First of all we need to look at the standard method of timber floor sanding and polishing which is followed in Melbourne and elsewhere.
- First of all the nails if any should be punched
- According to the standard method, you need to go over the floor with two or three cuts. First use a course paper, then a medium paper and lastly a fine paper.
- After this is done, usually professionals try to eliminate the chatter marks and any of the remaining sanding marks by buffing them out.
Why the standard method is not sufficient
Let us imagine that you have an ‘s’ shaped item which is one inch thick and you want to convert it to the ‘l’ shape. If you carve out an even amount of the ‘S’ then you don’t get an ‘l’. The same is the situation with standard method of sanding and polishing timber flooring. In this method you will keep doing the same sanding to the floor with the same machine, same cutting action and in the same area which does not achieve the right purpose. This is the reason that more modern and updated polishing companies in Melbourne have switched to the planetary motion cutting sander which has three discs.
Benefits of the new sander
This new sander for timber floor sanding and polishing Melbourne has a span that is much wider and is also multi directional. The first action of this sander is to span the high spots and bring them down. This results in a much flatter floor when you return to the drum sander. At the same time, the planetary motions of the three discs remove all the medium and course sanding marks. The floor will seem to be finished and all that you need to do with the fine paper is to smooth it off. At this stage there is no need to remove the sanding marks as they are already taken care of.
Polishing of a timber floor
Once the sanding is complete, the next step is to polish the floor. Make sure that you either remove all the furniture and draperies or cover them properly before commencing the polishing task. This is because if the floor polishing solution or wax falls on them it will be very difficult to remove them.
Another thing to be kept in mind is that wax provides a much finer finish than any other material meant for polishing. For the polishing it is advisable to use a machine meant for this purpose. Of course it is a misconception that polishing enhances the longevity of a timber floor in Melbourne or elsewhere. This is not true because what a layer of polish will do is to protect the floor from any superficial scratches. At the same time, it will enhance the aesthetic appeal of the floor to a great extent. The best way to ensure the longevity of your timber flooring is to opt for a hard timber that will protect itself.
Hence, you need to keep the above mentioned facts in mind during timber floor sanding and polishing.
Conclusion:
Timber floor sanding and polishing in the traditional method is not as effective as the newer methods. This is the reason that most up to date floor polishing companies make use of the latest sanding and polishing equipment. Once the sanding is done it is followed by polishing of the floor which will enhance its aesthetic appeal.