Hardwood floors are easily one of the most popular flooring choices for consumers today, and it’s not hard to see why. With a large variety of beautiful options, it’s tough to find another flooring choice that can provide the unique, classic look that hardwood does. However, hardwood floors do require maintenance and upkeep that other types of flooring do not, and one necessity is periodic refinishing of hardwood floors. One of the first steps in refinishing hardwood floors is sanding them to remove the old finish, level the floor and remove serious scratches. Once you do this properly, you can begin the staining process.

If you’ve ever had your hardwood floors sanded and refinished using the traditional method, you know that it can result in a frustrating inconvenience. The following are features of traditional method of sanding:

• Sander operators attach cloth dust bags to sanders, but the bags do not contain all the dust.
• Creates a fairly large mess in the home, and can require several days of cleaning up.
• Plastic must be hung so the dust doesn’t adversely effect furniture or other areas of the home, and plastic masks are necessary for workers because of harmful floating particles.
• Due to the significant amount of dust produced, many homeowners choose to vacate their homes while the floors are being sanded.

Dust Systems

Fortunately, the proliferation of dustless hardwood sanding means that the unpleasantness and inconvenience associated with traditional hardwood sanding is virtually nonexistent. Dustless hardwood sanding is an increasingly popular method that eliminates the above issues associated with traditional hardwood sanding. There are two methods of dustless hardwood sanding, using either dust evacuation systems or dust containment systems:

• Dust evacuation systems use sanding machines that remove dust through hoses that are connected to a powerful vacuum system outside the home, typically housed in a trailer or truck.
• Dust containment systems use smaller, portable vacuums that remain inside the home, but still eliminate the dust from the sander using hoses.

Both of these methods are easier, cleaner and more efficient options than traditional sanding. However, people consider dust evacuation systems to be the most effective because they completely remove all dust and air particles from the home through a more powerful vacuum. Whether using the dust evacuation method or the dust containment method, dustless hardwood sanding leads to not only a more time efficient and cleaner process, but the following benefits as well:

• A healthier indoor environment. Dustless hardwood sanding eliminates airborne dust particles, which is particularly important if homeowners or their family members have allergies or asthma.
• A higher quality result. Dustless hardwood sanding virtually eliminates the chance that dust will float into the floor finish when it’s drying later in the refinishing process.

Keep in mind, however, that dustless hardwood sanding can be more expensive than traditional sanding. As with other types of flooring choices, it’s imperative to analyze your individual situation to find the option that’s best for you.

Hardwood floors are typically expensive, so it’s important to maintain them correctly to retain their value and beauty. This includes refinishing and sanding, especially if your hardwood floors see a lot of traffic or you have pets and children in the home. When making the decision to sand and refinish your floor, research your local flooring service providers to see if they offer dustless hardwood sanding. Evaluate the price against the benefits to determine whether dustless hardwood sanding is the right choice for your home and family. SOURCE: dustlessfloorsanders.com