How do you plan for hardwood flooring?

Parquet flooring is the covering of interior flooring with a layer of wood, whether floating parquet, solid wood parquet, solid oak parquet, laminate parquet, or engineered parquet. You have the choice to decide the type of parquet. However, after a few years, they end up warping, losing their luster, and/or getting damaged to the point of causing unfortunate domestic accidents. In these cases, renovation is necessary, as wooden floors lend themselves well to it. Nevertheless, it is important to know some simple basic techniques for successful parquet installation.

Essential Tools for Parquet Planning:

For a perfect result on your parquet floor, you will need:

Floor sander: A belt sander and an edge sander, both equipped with 3 abrasive materials of increasing fineness (40, 80, and 120 grit).
A scraper or a triangular sander.
A construction vacuum cleaner.
A hard base.
200-grit abrasive material.
A paint roller.
Full personal protective equipment: noise-canceling headphones, mask, and safety glasses.

Floor Preparation:

Before starting to plan work on the floor, it is necessary to conduct a detailed inspection of each board. This first step allows you to quickly detect the presence of small holes indicating the installation of parasites in your structure. In this case, the boards and joists must be treated individually. Wooden boards in very poor condition must be removed immediately, especially if they show signs of mold or moisture. Similarly, if you notice gaps between the parquet floorboards, do not hesitate to fill them to improve their aesthetics and prevent dust from entering.

Steps to Follow for Parquet Floor Planning:

Sanding

Choose coarse or rough sandpaper depending on the general condition of the floor to be polished. 40-grit is suitable for severely damaged parquet, while higher grits (>100) are generally important for planning almost new parquet. Before starting sanding, remember to ventilate your room completely and protect yourself. Start sanding in the direction of the floorboards by gently placing the sander on the floor. Remember to advance gradually to avoid digging into the wood. Clean the dust to remove it, then proceed to sand the edges using the edge sander. To reach the most inaccessible corners, use a hand scraper or a sander with a triangular pad.

Polishing

Repeat the process as necessary, vacuuming between each pass, until you achieve a perfectly smooth surface. Apply a layer of primer (hard base) in the direction of the blades. Sand again by hand using a fine abrasive material of 200 grit to decorate the floor.

After the final vacuuming, apply two coats of glaze to protect the floor from damage. For this purpose, use a glazing roller and follow the direction of the blades and light. Allow it to dry, then sand with a very fine abrasive material. Then apply a second coat of glaze with a vacuum cleaner. Let it dry, and it is now ready.