Hardwood Floors April/May 2026

TECH TALK

with

Austen Kreie Lägler North America

Wayne Lee Middle TN Lumber

Mike Somodean MSCS Inc.

“What specific technique do you use when edging? How do you flatten the floor and reduce your swirls?”

AUSTEN KREIE

WAYNE LEE

The edger has a "cutting" spot. Most are the size of a quarter or half dollar. Understanding the cutting spot on the edger will tell you how to clock the edger. In your head, look down on the edger and think of a clock. So, if your edger is set to cut at 12:00, you will clock the edger to the right clockwise to begin to hide the scratch with the grain. If the spot is the size of a half dollar cutting at 12:00 and you clock the edger to the right, it does two things. First, it will cut the side-match of the boards on an angle to get them flat. Then, the heavy cut begins to work with the grain reducing the scratch.

Clocking your edger always is a great technique to use while edging a floor. Any type of edger you use will be rotating clockwise and creating cross-grain scratches on your boards that run perpendicular to the wall. In order to minimize that cross-grain scratch, clock your edger on your final pass at that section of the wall so that the disc now is rotating with the grain of the wood, as scratches hide much better going with the grain versus against the grain. I am a big fan of interface pads as well. They do a great job on the finer grits at leaving minimal scratches to worry about. There are a million ways to edge, but the best way is the edging that keeps you from a callback.

MIKE SOMODEAN

Access on your mobile device by downloading our app for iOS and Android devices.

I always train people in proper edging based on NWFA guidelines and a proper understanding of wood grain and the abrasive used. The floorboards get flattened in relation to each other while making sure you align the machine’s cutting point and the direction of rotation to the grain of the wood you are sanding.

FEB/MARCH 2026

R estoration A Lasting Legacy HISTORIC

For additional Tech Talk questions, view this story and previous editions on

AKES WITH CONCRETE SUBSTRATES VIDEO: YOUR DIGITAL HOUSE CALL

HARDWOODFLOORSMAG.COM or by downloading the HFM app.

PUBLISHING PARTNERS

100 hardwood floors hardwoodfloorsmag.com