Floor Sanding Screens for Buffers
What is a Floor Sanding Screen?
Floor sanding screens are either round or rectangular buffer attachments used for the first step of the floor screening and recoating process. They are constructed with open-weave nylon webbing that is embedded with silicon carbide abrasive grains. This open-weave mesh design allows you to remove old finishes and scuffs from floors without damaging the surface below the finish.
While the screens are exceptionally resistant to loading, some does occur during use. These are two sided and can be flipped over to speed up your work extend the life of the product. Another benefit of the webbing design is that it makes the pads waterproof. This allows you to screen floors in a wet environment and also gives you the ability to rinse the screens between uses, which makes them useful for a much longer time.
Are they Just Wood Floor Screens?
No. The screens can be used on a variety of surfaces. Wood is the most common surface for sanding screens to be used on, but the mesh screen with silicon carbide grains can also be used on other surfaces such as concrete, drywall, tile, sheetrock, marble, and other natural and artificial stones.
Floor Screening vs Sanding
Screening floors is generally done when your coating is in need of a new finish, but the underlying wood is still in good condition. It is a quick and cost effective way of keeping a healthy finish on hardwood floors.
Floor sanding is a much more labor-intensive job that needs to be done when there is damage to the floor like dents, deep scratches, wear and tear from heavy foot traffic, and stains. Screens give you a cost-friendly option if you cheese to keep your floors in immaculate condition rather than waiting until they need to be completely resurfaced.
Types of Sanding Screens for Floors
Round Floor Buffer Sanding Screens
These round screens range in size from 17” across to 20” across and can be used similarly to a floor sanding discs or round floor buffing pads. Floor buffer machines will continuously spin the screen like a giant orbital sander.
Compatible Machines - Orbital floor buffing machines
Edger Screens
Floor edgers work similarly to the full size floor buffers, but smaller and handheld. Their design allows you to screen and buff flooring all the way up to the edges of a room.
Compatible Machines - Floor edger sanders such as, but not limited to, Clarke floor edger, a Hold edger sander, a Porter Cable floor edger sander, and Skil edger
12x18 Sand Screen Sheets
When most people think of a floor buffing machine, they’ll usually picture the giant round floor buffer. There are also floor buffers and sanders that have a rectangular shape, sometimes called square orbital sanders...even though they aren’t an actual square. To sand and finish flooring, the machine vibrates and makes small but fast rotations to cause friction against the floor surface.
These types of floor sanding screen sheets can be used on the entire floor, against the edges of the room like edge screens, and even deeper into corners of room that the round screens cannot reach.
Compatible Machines - 12" x 18" Buffers
How to Attach Sanding Screen to Floor Buffer
The weight of your sanding machine/buffer will keep your screens in place. Some buffer models require attaching your sanding screen in another way, but most round and square buffers can be installed like this:
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Make sure the machine is off and unplugged - safety first!
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Set the sandscreen on the floor near the buffer
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If your machine requires a buffer pad, lay that on top of the screen
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Tilt the machine back on its wheels
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Lower the machine directly over the screen/pad so the entire base is covered
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If your machine doesn’t have wheels, lift it from the base and place it over the screen. Never lift a buffer by its handles, which can damage the buffer.