Top tips on how to sand a floor

Floor sanding can revitalise your tired-looking wooden floors, giving them a new lease of life.

But if you're embarking on this kind of DIY project, you will need to ensure you have the right tools and materials at your disposal:

·      Floor stripper
·      Floor sander
·      Floor edger
·      Triangular sander
·      Rotary orbital sander
·      Floor polisher
·      Woodfiller
·      Floor finish
·      Mop or roller

Now that you have the tools, here's more information on how to sand a floor:

1/ Remove all furniture and take up floor coverings, which may require the floor stripper

2/ Secure loose boards with a nail gun and apply wood filler to nail holes and flooring defects

3/ Cover and tape up doorways to prevent dust settling in other rooms during sanding

4/ Run the floor sander over the floor in both diagonal directions and then along the grain, starting with a course abrasive paper and then moving through to finer papers

5/ A floor edger and oscillating triangular sander should be used for any areas where the floor sander can't reach

6/ The rotary orbital sander should be used if you're aiming for a superfine professional finish

7/ Vacuum regularly to prevent dust from clogging sanding papers.

8/ Apply two or three coats of floor finish to complete the job