Stripping, Waxing, and Sanding a Floor FAQs

Doing the work to wax the floor yourself will require a lot of time invested – although what you save on labor might not make up for the expenses related to the materials.

The fortunate thing is that if you take away all the surface covering, you probably won’t be interested in adding a lot of hues or patterns to it. This guarantees that you will have sufficient remaining wax for your upcoming floor covering venture.

Waxing Your Floor

If the floor has a lot of marks, it should be waxed prior to being painted. A coat of paint can even out large flaws and give a more even, polished finish.

Waxing floors provides a long-lasting glossy finish and helps remove small scuff marks. It should be observed that it can be challenging to wax a surface that has already been painted over, because although you can strip the paint, you’ll still have some of the former wax on the floor which either has to be sanded down or polished off. If that is the situation, it may be beneficial to apply a new paint job to the floors prior to adding further coats of wax.

It is essential to wait until each layer of wax has dried fully before layering on the following coat when doing wax applications. This process requires an overnight drying period.

What Do Waxing Floors Do?

Wax is beneficial to floors as it creates a wax layer, creating a glossy finish. It also safeguards surfaces so that if liquid is spilt on the floor, it can’t cause harm or leave a trace.

What Does Re-Waxing Floors Do?

It is essential to wait until each wax application is fully dry before applying the subsequent layer. Be sure to employ a product tailored to re-waxing floors when engaging in this task.

There are numerous business items available that can be used to make your floors gleam without eliminating the preexisting wax from the floor. When adding fresh wax to the surface, ensure that the layers of the new wax are at the same thickness as the old wax. This will stop cracks from forming on your floor.

FAQs:

How often should I refinish my floors?

It all depends on the amount of travel, airborne substances, and how well you care for your floors. If the surface appears faded or aged, it would be wise to remove the wax and reapply it. It is best to strip and wax the material annually, even if it appears in good condition.

The duration of the project can vary from two days to as long as four weeks, depending on the amount of space you are working on. The more area, the longer it will take. I wouldn’t suggest doing a complete makeover of your home or business in one night or even a couple of days.

What type of wax do you recommend for a house with pets?

If your critters are not house-broken and will be moving about on the floor, I would strongly suggest using an oil-based wax or polyurethane sealant to prevent any stool issues.

Many individuals query what kind of wax is the most beneficial for animals – my suggested answer is always an oil-based protective coating.

What elements can influence the time it takes to remove wax and apply it back to my floor?

A few factors are likely to influence the duration of this project. In order to have a consistent wax coating, layer upon layer should be applied until the surface is fully covered with a strong but indefinable wax layer.

Here are some steps to follow in order to finish this task in time:

• Mask off your walls with plastic sheeting and rubber bands to keep any excess paint from falling onto the floor.
• Use an electric sander or putty knife to scrape off stubborn spots when working on circular polishing motions.
• Ingredients will vary depending on the way you decide to use, so follow the instructions on the package to ensure proper mixing.

How to strip and wax a floor by hand?

Doing the job on your own is the most effective way to get it done; if, however, you don’t trust your own skills, it’s best to employ a business.

If you’re going for quality and speed do the job yourself:

1. Choose between water-based or solvent-based strippers. Combine ingredients and start stripping.
2. After stripping, use a wax remover to remove the residue.
3. Let dry overnight and apply primer. Let dry overnight again before applying paint.
4. Apply several layers of paint until you achieve the desired result. It’s important to let each layer dry between applications for best results.
5. Finish with polyurethane for extra protection.

Once you have all the information, it is nearly time to eat lunch. Go fetch a sandwich and something to drink, then return when you have successfully completed your task!

What are the types of floors that can be stripped or waxed?

Floors that can be given a strippin-and-waxing treatment include hardwood, laminate wood, stone, and tile.

For an even coating on a concrete floor, you need to begin with either a floor sander or a brick sander before starting to strip or wax.

What do you need to strip and wax floors?

A water-based remover is necessary for removing oil-based paints, a solvent-based solution should be used to take off latex paint, or an electric disc grinder should be utilized if taking off a bare concrete surface.

You’ll also require a putty knife constructed of metal in order to remove any old coats of paint, and an electric buffer with 100 grit sandpaper (or for broader surfaces, a pole sander).

Once you have stripped the aged paint using a sander or stripper, use a wax eliminator to get rid of any remaining particles from the surface. Read the directions on the box if you decide to purchase pre-combined stripper and wax products.

When cleaning large sections, a pole sander is needed, while a rubber grout float should be used when working on stone or tile floors. To get rid of any wax residue that isn’t accessible, a small putty knife should be utilized. If the floor is composed of old wooden boards, an electric sander might be a better choice than a pole sander since it can handle water-based strippers more effectively.

How much do waxing floors cost? What costs should I expect?

It could cost as little as seven cents per square foot to strip and wax the floors if you do it yourself with water-soluble strippers, but if you need to hire someone to do it for you, it will be more costly.

On average, it costs $2.50 to wax each square foot of flooring. The cost of the service will vary depending on the type of flooring. It may cost you more to wax your wood floors in comparison to your linoleum ones, because prior to applying wax to the former, you have to strip the floor of its current sealing, while all that is necessary for the latter is to coat it in wax.

How To Sand Wooden Floors and Floorboards

Where Do I Begin?

After clearing out everything from your room, take away any outdated carpets, nails, and all other items that have been attached to the floor. Subsequently, vacuum everything and give it a thorough cleaning.

Essentially, you need a blank and unsoiled surface to begin from.

Does the Room Have to Be Completely Empty?

Ideally – yes. You have to have a lot of room to operate in when you are using the very large drum sander; you need the space to move freely within the room.

We had to sand our dining area floor, yet we had to remain the blue couch and sideboard in the space because we just had nowhere else to put them.

We finished sanding one side of the room and after that, shifted the sofa to sand the other side. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t terrible either.

My Floor Is in a Poor Condition. Will It Still Look Okay When It’s Sanded and Finished?

Probably.

It should be stated that even if you have the best sanding job possible, it won’t help if your floorboards have become rotten and have produced large gaps.

Having said that, our kitchen floor looked absolutely awful.

After swapping out a few of the deteriorated floorboards and giving everything a good sanding, the results aren’t too bad (yet I should note that this was only thought of as a short-term answer and shouldn’t be what you’re striving for in regard to the quality of completion).

What Tools Will I Need to Sand My Floors?

You will require a drum sanding machine and a border sander. A competent rental store will provide you with the necessary materials and teach you how to operate the equipment. There’s no cause for alarm, as the tools are surprisingly easy to use!

Are There Any Other Tools or Equipment That I’ll Need?

You need to get a hammer, a nail punch, a variety of sandpaper with different levels of coarseness, a vacuum cleaner, and enough space in your container for all these items. You will accumulate many sacks full of sawdust.

What Protective Equipment Will I Need?

Safety should always be prioritized, so don’t forget to include top-notch dust masks (ie. FFP2) , some kind of hearing protection (ear muffs are most ideal, alternatively, earplugs) and a good pair of shoes.

Is There Anything Else I Have to Prepare?

Make sure your floor is completely flat and nail-free. Every guide recommends that you pound the nails of your flooring into the wood so that the heads of the nails are flush with the surface or slightly below it (about 2 millimeters).

Do I Really Have to Punch Down Every Nail Before Sanding?

In our opinion, it is unnecessary to force the nails down; however, it is essential that none of the nails are left sticking out of the surface.

I would strongly advise against this and you must be extremely cautious when using the sander, as it is possible for the sandpaper to tear due to running into a nail, or worse, cause damage to the machine.

The floor sanding organisation that worked on our living room floor didn’t take the time to do this step. Definitely, something to do at your own risk!

Sanding Floors

Yes! Polishing your floors is simpler than you may have imagined but it requires a lot of effort! Do your research and be well prepared.

How Do I Sand a Wooden Floor?

You must use the edging sander to sand the edges of the room, and the large drum sander to sand the rest of the floor.

You can begin the process of evening out your really uneven floorboards by using a large drum sander and sanding diagonally across them. Then move on to sanding in the direction of the boards. Generally speaking, you should always sand in the same direction as the wood’s grain!

You need to use an edging sander to buff the perimeter of the room, and then smooth out the rest of the floor with a sizable drum sander.

If you have extremely uneven floorboards, you can start by running the large drum sander diagonally across them to even them out, then continue to sand along the original direction of the boards.

Generally speaking, sanding should be done in the same direction as the wood grain.

What Kind of Sandpaper Should I Use?

The kind of roughness of the surface will ultimately be determined by the kind of floor you have. What condition is it in? Are the floorboards wavy and uneven? Was the surface painted or does it have carpet adhesive on it?

We employed sixteen, 24, 40, 60, 80, and 120 abrasiveness. Begin smoothing out the floor by using sandpaper that has a very rough texture to eliminate the former layers of varnish.

Before you can progress to finer grain sandpaper, you must make sure that your floors are rid of any old layers of lacquer, stain, and dirt.

If your floorboards are not too heavily coated in dirt or paint, use 24 grit sandpaper to start sanding.

If the unevenness or thickness of paint on your floorboards is considerable, you might need to begin to sand them with 16 grit sandpaper.

If I’ve Removed All of the Dirt and Grime with the Coarse Paper, Why Do I Have to Bother Sanding It Again with Finer Paper?

The really rough paper will really cut into the floorboards and leave a very uneven surface. By using increasingly finer sandpaper, you are eliminating the coarseness of the wood and making it smooth.

Don’t skip the really fine paper either. Your floor will be much more even and refined, making it simpler to take care of.

What Type of Sander Is Best for Floors and What’s the Best Floor Sanding Machine?

The level of quality between different machines can differ greatly. You’ll frequently notice the machines you rent from a do-it-yourself store are not as good as the ones utilized by experts.

It’s beneficial to go to either a place that specializes in floor sanding items or one that rents out tools for the job rather than a general home improvement store. These locations will have more knowledgeable staff that can provide advice on the best tools for the flooring you have.

We advise that if you have access to a Lägler ELF 200, you definitely use it because it is the top machine for sanding floors and it is very simple to work with.

As a DIY enthusiast, you won’t be sanding a huge surface area, so there is no need to stress out over selecting a sander, since any of them are capable of completing the task.

Employ the suitable tools, opt for the appropriate grit sandpaper and alter it often. Give yourself ample time and ensure that the sanding drum does not stay in one location for too long in order to prevent gouging of the floor. It’s physically hard work but not difficult to do.