Do you know the difference between buffing and sanding?
If your hardwood floors are in disrepair and need rehabilitation, you may be asking what the best way to restore them is. However, “refinishing” your floor might entail one of the numerous procedures to bring it to the gorgeous condition you desire. The two most common methods for rejuvenating your flooring are buffing and sanding. These are not interchangeable words. At its most basic, they are methods of treating wear and tear on various areas of your floor. But what’s the difference?
Keep reading to find out.
What is buffing?
Unlike sanding, which involves tackling the entire floor, buffing allows you to focus on specific sections of your ground as needed. For example, if your hardwood floor has a shallow nick or minor scratch, you may be able to buff it out by hand without redoing the entire floor. Normally, buffing corrects damage and defects in the sealant layers that preserve your hardwood floors. If the finish on your hardwood is dull and scuffed, you may choose to buff them rather than sand them. You may even buff other types of floors, such as tile, to restore their sheen.
You may polish your floors by hand or with stand-behind equipment rented from a home improvement store. In either case, it’s critical to properly clean your floor before you begin. Otherwise, debris or dust might become embedded in the polish. To remove a minor scratch from your floor polish by hand, wipe brass wool over the damage until the nick or dent is flattened out and no longer visible. After that, re-polish the area by rubbing hardwood floor wax into it with a terrycloth towel. Finally, use a buffing pad to make the area as shining as the rest of your floor.
Rent a buffing machine from your local home improvement store to polish the whole floor. Remove the wax polish off the floor if it has already been shined. Then thoroughly clean the floor and allow it to dry fully before starting the machine and buffing a new layer of polish into the surface.
What are the pros?
- It restores the beauty of hardwood floors.
- It preserves the color of hardwood floors.
- It extends the life span of hardwood floors.
What are the cons?
- Requires experience to correctly apply a new coat of polyurethane smoothly and correctly.
- Buffing is not a cure-all; if there is damage to the wood or discoloration, buffing will not correct these problems.
- If buffing entire floors, you will need to rent out equipment.
What is sanding?
Sanding your hardwood floors involves using coarse sanding equipment to remove all of the finish and stain from the floors as well as smoothing out the wood beneath those layers of stain and sealant. This is a time-consuming operation that removes everything off the floor by grinding it down to the natural wood beneath all of the shine.
After removing the sealer’s protective layers, sand the hardwood to remove any scratches, nicks, or other flaws. This is often done with a drum floor sander, a huge piece of equipment available for rent at home improvement stores. Before refinishing the floor, you must sand it fully multiple times using increasingly finer sandpaper to ensure that it is as smooth as possible. After you’ve finished sanding, you may re-stain the floor. After the stain has dry, the final step is to apply a lacquer, polyurethane wood finish, or other oil or sealer to seal it.
What are the pros?
- Improves the value of a home. Sanding increases a home’s selling value because it makes the floors look beautiful and attractive.
- Removes damage that occurred to the floor over time and thwarts further damages.
- Gets the floor clean and smooth. It makes cleaning easy. It also removes scratches and dents, hence no place for debris to settle.
What are the cons?
- It requires a lot more time than buffing.
- It can be dusty, but your technician should be able to clean it up very nicely.
- Sanding should be done sparingly since it removes a thin layer of wood from the floorboards. There is a limit to how many times a wood floor can be sanded before it needs to be replaced.
There is a distinct distinction between floor buffing and sanding. Sanding removes damaged polyurethane sealer and some of the damaged wood. Sanding entails refinishing planks and sealing them with a fresh coat of polyurethane. Buffing, on the other hand, just uses polyurethane sealant and does not touch the wood. It does not contact the wood since the protective covering may contain the harm. Buffing and sanding restore the original appearance and may raise the value of a house. Always seek the assistance of individuals with a high degree of competence. Contact Valor Home Services for outstanding, stress-free hardwood floor refinishing service. We will assist you with hardwood floor refinishing, repairs and installation.
