First, I would like to put everything into perspective and give reasons why it is worth sanding a home made of timber. Before painting, you can notice various defects that arose after the timber shrinked. In such a situation, it is necessary to carry out grinding: it will not only help eliminate defects, but can also help align the internal walls.
Over time, a timber building may fade and lose its visual appeal. To prevent this from happening and the wood to retain its beautiful appearance, you just need to sand it. Naturally, it is possible to do the interior decoration, but in this case the texture of the wood nature will be blocked and the reason why you built the house from timber will disappear.
Grinding is an uninteresting and thorough job, which is why the cost of grinding among experts is expensive, from two hundred and fifty to three hundred and fifty rubles per square meter.
Tools and equipment
For rough and final grinding of timber, including processing of grooves, you will need :
- belt or disc sander;
- angle grinder (grinder);
- drill with attachments;
- vibration tool (renovator).
Prepared or purchased in advance:
- scaffolding, trestle or stepladder;
- electrical extension cord;
- a set of sanding papers for rough, medium and finishing;
- a construction vacuum cleaner to remove dust if the work is carried out inside the house;
- wooden block, stapler or holder for sanding paper;
- protective equipment - glasses, respirator, headphones;
- cleaning products.
For work, you may additionally need a chisel and a hammer to level out large defects.
Planetary grinder
The main work is done with a grinding machine - leveling flat surfaces. The tool is reliable and has high performance. The work will not require much physical effort. However, profiled timber with rounded edges in this way; it is better to use a planetary grinder .
It is not advisable to use a grinder or drill to level large surfaces :
- The grinder will not withstand long-term continuous operation; frequent breaks will be required to cool the tool, otherwise the gearbox bearings will quickly fail.
- The drill is inconvenient to use due to the need to exert great effort to hold it.
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A grinder and a drill are in demand when processing grooves and small areas and removing traces of rot. For the same purpose, a renovator with suitable attachments can be used, and it can also replace a chisel.
Professional grinding services
Our specialists are highly qualified, have extensive experience and proven work skills. All this ensures high quality grinding, which we will perform in accordance with the deadlines specified in the contract. In our work, we use modern professional power tools that allow us to achieve a perfectly smooth and even surface. If you need high-quality sanding of a country cottage, country house or bathhouse, we are very willing to carry out work of any level of complexity. Contacting us is very simple - on the “Contacts” page you will find all the coordinates of our company, and you can also leave your request.
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Preparatory stage
Before starting work, prepare:
- Check the serviceability of the power tool and extension cord. Detected deficiencies are eliminated.
- The timber is cleaned of layers of dirt, and if necessary, burrs are cut off with a chisel. Remove resin drips to extend the life of the sanding paper.
Consumables are prepared in advance, including impregnations, varnishes, paints, and mastics.
Leaving treated wood unprotected for a long time is undesirable; it can lead to rapid darkening of the surface and loss of attractiveness.
Do I need to sand profiled timber?
When transporting a wooden beam and its subsequent unloading, various contaminants may fall on it, which cannot always be wiped off with a regular damp cloth.
It is worth noting that the drying process of the wood mass occurs unevenly. Since summer trunk rings are looser, they lose moisture much faster than winter ones, whose density is much higher and humidity is lower. Even on surfaces treated by planing, this feature will certainly appear after just one year of use of the log. The smoothness of the wood material is significantly reduced.
The destruction of wood by insects, fungi and various microorganisms always manifests itself superficially at first. Therefore, removing the top layer of material can be regarded as an additional protective measure.
During the process of sanding the wood surface, the cellular structure in this place is significantly disrupted. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Thanks to the use of this technology, fire retardants and antiseptics used to process wood penetrate as deeply as possible into its structure, which allows for the highest quality protection of the material.
Work procedure
The grinding technology inside and outside the building will be different.
In most cases, the work algorithm consists of general sections:
- preparation;
- grinding stage;
- finishing processing.
Depending on the place of work - inside or outside the house - as well as on the type of timber, different technologies are chosen.
The nuances of working inside and outside the house
Features of the work are related to the indoor microclimate and outdoor weather conditions.
As the wood gets wet, its surface becomes loose and fluff sometimes appears. Sanding wet timber will not give results . Before finishing, the walls must dry.
In outdoor conditions - with high humidity and ultraviolet irradiation - the wood quickly darkens after treatment. After finishing the work, the timber is cleaned of dust and treated with protective mastics, varnishes or paints.
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When operating power tools, a large amount of dust is generated, so indoors after construction or during repairs with grinding, it is advisable to remove pieces of furniture, household appliances, and securely cover the surfaces with non-woven material or plastic film. It is advisable to carry out the treatment of the internal walls of new buildings immediately before installing window frames; this will partially protect against excess dust.
Features of grinding profiled and laminated timber
For glued and profiled timber, a sanding machine with medium and fine grain sandpaper is sufficient
. Timber houses almost do not shrink, so you can start finishing as soon as the walls are completely dry.
Sanding laminated veneer lumber eliminates the use of coarse sandpaper, since the outer layers of the material are processed by machine at the factory. First, use medium-grained and then fine-grained sandpaper.
Sanding profiled timber is technologically simple, since during installation there are no gaps between the crowns, but before work it is important to wait at least 2-3 months after the walls have been erected. As a rule, the only tool needed is a grinder.
End grinding
The ends of the timber, as a rule, have a fleecy structure.
In these places, moisture is absorbed especially quickly, the cut darkens and can be affected by fungus and rot. Before starting work, the pile is treated with a blowtorch.
It is more convenient to grind with a grinder with a sanding attachment.
Gradually replace the coarse skin with a finer one. It is important to achieve an almost polished surface - in this case, re-processing will not be required soon.
Wood polishing
Polishing wood products and wooden structures is used to prevent natural hairiness and cracking of wood; polishing enhances the attractiveness of the texture and protects it from external factors. Most often, polishing timber is used for finishing furniture and interior decoration. Technology includes:
- Grinding for polishing. Preparing wood for polishing differs from ordinary sanding; at the final stage of processing, fine-grained abrasive material No. P150-P180 is used.
- Primer. The operation is performed to seal microcracks and pores, strengthen the top layer and prevent the formation of fibers. Transparent impregnating mixtures are used for priming; the layer is applied with a swab or a flute brush. The most common compositions have a casein-rosin and nitrocellulose base. All types of primer are applied in 2-3 layers, the next layer is applied after 1-2 hours.
- Polishing. Apply 2-3 layers of colorless rosin varnish to the primer; after drying, each layer of varnish is treated with sandpaper with a fraction of up to 100 microns (grade P400-P600 according to GOST).
- Polishing. The surface is treated with a felt wheel using polishing or wax paste until a uniform shiny surface is obtained.
Recommendations from experts
Sanding is carried out along the grain of the wood.
Experienced builders and companies give some tips on how to sand timber correctly :
- work begins after the walls have settled and the roof has been erected, but before the window frames are installed;
- only dry timber is sanded;
- the power tool is turned on at low or medium speed - this saves consumables, and burn marks will not appear on the wood;
- the surface must be cleaned of any protruding resin; natural glue quickly “clogs” the skin;
- before sanding, knots and eyes are treated several times with wood glue, this will protect them from falling out;
- the sander is moved exclusively along the wood fibers;
- a clogged or worn-out attachment (emery belt) is immediately replaced;
- The wood is covered with protection in the shortest possible time.
When should you sand timber inside your home?
Nowadays, there are different opinions about when to sand wood. Some believe that this should be done after the house has settled, others - immediately after installing the roof. There is still a consensus on wood moisture content, which should be no more than 20%. In all other cases, there will be no benefit from grinding the surface.
The first option is considered correct here, but supporters of the second argue its advantage as follows:
- during the shrinkage process, the wooden beam may become infected with fungus;
- By waiting for the frame to shrink, the shade of the wood may change significantly during this time.
The latter will, of course, happen, but the material will quickly recover after sanding.
Shrinkage of the frame of a wooden house occurs for one reason - due to loss of moisture from the wood mass. If the estimated rate of shrinkage of a structure is in the double digits and measured in centimeters, then the moisture level of the wood was at least 20%.
Is this a difficult process?
If you know how to hold a grinder in your hands, then sanding a log house with your own hands will not seem like a difficult process to you. Another thing is that the process is labor-intensive and time-consuming, because The work is done manually, step by step, although using electromechanics and special attachments for it. To polish the frame in the corners and grooves, you will have to use a chisel - this is currently the only reliable way to process them, unless, of course, you have a sandblaster.
A sandblasting machine will efficiently and quickly process not only grooves and corners, it will do an excellent job of sanding the entire frame, removing only the thin top layer of wood, and will be able to reach the most inaccessible cracks, crevices, gaps and joints.
Sanding the frame and painting it, if sandblasting is available, can take just a couple of days. You can clean the grooves and corners both before and after cleaning the entire wall of the house. This is not important.
How to grind a log house with your own hands using a grinder or a grinder
Sanding a log frame increases the service life of the house and preserves the attractive appearance of the structure for a long time. Some people believe that such processing is not necessary for rounded and chopped logs, since they already look aesthetically pleasing. However, experts in the construction of wooden houses and bathhouses recommend sanding the walls, because this provides additional protection for the wood.
Since a large amount of dust flies during work, it is necessary to have personal protective equipment. You will need anti-dust, anti-fog glasses and a respirator. Headphones and anti-vibration gloves will not hurt: they will make you more comfortable.
