Saving Time and Money with Abrasives
Starting with the right abrasives:
When training, I always recommend starting with an abrasive as high/fine as possible to save money on running a whole process to get it to the appropriate grit. With time and experience on the floor, you will be able to look at a floor and tell what grit to start off with. Following the correct process avoids having to drop grits or spend longer on higher grits. Here is a simple step-by-step process to help.
- First cut: 36 – 40 grit to remove the top coat and deep imperfections
- Intermediate Cuts: 60 – 80 grit for removing scratches from previous cuts
- Fine Sanding: 100 – 120 grit for fine sanding for preparing for finish.
Choosing the Right Abrasive for Pine Boards
When choosing the right type of abrasive and the right grit, it boils down to the type of finish you are removing if we are working on a soft wood such as pine, usually found in homes where clients want their floorboards restored. No matter what type of abrasive you choose, 9 times out of 10, it's going to clog up. Thanks to the resins in the soft timbers. So, no matter if you're using aluminium Oxide, Zirconia or Ceramic abrasives, it's not going to make much difference. So, I would recommend using expensive abrasives for your first cuts; it would be pointless. I would recommend Zirconia or even Ally. If they are going to get clogged up, then why not look to make cost-effective savings but be warned? You will go through a fair few, so it's best to keep a few boxes on the van.
Choosing the Right Abrasive for Hardwood Floors. Such as Oak.
With Oak being a hard timber and not so resinous (Specific Oak Species dependent), Your best option is to go for something that has great cutting power and is long-lasting. A Ceramic system is highly effective for these types of floors. Thanks to the way there is a fracture, and I've had a fresh cutting edge more than other types of minerals commonly used.
Ways to Save on your First Cut.
Your first cut with the belt sander effectively Levels off a floor or removes the existing finish off the top. Expect the abrasive belt to get clogged to a degree and wear, thanks to the coating built up on top of the wood. With our first cut, all we do is reveal the real wood. A simple trick to get more out of your abrasive belts is to turn them around! As the grain on the belt becomes worn, it forms another cutting edge, which curves round to the other side. Giving you more life out of your abrasive. I would only recommend doing this with your first cut to remove the finish. Your intermediate and fine sanding scratch patterns are more information that needs to be removed in the correct manner.
Use the Drum pressure on your belt sander.
The drum pressure adjustment on your belt sander is a tool that not many people use to its full capability. Not only can it save you abrasives, but in most instances, it can also save you the finished article of your work. Some belts are turn knobs, Some are Levers, and some are ever Bolts to tighten. They all do the same thing: increase or release pressure from the drum onto the floor. Best practice is to, of course, have high pressure with your first cuts and gradually remove the pressure through your grits into the finer grits. This has the benefit of allowing your intermediate and finer grits more life as they are not being pressured into doing more than removing scratches.
Preparation of the floor.
Before even sanding, inspecting the floor thoroughly before undertaking a floor is a priority. If you find any nails or screws protruding to save your abrasives from getting ripped to screeds, spend the time going around the floor and hammering in any loose nails or removing/replacing loose raised screws. In addition, vacuuming the whole floor to avoid any debris getting stuck to the abrasives is only going to clog it up. Keep mindful of under skirting boards and down floorboard gaps where stones, chips, or loose fixings can come out and get under the belt sander.
Use an H class Vac with a pre-separator.
Not only can using a h class vac set-up help save the environment you are working in from becoming messy and airborne dust being breathed in, but it also has an effect on your abrasives, which are clogged up quickly. When you are using a machine with a specific hole pattern for extraction, it is pointless to set up a small machine to deal with such fine and sometimes heavy particles. Next time you're on site, run your machine for around half a meter with no extraction and see what the effect has on your pads.