Parquet floor sanding
Anyone out there have any tips for floor sanding an old parquet floor? The parquet is full 3/4″ thick, and has been sanded only once before. I hate to admit this, but I think I sanded it 20 years ago, but I can’t remember. There are marks from cross cut sanding, (I know, always sand…
Anyone out there have any tips for floor sanding an old parquet floor?
The parquet is full 3/4″ thick, and has been sanded only once before. I hate to admit this, but I think I sanded it 20 years ago, but I can’t remember.
There are marks from cross cut sanding, (I know, always sand with the grain) but how does one sand parquet that goes both directions?
Does any one out there have a tradesperson who has done a good job on parquet?
I will need to patch a few areas, so i have to take up some material from one area and reinstall it in another. Is there any good trick or getting the parquet strips up intact? They are the old 11″X 2 1/4″ strips, nailed to the strip under floor with cut nails. I figure this was a renovation performed between 1890 and 1910, partly because I can tell that the floor was laid before old steam radiators were installed, so it predates central heat.
House dates from 1846, but this floor covers what must have been hearth in front of fireplace, so it cannot be original. Any ideas about my dating?
One of the most satisfying DIY jobs within the home is lovingly sanding down an old wooden floor and transforming it into a beautiful new surface. It is not recommended to carry out floor sanding under your own steam on a parquet floor as these require specialist sanding machines and should not be attempted by the complete novice.
Time should be taken to ensure that the correct equipment is hired; your local floor sander hire center should be able to offer advice. Remember that pine floors no matter how flat they seem will invariably dip in the middle of each board. If the wrong equipment is used you will most likely end up with an uneven result after all your efforts.
If your sanding a parquet (block floor) you will need to sand starting with a 36 grit on an 8 or 10 inch belt sander diagonally, then sand with a 50 grit diagonally , then sand with an 80 grit diagonally. Once you have sanded to an 80 Grit, you will need to either use a buffing machine with an 80 and 120 grit carbon screen (will take a lot of buffing but will eventually remove all scratches) (a tip is to put three 50 grit sanding discs under the carbon screen) and buff till scratches are removed then buff again with an 80 then 120 grit screen. Alternatively you may be able to hire a Trio orbital sander. You will need 50 grit, 80 grit and 120 grit sandpapers.
If you would like any further assistance visit my website and contact me from there.
http://www.countyfloorsanders.co.uk
Sorry – didn’t mean to double-post.
I’ve been happy with my flooring guy, and we’ve redone both strip and parquet in the same apartments. Also, quite a few repairs. Sometimes we were able to use salvaged wood, but also had pretty good luck with new wood (which had to be stained to match the unstained older wood). Your parquet is about twice as thick as ours, so I wouldn’t think you’d have a problem. Can’t help you with dating it though. They seemed to install the parquet in the apartments for a number of decades around the turn of the century.
We also had one area of parquet that was damaged, and darker than the rest of the room, and they pulled up individual strips and scattered the darker ones throughout the room. We ended up staining it, and overall I was very satisfied with the effect.
I don’t want to post his information here, but I can be reached at litegreenlife at gmail dot com if you are interested in a reference.
I’ve been happy with my flooring guy, and we’ve redone both strip and parquet in the same apartments. Also, quite a few repairs. Sometimes we were able to use salvaged wood, but also had pretty good luck with new wood (which had to be stained to match the unstained older wood). Your parquet is about twice as thick as ours, so I wouldn’t think you’d have a problem. Can’t help you with dating it though. They seemed to install the parquet in the apartments for a number of decades around the turn of the century.
We also had one area of parquet that was damaged, and darker than the rest of the room, and they pulled up individual strips and scattered the darker ones throughout the room. We ended up staining it, and overall I was very satisfied with the effect.
I don’t want to post his information here, but I can be reached at litegreenlife at gmail dot com if you are interested in a reference.