Hardwood Floors April/May 2019

How to Minimize Sanding Efforts (Continued)

from the previous sanding step, and a skipped grit leaves marks too coarse to be removed adequately. Correct selection of the grit sequence is evenmore important for oiled surfaces than for nished oors. at’s especially worth paying a ention to since, in recent years, natural oils have become more popular with homeowners. Homeowners also are showing increasing interest in interior design and open-space oorplans that allow larger amounts of natural light. at highlights the need for sanding professionals who can produce the a est, most awless oors. Being capable of producing top-tier results while minimizing energy, time, and cost of materials on the job is essential to a contractor’s success.

possible. It’s important to correctly choose the starting grit and to follow the correct grit sequence, or lost time and money will add up while trying to correct sanding mistakes. Coarse abrasives are more expensive than ne abrasives. For oors that require an exceptionally coarse start, such as 16 or 24 grit, save money by using abrasives with less expensive minerals. Use silicon carbide sanding discs on the edger, multidisc, and bu er, and aluminum oxide belts on the big machine. Save higher-quality abrasives (zirconia) for intermediate sanding steps. ese are from grits 36 to 80 on the big machine and as high as 150 on the edger and multidisc. Silicon carbide sanding screens work well on a multidisc sander and bu er, starting at 60 grit. No more than one grit should be skipped when using a big machine or edger. When ne sanding with a multidisc sander, do not skip any grit numbers. Fine grits remove a low volume of woodmaterial

in some abrasives do not perform as aggressively as others, leading to more time spent in the sanding process. Synthetic blends are primarily used in today’s abrasives. ey o er higher temperature stability, higher abrasion resistance, and be er adhesion to the abrasive grit and underlayment than previous bindings. Zirconia and ceramic abrasives o er advantages compared to silicon carbide and aluminum oxide (corundum) abrasives in some sanding scenarios. Ceramic and zirconia have higher sanding rates and longer service lives, which equal less frequent changing. eir longer service life requires that less inventory be kept on hand and less storage space be used in the trailer, van, or shop. Proper Grit Sequence Saves Time & Money Start a sanding job with as coarse a grit as necessary, but as ne a grit as

Photo courtesy of Lägler.

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