Parquet floor sanding differs for different types of floors, solid wood strips or boards. The reason is that when grinding anything, you always have to do it in the direction of the grain. It is not possible to drive in the direction of grain by sanding the parquet floor, because the blocks are placed in different directions.
How to sand parquet floors.
You grind it at a 45 degree angle to the grain. Some floor sanders say that parquet floors should be sanded in another way. They say that you should sand the floor in one direction in the direction of the grain of each block and then, with the next transition, sand it in the opposite direction. This is not a good way to sand a wooden floor, as it will also sand the blocks you sanded towards the grain.
First of all, before you start sanding any wooden parquet floor, make sure that all wooden blocks are tightly glued and remove all clamps, nails and metal objects from the floor.
Once the floor is hard, free of loose blocks and all metal objects have been removed, it is time to start sanding the floor. Usually we start with a 40 sand floor sanding belt to level the floor and remove deep scratches. Sometimes you may need to sand the floor a few times with a 40 sand belt to make sure the floor is level, free of dirt and scratches. When sanding the floor, make sure that it always goes perpendicular to the previous transition. A grinding machine with a grain size of the sanding discs 40 must now be used to grind and smooth the edges.
Now it’s time to make another walk on the floor with a 60 grit sanding belt, sanding the floor at 45 degrees to the parquet blocks, but perpendicular to the last sanding direction. Sand the edges again, flush with the edge and a 60 grit sanding disc.
Now it’s time to fill the gaps between the blocks with epoxy filler and the dust you’ve got from the 60 sanding process. Mix epoxy filler and fine dust to form wood paste. You need to spread the putty all over the floor, making sure that all the gaps between the parquet blocks are filled. With some of the largest gaps, they may need to be filled twice, as the filler shrinks slightly during drying. This will make the floor dirty again, as part of the putty will be left on the floor. Allow the wood filler to dry completely and then proceed to the next step.
Now it’s the last step with a belt sander with a 100 sand belt. Again, remember to sand the floor at a 45-degree angle to the blocks, but perpendicular to the previous sanding. Now sand the edges one last time with a 100 grit sanding disc. Make sure you remove all the wood filler with this last step, as the buffer will not remove the filler.
Now it’s time to sand all the corners that the edge floor sander couldn’t reach. To smooth these corners, you will need a Bosch 2-inch belt corner grinder. Sand these corners evenly with a triangular sander.
Once the parquet floor has been sanded with a 100 grit sanding belt and all edges and corners have been sanded and leveled, it is time to start sanding / finishing the wood floor. Start sanding the floor with a 120 grit sanding disc. When sanding the floor, take the time and do it carefully, as it is the finish for the whole floor. Floor sanding will remove all imperfections and scratches from previous floor sanding steps. Make sure you remove any scratches left on the sander belt.
Once the floor is smooth and all scratches have been removed, it’s time to give the floor a good, clean surface. Make sure that all dust is removed when cleaning the floor, as you do not want the paint to be dusty or dirty. Then use a slightly damp microfiber mop to cross the floor to remove any remaining dust.
Finally it’s time to start compacting the floor and do all the hard work after sanding the floor. To apply the primer and varnish, you must use a short pile roller and apply the primer to the floor. You should use 1 primer on the untreated floor, followed by 2 coats of polyurethane wood floor varnish. Before applying each subsequent coat, make sure that each layer is very dry and make sure that the floor is sanded with a 150 grit sandblasting disc and that each coat is applied well.
For heavily loaded areas, you can apply additional coatings or use a harder commercial wood floor varnish.
