Home - Garden
One Crucial Step You Shouldn't Forget Before Sanding Your Floors
By HELEN ANDRIATSITOHAINA
Refinishing hardwood floors always entails some preparation, but the one crucial step you can’t skip before you begin is completely emptying the room.
Obviously, you’ll clear the floor of furniture, plants, and rugs, but what’s often missed is taking everything off your walls, clearing off your shelves, and emptying your closets.
Unless you’re using a dustless sander or containment system, the dust from sanding will cover everything in that room, creating a mess that you’ll have to clean up afterward.
Begin by taking everything off your walls like artwork, mirrors, hanging plants, blinds, or curtains, and putting them in another room. Otherwise, cover them with dust sheets.
Remove or temporarily raise pendant lights or chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, or cover them with plastic sheets, as getting the dust out of all their crevices won’t be fun.
Clear off all of your shelves, counters, and mantels, and store your items elsewhere. This will make cleanup easier and also prevent accidental knocks and breaks during sanding.
Finally, empty out your closets to prevent dust and fumes from the wood floor finish that’s applied after sanding from penetrating your clothes, or they’ll all need to be rewashed.