Hardwood Floors December 2018/January 2019

P A I D A D V E R T I S E M E N T

3M's ability to transform new ideas into ingenious products that enable the industry to work more efficiently, productively, and brilliantly is driven by our passion for the industries, businesses, and people we serve. It's who we are. We bring 3M Science to the hardwood floor industry because sanding floors is one part science, one part art, and many parts hard, dusty work. Producing the highest-quality results with the least amount of effort requires a specific, well-defined sequence of steps. For example, every grit on every belt, disc, roll, or sheet is designed for a specific floor sanding stage. Choose coarse grits for removing heavy stock or finish buildup, and finer grades for creating a smooth, beautiful finish. 3M SCIENCE Sculpting the Geometry of Abrasive Grain

3M offers a complete product group of many products that help make the difficult job of making hardwood floors beautiful so much easier. With a complete line of safety products, we can help protect you and your workers. We can protect the jobsite with a complete masking and tape system to keep dust to a minimum. 3MHardwood Epoxy Repair products can make quick work of board replacement, transition installation, and loose board syndrome. It’s standard practice in floor sanding to start with a coarse- grit abrasive to flatten the floor and remove scratches, and then follow with medium-grit and fine-grit abrasives to create a smooth finish. The best way to choose a sequence is to select the finest grade you want to finish with and work back to the coarser grades, skipping no more than one grade between each sanding. For example, if you want your finest grade to be 100, the sequence you would follow is 40-60-100 (skipping only grades 50 and 80). If you want to finish the job with grade 80, use the sequence 36-50-80 (skipping only grades 40 and 60). No two floors are exactly the same – similar, but not the same. Each floor is a different sanding experience and should be approached with a different perspective. Always inspect, repair, and clean each floor prior to sanding.

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