DIY Floor Sanding.....Should you do it. Here is one I just

I like to let the images do the talking. : ) Regards Mark.

is that black butt timber flooring??

Yes, its Black butt.

thanks Qsand.
Another question when do you know when its time to resand?? Is it purely when it cosmetically looks bad or are there other reasons when you might re sand (ie to protect the timber some how)

Sorry, but the first thing I did, was laugh!

(Shacks head at the thought of a home jobby sand)

Purely cosmetic, unless the sealant is worn back to bare timber (unlikely under normal use).

Some things can be DIY, floor polishing should be left to the pros.

Hi B Star, there are two main processes that can be done.

1. Is a re-coat. When you catch it early enough, we give it a light buff back to clean and roughen the surface and apply another layer of finish. This usually last another 3-5 years dependant upon traffic. How to tell when you need a re-coat. You look in a door way. You compare the centre of the doorway to the sides. Everyone walks directly in the centre and the sides are still brand new. So when you see it dull off in the centre, that is a good indication to give your floor sander a call to see if it needs a re-coat.

Basically its the same process as applying the final coat. If you are using two-pack polyurethane, you can move back in the next day. It only takes a couple of hours for us to re-coat an entire house. There is no dust as we are not sanding wood, we are sanding the coat only. It is a fine white powder that the machines easily vac up as they go. It is a Quarter of the cost of a full re-sand.

2. Which is obviously a Full re-sand back to bare timber and three coats, brand new. When ever you see any grey on the floor.
Like in high traffic areas, or under chairs. Grey means the coat is completely gone, and the water from washing is now penetrating into the timber and sending it grey.

You may also have nails popped and fill chipping out that needs re-touching, but as previously said, its mainly cosmetic.

Now I will hide this comment here. lol You may be wondering why I posted this DIY pics and why so many?

For what is is worth, the owner of this home, was a floor sander 20 years ago. He was a great guy. He had told every one at his work that he was going to do his own floors because he was a professional 20 years ago.

You can see the result for yourself.

What I have always said to clients who attempt to sand their own floor is this.....The hire machines they loan to you are rubbish.
I could not do a good job with them. So here is the proof that even an Ex-Pro couldn't do a good job with a hire machine.

They are not like the machines we have. The drum sanders we have are worth $15,000 each. They have a handle to lower the drum. The ones they hire you are Less than $5,000 each and they have no handle. You have to tilt the whole machine forward by lifting the back up to make the drum touch the ground. This is why there are so many drum marks and cut in marks.

Also these machines have been dropped many times, by owners that think they are heavy. Yes they are very heavy, it doesn't mean you can drop them. They have been run over nails and all sorts of things. They are not calibrated at all from setup and they get worse and worse.

No company hire you the machines to sand back between the coats. They basically just give you a cheap drum sander and an edger that is just worn and horrible. I doubt I could do a good job with them.

Its a far cry from the 5 machines we use to do your floor professionally. Second page of our website showcases our machines. (Edger wouldn't fit in the pic for neatness) If you watch our film on https://qsand.com.au/about-quicksand-and-polish youu will see them all in action. Regards Mark.

Cool Well I have blackbutt with 2pac finish. It been almost 5 years and the finish is still very good. Admittedly I have some light scratches from kids with there toys and the main areas are not as shinny as the study which get little use and therefore have very really been moped with the enjo mop. A night the floor looks great. During the day with low sun you can see very fine scratches ( I am sure you have a name for this).

LOL, Yes I call it LIFE. At the end of the day, a floor is made for walking on.

It sounds like you are just about ready for a re-coat.

It reminds me of an old floor sanding joke.

Why is a timber floor just like a man?

Because if you Lay them right the first time, and you can walk over them for many years to come. (My apologises If that offends anyone.)

one more question. We had a water leak and if you look carefully in the light you can see some cupping mainly i n the hallway. Would this mean you need to resand to the timber completely.

If you want to restore the floor back to a flat condition, then Yes, you have to resand it again all the way back to abre timber. A re-coat won't do anything for the cupping.

Regards Mark