Are your wood floors looking dull and worn?
One of the perks to having real, solid hardwood flooring is that you can sand and re-stain them to reveal a fresh, beautiful finish. You might be surprised by what sanding can achieve, and the money you can save by not replacing, but refreshing instead. Do-it-yourself culture has taken over. Hardwood flooring is no exception; you can refinish a substantial area in just one weekend.
Here are the essential prep materials and information you’ll need:  *A warning about sanding wood: engineered boards will often allow one or two sandings only (if any) you will need to check with the manufacturer and ensure your floor can take it. Solid hardwood can be sanded multiple times, but there’s a limit here as well. After 5 or 6 times, the structural integrity of the wood could be in jeopardy. Most people won’t sand their floors that many times, but this is important to keep in mind.
Types of sanding equipment
An orbital floor sander will refresh and refinish lightly scuffed, worn, dull and scratched hardwood flooring in Toronto. They are heavy to lift, but they glide effortlessly over the floor. The sanding is not aggressive, so you don’t run the risk of creating deep grooves and sanding in mistakes. You can give your floor a facelift and polish on your own using this handy tool. You’ll pass the machine over the floor in a slow, even pace, to gently grind wood down to a level below the finish treatments or dullness. The vacuum attached will suck up the dust you generate.
Orbital floor sanders are much easier to manage than drum sanders.
Drum sanders are heavy and challenging to handle for the average DIY person. Before you head out to rent one, ask yourself these questions: Is the floor thick enough? As mentioned above, there is a limit to how deeply you can sand even solid wood. The drum sander will be more aggressive than an orbital or belt sander. Places you can check thickness include cuts in the wood around pipes; however, the center of the floor in an older home may be more worn down. Is the floor severely damaged or discoloured? Drum sanders are heavy duty tools to remove considerably damaged surfaces and deep gouges. If your flooring is not very damaged, you may not need the drum.
Do you have experience?
Drum sanders require skill, and you stand a high chance of damaging your floor otherwise. Here’s why you should hire a pro if your floor is severely damaged: drum sanders do the trick, but they are big, heavy and require skill to manage. You’ll save yourself many headaches and possibly making things worse if you hire professionals.
