Traditional hardwood floor refinishing involves sanding the entire floor with a sanding machine which creates a lot of dust which can find it’s way into every nook and cranny of your home. This sanding of the floor and all of the dust is not attractive to many consumers who must clean afterwords and who also may have allergies to wood dust.
There are two methods of dustless hardwood floor refinishing available on the market:
- High powered vacuum systems
- Chemical dustless hardwood floor refinishing
High powered vacuum systems
Professionals will use a high powered vacuum systems to capture all of the dust from each sander and blow it outside into a machine with a bag to capture all of the dust. There always be a little dust left in the home, however the amount is usually less than 10% and the cleanup in the area that is being refinished is much less than traditional methods.
If you have a number of rooms to complete, venders will have a large hose attached to the vacuum machine with a splitter that allows more than one sander to operate at the same time. They should also place plastic covering over all doors and windows, including vents to prevent dust going to other areas of the home.
All refinishing of hardwood floors generate some dust that remains in the home. Professionals will wipe down all walls once the sanding activity is completed.
Chemical dustless Hardwood floor refinishing
The process of chemical dustless hardwood floor refinishing involves a technician scuffing the floor lightly. Then adding a chemical to etch the floor. Cleaning of the floor and repair of minor damage should be completed before applying the new finishing coat. This can be accomplished much quicker than doing a complete sanding of the floor. In addition it creates much less dust than traditional sanding.
Note that if you have a lot of damage to your floors or many coats of stain or protective covering, you may not be able to use this method. Check with your hardwood floor professional prior to making any decisions regarding this approach.
Always experiment with the chemical etching on a small section of the floor to ensure that you will be satisfied with the result. Choose an area that is out of the way and will not be noticed if it does not turn out the way you anticipated.
Advantages of Dustless Hardwood Floor Refinishing
There are many advantages associated with either system. We have listed a few of them as follows:
- Chemical refinishing can be accomplished more quickly
- Chemical refinishing is less expensive than traditional methods
- Both approaches generate much less dust
- Vacuum systems take 90% of the dust outside
- People with allergies will be impacted less with these approaches
- Cleaning afterwords is reduced significantly
Disadvantages of Dustless Hardwood Floor Refinishing
There are many disadvantages associated with both system. We have listed a few of them as follows:
- Not all floors can use the chemical dustless refinishing method
- Floors with major damage may require traditional sanding methods
- Some people may be bothered by the chemical used to etch the floors
- All refinishing reduces the overall life of your floors
- All refinishing approaches will generate some dust
- Consumers will need to tolerate the sound of the vacuum and sanders while this work is being completed
While no really wants to have to refinish their hardwood floors, there will come a time when refinishing will be required. You can delay this requirement by protecting your floor with the following easily followed steps:
- Always remove your shoes at the entrance to your home
- Vacuum your floors at least once per week, more often in high traffic areas
- Damp mop your floors once a month
The methods and steps are designed to minimize the amount of grit that is tracked into the home. This avoids the grit being ground into the hardwood floors by people walking on it. This grit will mar the floor or perhaps even scratch it. Grit will also leave the floor dirty as well which is why you need to damp mop often. You can get away with damp mopping as often as once per month if you do not track a lot of dirt and grit into your home.