Sanding and Polishing a New Floor

Firstly, Happy New Years to everyone here. I've been a regular reader of these forums for a month or two and have picked up heaps of useful information from you people.

However, I was hoping someone could give me a quick run down on the process of sanding and polishing a new wooden floor. I've nearly finished laying Marri boards in my sunken lounge and have been debating having them professionally finished vs. doing it myself. It's only a small job (around 22 metres square) so I was hoping I could hire a sander and tackle it on a spare weekend.

After researching different products on the net I'm leaning towards the Bona products - specifically a coat of Bona Primer followed by two coats of Bona Mega. If anyone here has had experience with these products any helpful tips would be much appreciated, ie. how best to apply it to minimise bubbles, should I lightly sand between coats, etc.

I'm also unsure of the exact procedure to sand the floor, ie. what grits of paper to use, etc. I've managed to gather some snippets of information here but it would be great if someone could describe the procedure. I would rather not rely on what the guy at the hire shop tells me if possible.

Thanks in advance ..

Gary

I'm no flooring expert, and there's a few on these boards who could give you good advice, but I sanded a floor of mine about ten years ago now and I ended up with an average looking job. The problem was the sander that I hired. Most of the hire jobs aren't height adjustable. They ride on two wheels at the back, and you just lift the handle and they start digging in so I ended up with a pretty wavy looking finish. If you lift the handle too high then you'll dig a groove in the floor. I've seen the ones that the pros use and they're a bit longer and they have four wheels and a winding knob that controls the height. Once the height is set, they just flip a handle that lowers the sander to the same height for every pass.

It's also advisable to go slowly on each pass. I've seen professional jobs that have ended up with tiny ripples all along the floor because they went too fast, and the join in the sanding belt cut a small indentation each time it hit the floor. If you go slowly enough, then it's hardly noticeable and sands out with a fine (big floor polisher type) disc sander. The faster you go, the further apart the ripples are.

Have a contractor do it for you.

Hire the best one you can find.

Expect to pay somewhere between six to seven hundred for a top, hassle free job.

The hire equipment is not worth a knob of boiled goat ####. Don't risk it.:!

Hey Gary,

I used the stuff from Bunnings and ended up with a result i was happy with. If seen plenty of stuffed floors by DIYers because it is not easy and takes time. I did about 150m2 of cypress in about 4 days in 8 rooms. The pros will get a better finish but their equipment is better and well maintained.

I used the Deva seen here.

Tips:
prep carefully and vacuum well.
I used 40 grit initally to get it flat, sand at 45 degrees until smooth and flat. In some rooms this took 3 or more hours of constant sanding.
Use a 60 grit on the orbital to do the edges.
Use a tungsten Carbide scraper to do next to the skirting.
Then use the 40 grit with the grain to remove all diagonal scratches (1hr +)
Then use the 60, 80, 100 sequentially with the grain.
The pros have large orbitals to finish with that I couldn't hire locally.

The finish will be good, and better than most DIY attempts

good luck
pulse

One more thing, use a circuit with an RCD and have a spare extension cord handy........

cheers
pulse

Thanks for the feedback so far...

I think I'm leaning towards getting a contractor to do it now. I rang a few late yesterday and I found a very knowledgeable & friendly guy who charges only $25 per square meter. He told me he uses a Polycure solvent based finish, and applies one coat of primer followed by two top coats of gloss. I don't know a lot about this product except that I've seen it applied to Marri in a shopfront and it seemed to look fine.

At that price I can hardly justify doing it myself, considering the cost of buying the finish and hiring equipment. I already had a bad experience with hire equipment when I laid the floor - the nailer was a real fiddly bastard and I'm not sure if it was totally suitable for the job. So Dusty & Pawnheads comments really hit home with me.

Lastly, do you think I should be worried that this guy is only charging $25? The others I rang were charging around $28-$34 depending on the finish, however they didn't seemed to be as helpful or friendly as the other bloke.

by the time you hire the stuff, buy the floor punch etc you already have $200 to spend!

For 22m2 you are probably better off.

cheers
Pulse

Whats a knob of boiled goat #### worth ?

I think you made the right decision to get a contractor. I was also planning to do my own, did the DIY courses at bunnings and everything. However, l was extremely glad l got a contractor in to do it. The whole thing, punching, filling, sanding and 3 coats were all done in 1 day and l was back in the house within 3 days. I'm 100% sure they did a much better job than l could have done in triple that time.

If your still worried about price then you might want to get a quote and then ask for a cash price. I saved at least $300 from my floors by doing so.

must I buy the goat or is BYO OK?

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Originally Posted by Larry McCully

Whats a knob of boiled goat #### worth ?

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Not much, really.

It equates to something akin to floorsanding hire equipment. Which in real terms is barely worth two parts of #### all.

If, on the other hand, you happen to get onto some Rocking Horse #### you'll be laughing, as that's stuff's rare and is worth a few bob.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pulse

must I buy the goat or is BYO OK?

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You have a goat?? Cool. By all means bring it along as ownership slightly increases the value of said knob.

However, real profits may be realised if you are able to breed and raise your own goat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snoozer

Thanks for the feedback so far...

I think I'm leaning towards getting a contractor to do it now. I rang a few late yesterday and I found a very knowledgeable & friendly guy who charges only $25 per square meter. He told me he uses a Polycure solvent based finish, and applies one coat of primer followed by two top coats of gloss. I don't know a lot about this product except that I've seen it applied to Marri in a shopfront and it seemed to look fine.

At that price I can hardly justify doing it myself, considering the cost of buying the finish and hiring equipment. I already had a bad experience with hire equipment when I laid the floor - the nailer was a real fiddly bastard and I'm not sure if it was totally suitable for the job. So Dusty & Pawnheads comments really hit home with me.

Lastly, do you think I should be worried that this guy is only charging $25? The others I rang were charging around $28-$34 depending on the finish, however they didn't seemed to be as helpful or friendly as the other bloke.

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You will need to have them come out and give you a firm quote. That way you can be sure of selecting the right tradesman for the gig.

A friendly, helpful voice over the phone doesn't quite cut it for me. Meeting the dude that's going to do the work first will go a long way towards you making the right decision.

For the record the $25 a metre is great if the guy is as good as he seems. The Polycure (top quality) products and his suggested application methods are fine. However the first coat of primer (seal) that he intends on using bleaches the timber considerably, so if your looking to maxamise the depth of colour in the Marri I'd go for three coats of Gloss. Or, to help you make up your mind have a sample of both done you will be amazed by the difference.

Book yourself into a motel for the night as you won't be able to stand the smell till it dries.:o

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dusty

You have a goat?? Cool. By all means bring it along as ownership slightly increases the value of said knob.

However, real profits may be realised if you are able to breed and raise your own goat.

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With all this Goat talk, Al will be getting a bit toey by now.
I bet if you need knobs of Goat ####, Al would have truck loads:U .

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Originally Posted by glock40sw

With all this Goat talk, Al will be getting a bit toey by now.
I bet if you need knobs of Goat ####, Al would have truck loads:U .

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From what i have beenn told..It aint worth much. But i recon it would be a good fertliser for sugarcane.and a fossal fuel for honda hybrids.

Hi snooz, To be quite honest, i would get a pro in to do the sanding.
You could also get him to sand only and you do the coating. Bona is one of the worlds best water bourne polyurathanes and is able to be applied with a mohair roller. Getting him to sand only will save you a few bucks but if you are not to concerned about saving a hundred or two hundred bucks then get him to do the lot. Trust me when i say yhat you wont get it as perfect as a pro. and you will be disapointed at the end result. Dont chance it. You need to have a understanding of the effect of sanding and need to have machinery that will do the task professionally. I know how to turn a panio tuning key, but i dont know how to tune it. If you know what i meen. Your lounge room is one of the most important rooms in the house. Give it the best

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Larry McCully

Your lounge room is one of the most important rooms in the house.

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Second, only to the shed. :wink:

edit: - Oops! That's not in the house is it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Larry McCully

Hi snooz, To be quite honest, i would get a pro in to do the sanding.
You could also get him to sand only and you do the coating. Bona is one of the worlds best water bourne polyurathanes and is able to be applied with a mohair roller. Getting him to sand only will save you a few bucks but if you are not to concerned about saving a hundred or two hundred bucks then get him to do the lot. Trust me when i say yhat you wont get it as perfect as a pro. and you will be disapointed at the end result. Dont chance it. You need to have a understanding of the effect of sanding and need to have machinery that will do the task professionally. I know how to turn a panio tuning key, but i dont know how to tune it. If you know what i meen. Your lounge room is one of the most important rooms in the house. Give it the best

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Ditto...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dusty

However the first coat of primer (seal) that he intends on using bleaches the timber considerably, so if your looking to maxamise the depth of colour in the Marri I'd go for three coats of Gloss. Or, to help you make up your mind have a sample of both done you will be amazed by the difference.

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Dusty is right, that primer is for the contractors benefit not yours. You get a much deeper shine and better colour if you go 3 coats of gloss.

It will take the guy an extra visit so expect to pay an extra 100 bucks, but it'll be worth every cent.