A dust-free, smooth finish can only be achieved by having a clean job site.
Which group do you belong to?
- The consumer who doesn't believe his (or her) floors can be sanded without contaminating the entire house with fine dust.
- The contractor who does not use dust containment systems.
- The contractor who modified his (or her) old equipment to be connected to inferior-quality, cheap vacuums.
- The contractor who talks the talk and walks the walk: You have the experience, the technical training, education and the right equipment to refinish a wood floor without any dust.
I still remember the days I buffed floors without having a vacuum attached to my buffer. I was covered with dust from head to toe. Before we started each sanding job, we spent hours putting plastic over everything. These days every sanding machine is designed with dust containment in mind. It doesn't matter which group you belong to as long as you understand this: Sanding wood floors is constantly changing. The two main reasons are consumer demand and airborne contamination. It is not too long before every contractor will have to (by law) use dust containment systems on every job. Whether you use them already or thinking about starting, here are a few points I'd like to make:
1. Controlling the dust while sanding makes for a cleaner job site.
2. A cleaner job site makes your life easier. Instead of trying to see the floor through clouds of dust you can now very easily see what you are doing and adjust your sanding technique accordingly.
3. If the floor is cleaner you are not constantly sanding dust back onto the floor. This makes for a more consistently sanded surface.
4. A cleaner airborne environment makes for a much cleaner finish coat. Forget about the old standards (where some swirl marks, dust and/or debris in the finish where acceptable). With a dust-free job site, your finish should be looking like a piece of glass.
5. You save money. How? Your abrasive will last longer because it stays cleaner and therefore cooler.
6. Staying healthy. I know guys who don't like wearing masks, and that's fine … as long as you have the right containment systems. Remember how you always say, "Man, time flies fast" or, "It was like yesterday, has it really been a year?" Yes, time flies. Before you know it you will be at that golden age. Do you want to be sick or dead by then?
Achieving a dust-contained environment consists of several factors. You as the operator are the most important one. If you misuse your equipment it doesn't matter how great the HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are in your vacuum. In addition to the operator, there are the type of sanders and the vacuums you use that go into play. For example, if you use your edger with a small light-duty vacuum, the dust pick-up will not be satisfactory. You will need a vacuum that can handle the speed at which the sander creates dust. You also need a vacuum that does not release too many dust particles back into the air. It doesn't matter which system you prefer as long as you use one. Last but not least, you can charge more money than your competition because you provide a better product and service.
