This post is our first of 2012 and I'd like to wish all our readers the best of luck and good fortune for the coming year.
What I'm going to write about today is something I get asked quite alot, todays direct question is "Whats the difference between a hire shop floor sander and your Bona floor sanding machine ? "
This question was asked by a client we very recently completed a floor sanding project for, and who had sanded and refinished their own floors 8 years ago. In all honestly the columbian pine parquet block floor was in a relatively poor condition overall, which is pretty typical really when people use hire shop floor sanding machinery and tackle the job themselves.
Many people think that all floor sanding machines are all alike and do the same thing....but when it comes to getting a top quality finish on your pride and joy wooden floor then i'm afraid the quality difference between a battered and misused hire shop sander and a top of the range professional floor sander is quantum.
The two pictures directly above this text are both wood floor sanding machines, the picture on the left is an almost new Bona 10" belt Sander,[my own] and the one on the right is a typical hire shop model which i think is a HT7 or HT8.
I won't go into all the technical differences between the machines as I don't want to be writing for another 2 hours, but I'll just mention the fundamental difference, which anyone who has ever used a hire shop floor sander will know all too well.
The main difference is Dust, professional floor sanding machines genuinely capture around 95% of dust particulates created during the floor sanding process, while the hire shop floor sanders will collect precious little dust, from what I have seen of these machines the dust spews out at a quite ridiculous rate and can quickly fill a room with dust to the point of hardly being able to see where you are pushing the machine....This I have seen myself at first hand....
There are many other differences between the two machines such as the ease of changing a sanding belt, changing the machine settings while running....I could go on and on and on, but as a floor sanding professional my allegiance is firmly entrenched with professional quality machinery, it really is in a completely different class to a lot of the hire shop equipment.
Although that being said you can hire professional quality machinery, but it will be more expensive, but if you want a top quality professional finish on your wood floor then you either do your homework and hire the right equipment to give you the quality finish you require, or you get the professionals in to do the job properly for you.....
That does sound a bit harsh I know, but in reality those are, in my opinion the best options for someone looking to do the best quality job they can on their wooden floors.
The images below are direct 'before' and 'after' pictures from the floor sanding project where the client asked the initial question, a bit of a difference wouldn't you say :-)
I have recently written a comprehensive article on the Bona Belt Floor Sanding Machine at the Woodfloor-Renovations website.
Hope this article has helped you in some way, Thanks for reading.......Gary
do you know where i can buy a bona 10 inch Sander second hand?
ReplyDeleteI'd get in touch with your local Bona rep and ask the question, they may know a customer of theirs who is buying a new machine and wants to sell their old one...or try Ebay.
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