With the rise of online tutorials for anything and everything, you might want to take the plunge for a “do it yourself” approach for even the most challenging jobs that require professionals. One such home improvement task is sanding your floor. However, is it really a good idea?

Sanding your floors may seem like an easy task, but it is not just limited to moving a sander up and down the floor. While it sounds exciting to take on a home DIY project, it’s only a wise idea if you have the skills, budget, time, and right sanding tools. A wrong DIY sanding can reduce your floor’s lifespan significantly. And, if hire professionals with best floor sanding machines in Oxford to rectify the damaged surface, it would be a lot of extra work.

If you’re among the confused ones and are yet to call a pro, UK Screeds has compiled a list as to why DIY floor sanding is never a good idea.

Let’s get rolling!

The Decision Maker – Things to Consider

Your floor will need floor Sanding sooner or later. The decision of getting professional help or opting for DIY should therefore be made quickly. However, this decision should be made after several factors, such as:

1. Complexity – Floor restoration is a complicated task. However, the level of complexity hinges on your floor type and whether there are any additional problems. In some cases, you may have to level the entire subfloor just to achieve even surface that is suitable for sanding. 
2. Equipment – You must also have the proper knowledge and expertise about the equipment know-hows when to use it, how to fill gaps, stain and apply the finish properly.
3. Finish Condition – Finishes are hard to remove and requires experts help. While distressed and worn coatings are much easier to scour. Prefinished floors have special factory protection from aluminium oxide, which are difficult to remove. It requires a lot of stripping to uncover bare wood.
4. Are you a first-timer or a pro? –  You must also evaluate your personal skills because floor sanding isn’t a DIY project for the squeamish. We understand your excitement, but if are a first-timer and lack the basics, you better hire a professional and not fall for the YouTube DIY videos.

The Disadvantages of DIY

Let’s start off with the list of reasons that scream a no for DIY floor sanding.

Equipment

To get the best results, you’ll need the appropriate sanding equipment and not just any equipment- it should be a quality one. Unfortunately, specialized and high-quality gears are not readily available at the local dealership stores, if it is available, it may cost you a fortune. The better the quality, the deeper the dig into your wallet.Because you cannot opt for low-end and cheap types of machinery to accomplish quality DIY work.

Removing Old-Finish

If you somehow manage to find the right equipment, you cannot immediately start off with floor sanding, you will first need to remove the old finish off your floor all by yourself. As we discussed earlier, the better the finish, the harder it is to remove, hence the need for professionals. But, if you still decide to do it yourself, then chances are high that after a lot of hard work, you will end up without any progress at all!

Workload

Floor sanding takes a severe amount of sweat equity as there is a lot of work pressure involved. The job demands work with massive sets of machinery that needs to be pushed around the building covering the entire floor space. In fact, at this point usually, DIYers throw in their towel and call the professionals for help.

Sanding Marks

If sanding is not done correctly, your stain will not penetrate fully, and the polyurethane will not adhere to the hardwood correctly. The lifespan of your new finish will be half that what it should ideally be. Moreover, the stain may look blotchy in spots, and you will see marks, dips and divots in your hardwood. Some of these imperfections could also be permanent damage.

Why Hire a Professional?

Let’s face it – A perfectly and evenly sanded floor is seldom achieved by a non-professional. The floor sanding process, as you may have understood by now, is very messy; and without the right equipment, regret is on the way. Hiring team of professionals who have the right equipment and are expert in the know-hows the techniques will get you off the hassles. If your mind is still clouded with thoughts about hiring a professional, the below-mentioned reasons may change your mind.

Experience

A professional is the doctor of your flooring. They know what work is required for the type of flooring you have and will do the task accordingly to deliver high-quality results. Also, only a professional floor sander can offer advice on the most suitable sealant for your floors.

Peace of Mind

By now, it’s evident that the floor sanding process demands a lot of thinking about the type of tools to use (among many other things), which steals the peace of your mind. Hiring a professional can free you from such kind of stress and pressure as they can assure you best finish and deliver the finest results.

Professional Finishes

Talking of finish, experienced professionals employ techniques that they have mastered over time to deliver excellent finishes that are difficult to replicate. They undergo years of training just to produce the desired result. Also, some techniques are known only to professionals with proper training.

Final Words

To sum up, hiring a professional is a much better idea than taking a leap of faith into a risky job. With professionals like UK Screeds with latest floor sanding machines in Oxford, the benefits are many, your floors will be done in no time. They will leave a reliable, durable and eye-catching floor. And, if you don’t want to permanently ruin your flooring and if you value of your more than the small amount of savings that can only make more loss than good. Hire a professional today.

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Paul Petersen