Hardwood Floors April/May 2025

By Jason Elquest

GRIT SEQUENCE

First, always follow the finish manufacturer’s recommended sanding sequence. This is typically a wide range, maybe 80-120 grit, and as high as 150 with a multi-disc sander for some products. This is where it takes work. You have to try to figure out a recipe that works for you and the finishes that you work with most often. This can be done on a small test panel in your garage or shop. Always test the process before using it on a large project. If the finish doesn’t fail there, then you can go with confidence to the big floor. The job of the sandpaper is to remove material and prep the surface for the next step in the process. The mineral, abrasive, definitely plays a role in how difficult it can be to leave a small scratch. Always buy quality paper. With wood floor sanding, we will always leave a scratch. Our goal is to make it so small it can’t be seen from a standing position. We must be careful not to burnish the floor by sanding too fine and keep the finish or stain from sticking or penetrating the wood floor. For example, if you sand a floor finer than the sample that you made for the customer, then apply the same color stain, you will have two different colors. Don’t call the manufacturer and tell them their stain is bad. This is user error. This is why you must develop a recipe and don’t deviate from it, ever. Let’s walk through a generic sanding process

from the beginning. Always start with a clean floor. New or old, it must be free of debris. Make the floor FLAT with the first cutting. Use a paper that is just aggressive enough for the task. If you can complete this with 80 grit, then by all means don’t use 60 grit. Vacuum the entire

floor. This includes all the edges. Move through the grit sequence, being cautious not to skip more than one grit. This will show up in the final product. Vacuum in between each grit change.