im on a job at the minute installing 21mm unfinished engineered flooring ive told the customer that it needs to be sanded before any varnish goes down so they have contacted the supplier who is saying its already finished and just needs a going over with a palm sander before varnishing so they arent listening to me so ive told them i cant do the varnishing stage so there getting there decorator to do it :lol: so am i missing something here?unfinished is just that it needs to be sanded doesnt it?
I'm no expert when it comes to wood but the product states its unfinished so IMO its in complete until its sanded and sealed.
Think your client must have asked the supplier the wrong question or they have misunderstood. Many unfinished wood-engineered floors do come pre-SANDED and only needs a light screening before applying any finish.
ive always been told that it needs sanding before any finish goes on it has been a while since ive installed unfinished so wasnt sure.i know they was trying to save money by buying unfinished which isnt always the case.you can feel as you run your hands over the boards that they havent been sanded tho as low/high spots
You're right. It depends on the quality (and hence the price) of the boards itself. Good quality unfinished boards are pre-sanded and need a light screening (also to get the greasy fingers and spillages off after installation) only. Poor quality needs proper sanding to smooth the surface.
I would always sand, just like already said, grease from fitting bits of dirt and I have never come across an unfinished floor that feels uniform in finish. Every supplier says its pre sanded and ok to finish, they get paid regardless of the finish, if the finish is not acceptable you don't.
I'd say it depends on the wood as well. Square edged needs a good sand and fill before finish, bevelled edge a light sand. Ok not all suppliers but most in fact all I have come across.
I thought it always depended on how the edge was, as stated before a square edge still needs a good sand but a bevelled only need a light one
Depends really on the quality of the surface of the board, bevelled or not. Seen bevelled boards rough as a badger's bum, seen square edge boards as smooth as silk
If it is a square edge board it will need more than screening as you will need to take out any lipping between the boards (some boards may be slightly higher than the board next to it so will need to be sanded out to remove the lipping, it may only be a fraction of a mm which will be visible and not feel so nice). So it doesnt really matter if the boards are supplied sanded smooth or not it will still need sanding to take out the lipping.
I know that specially products from French companies come with bevels on all 4 sides, many other products come with only bevels on the long side. So if supplied unfinished, the latter do need a light sanding too - as you say to remove a possible lip between the two short joints
