Parquetry Advice - Looking After A Parquet Floor

Refinishing A Parquet Floor: Sanding

Many people don't prefer parquet flooring despite being aware of the fact that it is an exquisite option. This type of flooring is centuries old. Even today, it beautifies royal homes in France. The main reason why people don't want to go for it is that they think that refinishing it is a piece of work. Some people even dub it as a nightmare! This is because of the wood grains in this type of flooring. They are in different angles from each other and that is why you have to be careful while sanding.

Patience is the Key!

Before starting the sanding process of your parquet flooring, you should know the importance of patience in this task. Hurrying up will ruin your floor all together. It is not something that you should do in haste. Of course you can rent a drum sander and start sanding the floor. Once you are done you can stain it and then add polyurethane for protection. However, if you go through the process quickly, you won't get the desired result. You should take your time with each step of the process. Along with being patient, it is needless to say that you will need to put in some hard work.

While many people think drum sanders are the best choice because they help you get finished quickly, people forget the risks involved. There are two big problems with drum sanders. One concern is that you have to be a professional to be able to use the drum sander with ease. A novice can easily damage the floor. The risk of creating gouges that are impossible to repair is very high when you use a drum sander. The same risk can be related to orbital sanders even though they can be controlled better than drum sanders.

Use Smaller Sanders for Better Control, Less Dust

Thus, you should go with a smaller sander such as the handheld orbital sander to carry out the process safely. Of course, this type of sander will require you to be more patient because it will take longer. On the brighter side, the risk of spoiling your parquety flooring is minimal with these sanders. This is mainly because these sanders can be controlled with utmost ease and thus, will let you do a better job. Another good thing is that the dust produced by these sanders is comparatively lesser.

There are sanders that have bags attached to them in order to store all the dust as you use them. Thus, your job is to simply empty the bag every now and then. For the open portion of your room you can use the belt sanders with ease. These are small and measure about three to four inches. However, for the edges you will need the orbital sander. You might also need a hand tool named paint scraper.

Decrease the Sandpaper Grit

To ensure that the finishing is fine, you should start decreasing the grit degree of the sandpaper. To start off with, you can use coarse grit. The right grit will depend on the condition of your floor. For example, if it is deeply scratched, you will need 20-grit sandpaper. Otherwise, you can start with 60-grit and then move to 100. Eventually you can use 150 and in the final round you may use 120-grit to finish the job. The surface will be extremely smooth and beautiful.

Stain, Polyurethane, Wax, or Oil

You may stain the floor after sanding if you prefer. If you don't want to, you can directly apply polyurethane. Make sure you apply at least three coats. If you don't want to go for polyurethane, you can choose wax or tung oil. Know that the hard part is already over. Go through the remaining process with ease and stand back to admire your beautiful parquet flooring!

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