How to use a floor sander

Wooden floors are great because no matter what, they can always be sanded back to their former glory, but the thought of being on your hands and knees with a block of wood and some sandpaper is daunting.

Not to worry because that’s a thing of the past, this is a floor sander, and you can hire them from Speedy, the UK’s number one hire company.

A couple of good things to remember when hiring from Speedy, all our hire equipment is checked, tested, cleaned and serviced before every hire and will all come ready to go.

You will also notice a folder attached to your hire product, these are the safety and operating instructions, please make sure you read these before you begin your job.

Before you use the floor sander it’s really important that you wear the correct PPE, eye protection, gloves, safety boots and a dust mask are essential and any PPE you do require can be purchased from Speedy.

 

STEP 1

Any mains-powered equipment that you hire from Speedy can come with one of three different plugs a UK standard domestic plug that can be plugged into any household socket.

A yellow 110v plug that will require a transformer or a blue 240v plug that will require an RCD unit, but don’t worry whatever you require your Speedy Service Centre will provide you with everything you need to power up your equipment and no matter the shape or size of your transformer or RCD unit plugging it in will be exactly the same.

Simply lift the flap and push in the plug. 

 

STEP 2

When you first get your floor sander you might find some assembly is required, but don’t panic as it’s really easy to assemble and use.

 

STEP 3

To begin with the handlebar will need attaching to the base of the floor sander and this can be done by simply slotting the bar into this hole and tightening the clamp on the side.

 

STEP 4

Now you need to plug this cable into the base of the floor sander, the cable has a L shaped pin within the plug, all you need to do is align the L shaped pin with the L shaped slot on the base of the floor sander, push it in and give it a turn.

 

STEP 5

The next thing you are going to need to do is attach the bag, this bag catches all of the dust from the floor you are sanding, so it’s really important you install it correctly and this can be done by pushing the grey pipe into the hole at the base of the floor sander and then securing the bag to the other end ensuring that the drawstring is pulled tight.

 

STEP 6

The final stage is attaching the sandpaper, Speedy offers a range of different sandpapers for this machine, Fine sandpaper is ideal for finishing off your floors, Medium paper is ideal for removing varnish and Coarse paper is ideal for removing debris like plaster or paint.

If you're unsure what you need just ask your local Speedy service centre and they will be happy to advise you and any sandpaper you need can be purchased from Speedy and whatever type of sandpaper you get, fitting it to the floor sander will be the same.

 

STEP 7

Lie the floor sander down and lift the door at the front, this will give you access to the drum that the sandpaper needs to be attached to. On the drum you will need to locate the locking bar, once you’ve done this simply un-screw the bar with a screwdriver.

The bar is spring loaded so it won’t come off, instead it will create a gap for you to place the end of the sandpaper into, wrap the other end around the drum and secure to the opposite side of the bar, then tighten the bar up and close the lid.

 

STEP 8

Turning the Floor sander on and off is done by pushing the buttons on the front of the handle, left is on and right is off. Make sure you have a good grip of the floor sander before you turn it on, as it will try and pull away from you.

 

A couple of tips when using the floor sander.

  1. When you use the floor sander, we would recommend going diagonally across your floorboards, as this will sand out any ridges in the flooring.
  2. Make sure you remove any sharp objects such as nails or screws from your floorboards as these can catch the paper and tear it.
  3. When you come to the end of a run, always disengage the drum from the floor by tilting the floor sander back slightly, this will prevent the sander from creating ridges in your floor.
  4. You will notice that the floor sander is unable to reach right to the edges of your floor so it’s likely that will also need an edging sander, which is ideal for tackling the outer areas around your floor, for more information on that, click the link.
  5. If you have any issues with any of the products you hire from Speedy, just give your local Service Centre a call, as we are always available to help, and remember to always check the safety and operating guidance before you use any hire product.

 

Speedy Top Tip! Please watch our How-To Use a Floor Sander Video

 

Ready for more DIY tips and ideas?

Thank you for reading the Speedy Services blog, there’s plenty more tips and how-to-guides where this came from.  Keep checking back here for more inspiration and help for your DIY projects.

You’ll find all the power tools you need right here, why not start planning your next DIY project and open a Speedy account today online and instore for all your tool hire needs.

 

Read more DIY guides from Speedy Services

 
View All Guides