
the room. Get familiar with the machine you will be operating. Adjust the handle on the
polisher to about waist height, be comfortable with the machine. Work with the polisher 5
to 10 minutes before you give up on screening. Remember, the polisher will stop running
when you let go of the trigger. A rotary polisher runs clockwise. If you push the handle
down the machine will move to the left, and if you pull the handle up, the machine moves
to the right. Don't try to muscle the machine, you will not win.
To screen a floor you run the polisher along the
edges of the room first and then you screen the field of the floor with the grain of the
wood. As you screen, look for edger marks, drum stop marks, or other imperfections. If you
see imperfections, work with the polisher and screen until the mark is out of the floor.
Move side to side with the polisher by shifting your feet, not by twisting your body.
Floor sanding screens come in grits ranging from 60
to 180. Most rental stores will carry 60, 80, and 100 grit. 120, 150 and 180 grit screens
are available for finer finishes. If you are using a oil modified coating, you can screen
to 100 grit. When you are using a water based finish, screen with at least 120 grit, to
close up the pores in the wood so you do not get a lot of grain raise.
After you finish the screening, return the polisher
to the rental store, unless you want to keep it until your finish dries for screening
between coats. It may save you money to return the polisher at this point and reserve it
for when you need it for the finishing process. Do not throw out your used screens, as you
may want to use them as abrasives for the inter-coat screening.
Please remember to read our disclaimer page before beginning a project.
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