How to Use an Orbital Floor Sander

The floor makes an excellent part of your house, and you should consider sending it to give it a more beautiful impression. This will offer you and even your visitors a remarkable feeling whenever you will be relaxing at home.

You must know that hardwood is likely to lose its luster over time, which may call upon you to care for it and maintain its beauty. Therefore, sanding is a unique way to refinish your floor once more and give it a modern look.

To acquire excellent finishing on your timber floor, Toolslord.com recommends you have an appropriate tool. Consider using the orbital floor sander for efficient performance. There are numerous varying types of sanders in the industry, but the orbital floor sander stands out to be unique in the way it delivers performance.

Bear in mind that the orbital sander functions effectively using the rotating pad at the bottom, and it eliminates any lines made while you were sanding using the edger or the drum sander. In case you are not familiar with using this tool, worry less because this article will guide you on how to use an orbital floor sander.

How Do You Use Your Orbital Floor Sander?

Most people are usually curious about using an orbital floor sander to achieve incredible results. Therefore, below are some steps you should implement when using the orbital floor sander.

Step 1- Choosing your sanding tool

Suppose you have a hardwood floor and need to do some finishing on it. In that case, you must consider buying an orbital floor sander rather than making a massive investment in professional drum sanders.

Besides, the orbital sander has advantages over a professional drum sanding machine. Among the advantages is that the orbital sander is affordable and does not need professional skills to use it, unlike the drum sander.

Step 2 – Familiarize yourself with other people’s mistake

In case it is your first time engaging in sanding, it is appropriate that you go through some essential techniques of using the orbital sanders and the common mistakes you are likely to make during your first time.

Before you commence finishing or refinishing your floor, ensure that you have eliminated the entire stains. You can use the fine sandpaper on hard-to-contact corners of your house.

Step 3 – Preparing the floor

It would be best if you emptied everything from the room you want to sand. You can opt to use the plastic cover bags to tightly seal your curtains and blinds and hang them approximately four feet above your ground.

This will ensure that nothing interferes with refinishing as well as sanding work. It would help if you also found assistance from someone, and when working, ensure that you take breaks in between the working duration.

Step 4 – Determine your floor thickness

The hardwood floor needs to have a minimum thickness of 75-inch to allow you to sand correctly. Therefore, if the thickness of your hardwood floor is below 75, you might avoid sanding to prevent the risk of damaging your floor. To sand a thin hardwood floor, you need an expert in sanding.

Step 5 – Installing the sandpaper

When sanding, you require numerous sandpapers with different grits. Please choose open-face sandpaper because they are economical and easy to use. The first manual sanding needs you to use coarser sandpaper grits and eliminate the old finish from your wood.

On the other hand, use the finer sandpaper grits to acquire the smoothest finish. Moreover, if you have some painting on the floor, you will require an orbital sander with 20-grits sandpaper.

After choosing the correct sandpaper, switch the sander on its side. Remove the adhesive backing from your sandpaper. Ensure that you line it up with your rectangular pad, and you are good to go.

Step 6 – Install your dust bag

To install your dust bag effectively, you have to lower your cage situated at the back. After that, position the opening of your dust bag over your hole and check if the sleeve is tight enough. Maintain your cage in a lower position to support it as it inflates.

Step 7- Switch on your orbital sander

Your sander will commence sanding as soon as you switch it on. Thus, make sure that you start moving immediately to avoid sanding the same spot all through. Ensure that you sand row by row.

You can overlap the space by around half your sander’s width. Sand until you confirm your floor is outstanding. Likewise, make sure that you do not forget to sand the corners of your house. If the orbital sander cannot reach such places, use your sandpaper manually.

Step 8 – Vacuum & wipe the dust

In case you are through with the entire process of sanding, use your vacuum cleaner to suck the whole dust generated from sanding. After that, use the tack cloth to get rid of hair or dust left on your floor.

Step 9 – Refinish your floor using the sealer

Most people do not use sealer coats on their floors. However, it is recommended that you use it, especially if you host many people in your house, and they are likely to stain your house quickly. You must ensure that you choose an exceptional quality sealer.

If you opt to use a sealer on your hardwood floor, it is ideal that you use the oil-based polyurethane sealer and not the water-based sealer. Ensure that you stay in protective gear, such as gloves, to avoid irritating your skin.

Additionally, the sealer should be spread evenly. You also need to figure out how you will exit your house and allow it to dry completely for a minimum duration of around 48 -72 hours. Once you are done, you can comfortably start arranging your furniture back in your house.

Maintaining Your Hardwood Floor

After sanding your floor, you need to invest your effort and time to ensure that your floor looks fantastic and maintains its modern impression. Below are several tips you can use to maintain your floor:

• Maintain your house humidity at a moderate range, and it should neither be high nor low since it can damage your floor.
• Avoid using soapy cleaners and vinegar on your wood floors.
• Ensure that you make a routine of dusting your floor weekly because regular maintenance keeps it in great shape.
• In case something spills on the floor, clean it up immediately to avoid staining your floor.

Conclusion

With the above guide, we believe you are now unstoppable, and you can use the orbital floor sander confidently. Furthermore, with the step mentioned above, you can finish sanding your floor within the minimum duration possible. You can also choose to take your time and deliver outstanding performance.