Polishing your timber floors can dramatically improve the overall appearance of your home and office. There is only so much cleaning and mopping can do to bring back the shine. It is also an inevitable part of having timber floors in your space. They should be sanded and polished every 10-15 years. If you believe the time has come for your floors to be refreshed, read the rest of this blog to learn the process on how you can polish your timber floors at home.
What You Will Need:
- Drum Sander/Floor Sander (with variable grit sanding discs from 40 – 120)
- Protective Gear: Ear Muffs, Dust Mask, Safety Glasses
- Nail Punch
- Hammer
- Timber Floor Polish
- Vacuum
- Cloths/Large Drop Sheets
- Brush/Lamb’s Wool Applicator
Step 1: Preparation
Remove all furniture and vacuum the floor thoroughly. You may want to cover immovable furnishings like islands or cabinets with a cloth or drop sheet to prevent an extensive clean up afterwards.
Once you are geared up with the correct protective equipment, take a look at all the nails in the floorboards. Remove with the hammer or punch them into the floor further as necessary, around 3-4mm below the surface. This is a good time to inspect if you have holes from the nails to be filled in later on in the process.
Inspect any power points, vents and holes that may be exposed to the dust and cover accordingly.
Step 2: Sanding
Use the drum sander to sand the surface of the floor boards. Start first with the 40 grit sanding disc and moving your way up to 60. Go slow and steady, placing the machine on the floors gently. Be sure to always sand with the grain and move forward in one direction. Do not stay static as this will create uneven levels. Use an edge sander to get into the corners where a drum sander cannot reach.
You will need to repeat the process of sanding roughly 3-4 times, upping the grit levels as you go through to get the finessed finish you desire.
Step 3: Preparation for Polish
Vacuum the dusty site and be sure not to damage the sanded floor boards. Tread carefully while you carry on with the next step.
The holes earlier that you found left from the nails, should be filled in after the floors are clean. Fill these gaps in with a putty and let it dry before continuing further.
Step 4: Choosing Polish
There are a number of different types of polish you can use on your floors. See below for a comparison between the options.
Polyurethane – Oil Based
If you want the high-gloss impact as well as it being extremely long lasting, oil based poly polishes are great. However, it can take almost a day for a coat to dry and they emit a toxic and strong odour. Therefore, it is vital that if you choose to use this type of polish that you are wearing the necessary protective respiratory gear. Make sure all doors and windows are open to allow for maximum ventilation.
Polyurethane – Water Based
This emits far less toxic fumes and odours than its counterpart. It also dries extremely fast. You can apply up to 4 coats in a day. This is a better alternative if you are concerned about the toxic fumes near your family that oil based polishes can emit. This polish is more likely to scratch as is not as durable as the oil based polish. Due to the benefits of the water based polish, it is understandable that it is far more expensive than the oil based poly.
Step 5: Applying Polish
Apply the polish with a brush or lamb’s wool applicator. Depending on the polish you have chosen, take note of the drying time required before applying the second layer or any following layers of the polish. Sand each coat when they are dried before you apply the next to remove any graininess or rough patches.
You should aim for a minimum of three coats of floor polish. Therefore, be sure to understand that you may not be able to use the space properly for quite some time depending on the type of polish you are using.
Get a professional for the job
We understand that polishing floors by yourself is not the easiest, nor shortest task to complete and therefore, Ace Timber Floors offer sanding and polishing services. It may be more economical to get a professional as they will have the equipment and expertise to get the job done right.
Don’t need a polish but need replacing? If you realised that your timber floors are at the last stages of its life, maybe it is time to replace your timber floors. Ace Timber Floors have a range of hardwood timber flooring to change up your outdated timber floorboards. They have a showroom with all the samples and complete the full installation for your desired floorboards. If this is of interest to you, contact Ace Timber Floors Today.
