Sanding Hardwood Floors in Dover, DE

Floor sanding

Flat first, then beautiful

What does dust contained sanding actually mean?

The machines are connected to vacuums, so wood dust is pulled into a bag at the point it is cut instead of drifting through the house. Add sealed doorways and the difference is enormous: no gray film on every surface for weeks afterwards. It is not literally dustless, and anyone promising that is overselling. There is always a little fine dust, and cleaning it up is part of the job. Sanding is the first half of every refinish we do.

Sanding is the first half of floor refinishing in Dover.

Can every floor be sanded?

Most can. What matters is how much wood sits above the tongue, because that is what is left to work with. An old floor sanded several times already, or one with nails standing proud, needs looking at before anybody plugs a machine in. Engineered floors depend entirely on the wear layer, and some are too thin to touch. Mike checks the boards, the nailing and the level first, and if a section has to come out it comes out before sanding rather than after.

Grit sequence and cut depth are set out in the National Wood Flooring Association sanding guidelines.

Big floors are the same work, scaled up

Gymnasium and rink floors get sanded flatter than a house floor, because on a sports floor a ripple is not just cosmetic, it changes how the surface plays. Same grit sequence, bigger machines, more passes and much more planning around when the building can be closed. We have sanded rink floors and hall floors across the region, and the sequence never changes: flat first, color second, protection last. See what else we handle on commercial floors.

Sanding on its own is rarely the whole job: see sanding and refinishing together.

For a finish that is hard the same day, ask about a UV cured coat.

What happens straight after sanding?

The floor is at its most vulnerable, so nothing walks on it. Bare wood picks up every mark and every footprint, and it will take anything spilled on it straight into the grain. Stain goes on next if you are changing the color, then the finish coats with an abrasive pass between them so each one keys into the last. Sanding and finishing are booked as one job for that reason, and they are the two halves of every refinish we do.

How long does sanding a room take?

An average room is a day including the edges and corners. A whole floor of a house is usually two, and the finishing follows after that.

Will you sand right up to the walls?

Yes. Edgers reach the perimeter and corners are done by hand or with a scraper. That hand work is what stops a dark band showing around the outside of the room.

Do you have to remove the baseboards?

Not usually. Our edging machines get close enough, and where a shoe molding is in the way it comes off and goes back.

What if there are nails or staples in the floor?

They get punched down or pulled before sanding. A proud nail tears a sanding belt and gouges the boards, so this is checked first every time.

Can you sand out deep gouges and pet stains?

Gouges usually sand out. Black pet stains have gone through into the wood, so those boards get replaced and the floor is sanded and finished as one.

Do you sand commercial floors?

Yes. Gymnasiums, roller rinks, church halls and studios, scheduled around when the building can close.