Sanding and F I N I S H I
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
N ATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION TECHNICAL PUBLICATION No. B200 Price: $30 ® SANDING AND FI N I S H I N G OF HARDWOOD FLOORS © 2000 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION N ATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION TECHNICAL PUBLICATION No. B200 CONTENTS SANDING AND FINISHING IN T R O D U C T I O N STA I N S 3 Customer expectations 18 Oi l - b a s e d Wat e r b o rn e Aniline dye SA N D I N G General staining tips 4 Sa f e t y Bl e a c h i n g Job-site environ m e n t Preparation and inspection SE A L E R S 19 Oi l - m o d i f i e d SANDING EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS Wat e r- b a s e d 6 Basic and specialty equipment Other sealers Drum and belt sanders Bu ffers, oscillating machines, multi-disc machines FI N I S H E S Ed g e r s Oi l - m o d i f i e d Dust Collection 21 Maintenance of equipment Wat e r b o rn e Mo i s t u re - c u re Conversion varni s h PROPER SANDING TECHNIQUE Other finishes 9 The basics Choosing the proper grit sequence General finish tips Suggested sanding and finishing Finish prop e r t i e s se q u e n c e Fi l l e r s Abrasives guide Custom painting Sanding technique for strip and plank Sanding parqu e t Troubleshooting sanding Ed g i n g MA I N T E N A N C E Sc r a p i n g 25 Refinishing old floors Fi l l i n g TROUBLESHOOTING FINISHES Ha rd plating 26 Sc re e n i n g 28 SAMPLE CUSTOMER PREP LETTER SP E C I A LTY FLOORS Varying grain direction, hardn e s s GL O S S A RY 15 and density Sanding metals 29 Stone insets IN D E X Re f i n i s h i n g 33 FI N I S H I N G SOURCE SA N DCR EDITS 16 Sa f e t y 34 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Ap p l i c a t o r s 35 RE S O U R C E S NO GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY The information contained in this publication rep resents widely accepted industry practices. There are, however, no universally approv e d methods of sanding and finishing. The National Wood Flooring Association accepts no risk or liability for application of the informa t i o n contained in this publication. 2 © 2000 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION N ATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION TECHNICAL PUBLICATION No. B200 SANDING AND FI N I S H I N G OF HARDWOOD FLOORS tomer prep” fact sheets to give each customer before In t roduction: the job begins, outlining what the customer should t’s been said that there are enough wood floors expect in the way of disruptions. A typical fact sheet al ready in existence to keep sanders and finishers should detail several key factors: Ibusy for decades to come. The fact is, sanders • Tell how long the process will take. and finishers are in great demand today — both to • Indicate that dust is likely to accumulate in refinish those existing floors and to sand and finish other parts of the house, even though those roo m s much of the millions of square feet of new wood are sealed off from the work area to reduce dust flooring being installed each year. (The exception, of in f i l t r a t i o n . course, is the factory-finished flooring being • Note that the finishing process will prod u c e installed, but even that will need to be refinished or vapors. Depending on the finish being applied, this recoated someday.) may req u i re that pilot lights be shut off during the pro c e s s . • Stipulate that traffic in the work area should be CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS restricted. That means that all other trades should Whether you’re working on a new home installa- have completed their work, and no other floor traffi c tion, at a commercial job site or on a home rem o d e l- should be allowed during the sanding and finishing ing project, you will do yourself and your customers process. Home owners should be especially watchful a favor if you properly prep a re them for the sanding to keep children and pets away from the work area . and finishing process. • Indicate that furni t u re, appliances and old floor As a flooring professional, you probably accept the coverings should be removed before the sanding and sanding dust and the finish vapors as facts of life. finishing process can begin. And, in fact, it is easily dealt with. However, the home A sample “Customer Prep Letter” is on page 28. owner who is not properly prep a red may see the dust For more on job site preparation, see Tech Manual and vapors as much larger issues than they are. Chapter A400: Jobsite Evaluation, Estimating and To address that, many contractors prep a re “cus- Pre p a r a t i o n . BEFORE AND AFTER: This turn- o f - th e - c e n t u ry wood floor features bor- ders of walnut, ma h o g a n y, oak and maple, but decades of foot traffic and finish buildup have taken their toll. Never fear: A prof e s- sional sand-and- refinish job ret u rn e d the floor to its origi- nal beauty. © 2000 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION 3 N ATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION TECHNICAL PUBLICATION No. B200 SECTION1: SA N D I N G Although it is not technically spontaneous com- SA FE TY bustion, a problem also occurs when small sparks fly he re are many safety issues to consider in the into the dust-collection bag. These sparks, which are sanding process. One of the most important is often caused by abrasives striking nails, can cause a T spontaneous ignition, which can occur with fi re to begin smoldering, not visible until minutes or sanding dust. hours later. For this reason, all nails should be set Combustion caused by wood dust is a potentially prior to sanding. This will also help prevent damage serious problem. There are several ways in which it to the machine. can occur. The first and least common is the wood Sanding dust should be disposed of safely. Keep dust starting on fire in the dust-collection bag when a an eye on the dust-collection bags on all equipment. new floor is being sanded. The heat created from the Empty the bags often in a proper container. Also, friction of the machine and sandpaper on the floor always empty dust collection bags before transporting can increase to the point that the sawdust begins to the machine or leaving the job site — even if you’re smolder inside the bag. Plain wood dust must reach a just leaving for a short time. te m p e r a t u re of 400 degrees Fahrenheit for it to ignite. Always remove dust receptacles from the job site Combustion happens much more frequently, how- at the end of every day and dispose of them in the ev e r, when an old floor is being sanded. The old fin- proper manner. For that matter, it’s a good idea to ishes that are on the floor become ground into a fine remove dust receptacles any time you leave the job po w d e r. Again, the heat created by the friction can site for any length of time. cause spontaneous ignition. Refinishing old floors poses additional safety issues. See page 12 for a more thorough discussion of precautions you should take. Another important safety issue involves the prop e r operation of the sanding machinery. The following safety guidelines should be adhered to: Proper electrical con- nections* are essential. Refer to local electrical codes and to manufac- tu rers’ guidelines for each piece of equipment. Read the warni n g s and* operational instruc- tions that are provided by the manufacturer of ea c h sanding machine. Spontaneous ignition: Th e owner of this van learne d the hard way what can hap- pen if sanding dust is not disposed of prop e r l y. Dust- collection bags should be emptied into a proper con- tainer before transporting a sanding machine — and be f o re leaving the job site, even for just a short time. 4 © 2000 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION N ATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION TECHNICAL PUBLICATION No. B200 for comparison later, when you are checking moisture Eye, ear and respiratory protection devices as content between coats of water-based finish. *req u i red by OSHA. A more detailed discussion of proper moisture condi- tions can be found in the National Wood Flooring Associ- Safe work shoes (with laces tied) are important. * ation’s Technical Publication No. A100: Water and Make sure you are always in complete control of Woo d . For information on obtaining a copy of that publi- *all equipment. cation, contact NWFA at the address indicated on the back page of this publication. Keep electrical cords away from machines’ mov- *ing parts. Also keep cords out from underfoot and off your shoulders, since electrical cords can be the PREPAR ATION AND INSPECTION cause of injury.