Floor sanding is a highly practical skill and profitable trade It’s also a valuable add-on for professionals already working with floors, such as cleaning companies, shop fitters, carpenters and many other professions. It involves working with large pieces of equipment and transforming old floors into new, polished surfaces. In this post, we'll discuss what floor sanders do, what qualifications are needed, how long it takes to get qualified, and where you can work once you're qualified.
Can anyone become a floor sander?
To become a floor sander, you’ll need to have a good level of physical fitness, as you’ll be using heavy machinery, lifting heavy objects and spending long periods of time on your feet.
You also need to be able to work with your hands. This is a manual job which will involve using different power tools including a variety of different sanding machines, so you must have some practical skills to succeed as a floor sander.
On a personal level, you’ll usually work as part of a team or with other contractors, therefore you’ll need to have good communication and team working skills to work within this industry.
What does a floor sander do?
The day-to-day activities of a floor sanding professional are sanding floors to refurbish them, in a specific sequence to attain the best possible results for your clients.
As a floor sander, you’ll also need to learn a variety of oiling and lacquering techniques to make sure that the floor is ready to be used, as well as recommended aftercare to keep your finished floors looking excellent for years to come.
Floor sanding makes up one part of the process involved in refinishing or repairing wooden floors. As your time and experience grows, you’ll also have to learn how to produce different finishing effects and solve unexpected problems as they occur. However, sanding is still considered an important part of any home improvement project involving hardwood flooring because it smooths out rough patches and fills in gaps that may have appeared during wear over time.
Floor Sander vs Floor Finisher
You may also hear people refer to their job as "floor finishing" or "floor refinishing." These phrases mean essentially the same thing: using tools such as buffers or drum sanders (or both) on top of existing materials for aesthetic effect without removing them entirely from their original position like stripping does.
What kind of equipment will I use?
For any floor sanding training course, you will be using a floor sander machine. This is the equipment that will help you to get the job done. There are several different types of floor sanders available and they’re all used for slightly different purposes.
The most common type of floor sander is a drum or belt sanding machine. The Lagler HUMMEL and BONA 10” Belt Sander are the most common in the industry. Belt sanders use abrasive sanding belts to remove small amounts of the surface of wooden floors to expose fresh wood and create an even surface. Once the floor has been sanded down to a suitable depth, other sanding machines take over to create the final, fine finish or effect.
The next type of floor sanding machine you will need to learn to operate is a multi-disc sander. The Lagler TRIO and Bona Flexisand are two common. These machines have multiple flat sanding discs that spin at high speeds, and can be used with higher (finer) grit abrasive discs and meshes to create a smooth, attractive floor surface.
Finally, the edge sanding machine is a type of orbital sander designed especially for use on wooden floors. These machines are designed to work the edges of your flooring area, corners, stairs and underneath obstacles like radiators and fitted furniture. These machines are used in tandem with the multi-disc sanders, to create a consistent finish over the complete flooring area.
In addition, Single Disc Sanding machines and buffers such as the Lagler SINGLE can provide a final step of sanding or applying oils, and can even be converted to serve other functions during the floor refinishing process.
Where can I get training to become a floor sander?
Currently, there are no officially recognised qualifications for floor sanding in the UK. However there are companies and organisations that provide exceptional training for this trade.
Lagler is the manufacturer’s of the trade’s best floor sanding machines and provide a full programme of training on using floor sanding machines to achieve excellent results quickly and efficiently. Lagler’s training programme is called Premium Sanding Technology - or PST for short.
For beginners in the trade, the PST training programme covers everything from the simple operation of the machines, to safety, maintenance and correct abrasive sequencing so that anyone can produce premium results for clients with just a little practice. This training programme has been developed alongside their machine design over more than 50 years and is proven to save floor sanding professionals time and money.
At KHR, we have the only approve Lagler PST training team in the UK. We also provide training for those who are not interested in pursuing a career as a floor sander but would like to learn the basics of using this tool for their home or business.
Many cleaning, carpentry and maintenance business owners choose to add floor sanding to the list of services which they offer and we can help them to achieve this with our floor sander training programme.
How long is the training course?
The Lagler accredited PST training courses last for a full day and each training session can be delivered to up to 5 people per company.
The course will take you through everything you need to know to start using a sanding machine professionally and safely, including basic theory, machine practice & application concepts. If you currently have a Lagler machine, you can even book this in for servicing to coincide with your training.
Floor sanding is a skill that could change your career.
The great thing about undertaking floor sanding training is that it’s a skill that can be used in many different places. The world of floor sanding is one of the most exciting industries to work in, offering a host of learning opportunities and profitable contracts. Hardwood floors have been a feature of residential and commercial properties for centuries and will continue to be for years to come. understanding how to refurbish and care for them offers a rewarding career and business option.
You might be surprised by how quickly you find yourself moving up in your new career, or even starting your own business. If you have any questions about floor sanding or training, get in touch with one of our experienced team today.
Register for Floor Sanding Training Today!