These images are from a customer of ours that had her painted wood floors restored, a beautiful before and after shot:

Now we in no way want to deter you from your goal, but you may want to read on first as we have experience in this, and we say…

​There are limitations to sanding a painted wood floor:

The primary challenge you will face is that paint gets everywhere… in every nook and cranny, into every groove and knot, and down the sides of the boards. 

So, when you or your hired sanding company have sanded away the top layer, you will still be left with paint in all these little spots. The sanding machine will not be able to remove these, which is where the challenge starts.

You will find little painted spots all over the floor. To remove this, you will have to sand the floor manually. For this, you will need to use a handheld sanding tool with a range of attachments to reach the various pockets of paint. Doing this by hand is VERY time-consuming.

Really, there are two key questions you will need to ask yourself before going ahead with this project…

 Do you have the following to start your wood floor sanding on your painted wood floor:

1. Time? Do you have a lot of time to finish the project? Are you prepared to work the hours yourself if you choose to DIY? 
2. Budget? Are you prepared to pay a high fee? This job WILL take time, and because of this, hiring a professional will be expensive.

If your time and budget are flexible and can accommodate, then go for it! At least you are now aware of your challenges and prepared to work through them.

The process for floor sanding is as follows:

The next few steps you are about to read are what our technicians would follow to carry out this job. 

1. Preparation of the floor before sanding:

We inspect the floor to ensure all nails are well below the wood surface. You will need to secure all loose boards before sanding commence.

2. High-Filteration vacuum:

This step is the removal of dry soil and particles that might cause damage to the floor during the sanding process.

3. Sanding of the main floor area:

Our system is 99.9% dust free as we use an advanced extraction system. Different grit values on the belt sander will ensure a quality finish. Our clients find great benefits in our dustless sanding system, and we are sure you will see the benefits too.

4. Edges and Detailed Sanding:

 Our edging sander delivers a uniform finish to all edges and hard-to-reach places under fixed furniture and radiators.

5. Final finishing: Rotary Sanding:

A super fine grit sanding system will deliver a superior and even finish to the whole floor area. The technicians complete this step using a rotary sander.

6. Fine dust removal:

The technicians will use a highly efficient vacuum system to thoroughly remove any dust particles from the freshly sanded wooden floor. 

7. The wood finish application: 

This step is usually discussed with the customer when they come out to do the free-of-charge quote. They typically base the decision on the individual’s needs, where the floor is, and what traffic will be using the room. 

A short video showing what we do:

This video is of a project we did earlier this year, and it gives you a little idea of how we work here at Art of Clean. 

Here’s a blog to help you find wood floor sanding companies:

Floor Sanding Companies In Cambridgeshire

This blog will help you with finding the right company for you:

How do you choose the best floor sanding company?

If you thinking about adding some colour, check out this blog:

What is the best colour for your wood floor?