Sanding Unfinished Hardwood Floor

Perhaps the most difficult part of any unfinished hardwood flooring installation job is the sanding that is required. Wood being an organic material will be imperfect and will have uneven heights and gaps, even after it has been processed into flooring at the factory. And when this happens, your only option is to sand down the area to even out the wood.

There is couple of different kinds of sanding machines. There's the drum sander and there's the orbital sander. The orbital sander is said to be easier to use and more reliable, but the drum sander is more commonly available. If buying your own sander is not in your budget, you can rent one from floor installation specialists, who will often be willing to teach you how to operate it, too.

The best grain of sand paper for sanding new flooring is 20 particles, but that can be changed to higher grain once you have the initial work sanding. Sanding Experts say the best way to sand your wood floor is the use of a single direction, from right to left. This is because sanders are designed to do two things at the same time, with the left side serving as a 'digger' and the right side as the 'sweeper'. To do the job right, you want to cut any excess wood before any sweeping action.

Expect to have quite a workout while you sand your floor because the sanding machine is not easy to handle. It can be very heavy and will require force on your part to control its direction and pace. If you let the sander control you, you risk doing damage to the wood with rough spots or low spots. And the job is dusty and dirty.

Because of the difficulty with handling the sander, it is not something that you should experiment with. If you don’t want to do damage to your valuable hardwood floor, get all the information on the right sanding techniques first, and if you can practice with the sander before taking the plunge. If you don’t want to risk damaging your floor, just hire a professional sander to do that part of the hardwood flooring installation. It's better to pay a little to have a professional do the job correctly then risk damaging the floor and having to spend more money on a new floor.

In general, all wood flooring could use sanding to get it smooth and even, and to eliminate any splinters. If you do not want to dial with the work associated with unfinished hardwood flooring, you may want to go with prefinished hardwood flooring instead. It's a little more expensive upfront, but it saves you time and the hassles of sanding.

Buying Hardwood Floors at Wholesale Prices

More and more people are choosing not to go with hardwood floors because they are rather expensive. In fact, when you compare their price to cement, hardwood floors are priced higher by around 20% to 30%.

Why is this so? Hardwood floors come from organic and exhaustible materials. In addition, it takes years for an oak tree (the common source of hardwood) to fully mature, so technically, its preparation is more tedious. Concrete takes only a few hours to make and it doesn't usually require heavy human labor. On the other hand, there are a lot of people involved in producing the final hardwood floor plank.

However, this doesn't discount the fact that hardwood flooring is still the best way to go if you want an attractive and durable floor. Not only do they make the room cooler, but they actually give it a more natural look. Concrete makes a room look very unnatural, which is a no-go for claustrophobic and a pain to deal with during extreme heat.

Hardwood floors are expensive, yes, but they are readily available. You can purchase hardwood floor materials on discount from hardware stores, or you may buy them wholesale. If you're building an entire house, buying wholesale is your best option to save some money. It might be expensive initially because you are shelling out a large sum of money up front. But when you calculated the cost over the long run, you are actually paying less than if you were to buy the hardwood floor planks piece by piece as you build your house.

Wholesale hardwood floors are available in any wood and hardware store, so they're not difficult to find. Literally defined, wholesale hardwood floors are planks bought in bulk. The more you buy, the lower the price. And aside from being a cheaper option, getting them wholesale will spare you from the hassle of having to go to the store again to keep buying more boards.

Most stores usually offer free delivery of hardwood floors, especially if you are buying them wholesale. Transporting these wood planks is no easy task. They are heavy and bulky to transport. The stores are more than willing to throw in free delivery to entice you to buy a lot of the hardwood floors.