How To Prepare Your Home for Sanding Service

When getting ready for wood floor restoration, there are several important factors to keep in mind. Proper preparation not only ensures a smoother sanding process but also helps protect your home and belongings. Here’s what you should consider before the work begins:

• Clear the Area: Remove all furniture, rugs, and decorative items from the floor. This will give the professionals ample space to work and protect your belongings from dust and damage.

• Plan for Dust: Sanding can create a significant amount of dust. Consider sealing off doors to other rooms and using plastic sheeting to minimise dust spread.

• Notify Your Neighbors: If you live near others, it’s courteous to inform your neighbours about the upcoming work. This can help them prepare for potential noise and dust.

• Choose the Right Time: Schedule the sanding for a time that’s convenient for you and your family, ideally when you can be away from home or in another room to avoid disruption.

By taking these steps, you can ensure that your wood floor sanding service goes as smoothly as possible, leading to a beautifully restored floor that you’ll enjoy for years to come.

Clearing The Areas of Furniture

To ensure a successful wood floor sanding process, it is crucial to clear all areas that will be sanded of furniture and any items that can easily collect dust, such as books, curtains, and decorative pieces. Here’s how to prepare:

• Remove Furniture: All furniture should be moved out of the sanding areas. If you have larger items, like sofas or beds, that can only be moved through windows, please inform us in advance. This allows us to allocate extra time for safe removal and re-entry.

• Dust Collection Considerations: While we use advanced, dust-free sanding equipment, some dust particles may still be generated during certain stages of the job. To maintain a clean working environment, the floors must be free from home furniture and accessories.

• Protect Your Belongings: If it’s not feasible to move every piece of furniture, we will provide dust sheets to seal and protect any remaining items and upholstery from dust and debris.

• Assistance with Moving: We understand that moving furniture can be a hassle. That’s why our team will assist you with both moving furniture out of the way and bringing it back once the sanding is completed.

By preparing your space in this way, you help ensure a smooth and efficient sanding process, leading to stunning results for your wood floors.

Gap filling is a vital process in wood floor restoration that not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of your flooring but also improves heat insulation. Here’s why filling gaps is beneficial and how we address it at FlooringFirst!:

Benefits of Gap Filling

• Improved Heat Insulation: Filling gaps helps to keep your home warmer by preventing cold air from circulating beneath the floorboards. This is particularly important for ground floor rooms where drafts can lead to increased heating costs.

• Enhanced Aesthetics: A floor with filled gaps looks more polished and cohesive, giving your space a refined appearance.

• Protection Against Water Damage: Gaps in kitchens and bathrooms, typically located on lower storeys, can allow water to seep through the boards. By addressing these gaps, you can prevent severe damage and costly repairs.

Our Gap Filling Techniques

At FlooringFirst!, we employ a variety of methods to effectively fill gaps in your wooden floors:

• For Smaller Gaps (4-6mm): We utilise a resin-based mixture of sawdust collected during the sanding process, combined with a specially formulated wood filler. This approach ensures that the filler blends seamlessly with the existing wood.

• For Larger Gaps: We may use wood splinters or MDF to fill larger gaps effectively. Our team will provide you with detailed information on the necessary steps and how we plan to resolve all relevant issues.

Achieving a Smooth, Flat Surface

Our ultimate goal is to achieve a perfectly flat and smooth surface. This not only enhances the appearance of your flooring but also ensures that surface finishes wear evenly. Jutting spots and floor humps can accumulate dirt and are more challenging to clean, which may lead to further deterioration over time.

By opting for professional gap filling services, you are investing in the longevity and beauty of your wood floors.

Managing Dust and Noise During the Sanding Process

Wood floor sanding can be a noisy process, and it’s essential to consider the impact on your household and neighbours. Here are some best practices to manage noise levels:

• Notify Your Neighbors: Inform your neighbours ahead of time about the scheduled sanding service. This proactive communication helps to avoid misunderstandings and complaints.

• Work Hours: Our team typically avoids working after hours, particularly in residential areas. If evening work is necessary, we will seek proper authorisation and ensure that noise levels are kept to a minimum to prevent disturbing the neighbourhood.

Dust Management

While we utilise cutting-edge sanding machines that are designed to be virtually dust-free, it’s important to understand that some dust may still be generated during the sanding process. Here’s how we handle dust management:

• Dust Collection: Our advanced equipment is equipped with dust collection systems that capture a significant portion of the dust produced. However, there are certain stages of the sanding process where some dust may still escape.

• Protecting Your Home: We recommend covering furniture and valuable items to prevent any dust from settling on them. Our team can provide dust sheets and assistance to ensure that your space is adequately protected.

By being aware of the noise and dust associated with wood floor sanding and taking these steps, you can help ensure a smoother and more pleasant experience for everyone involved.