Traditionally, dust collection for floor sanders consisted of attaching a cloth bag to the exhaust pipe of the sanding machine and taking a "something is better than nothing" attitude. It was better than no collection but it was still very messy, not healthy and left a lot to be desired.

This is very dusty, dirty work. Typically, dust can be found all over the walls, window sills, baseboards etc. Anything that can be reached by airborne dust becomes covered. That all the dust will need to be cleaned up, while being troublesome, is not the most important issue. What is concerning is the potential damaging chemicals that may be connected with such dust, not to mention that wood dust from some species of wood is found to be a carcinogen.

Flooring Mania Inc. began to explore what dust containment systems might be available to the floor re finisher. There are several offerings which target the flooring industry. Some lacked strong suction or had attachments which were cumbersome or could be damaged while in transit. Others had plenty of suction but were poor in regard to filtration. These could best be described as dust extraction systems rather than containment. Because of poor filtration, they may have a hose that blows the dust which goes past the filter to the outside of the house. The neighborhood would not be pleased with that approach. Also, it would require a door or window to be open during winter while the job is progressing.

Flooring Mania Inc. using the patented Bona Atomic, Latta Equipment and Oneida Air Systems has thrown that method of collecting dust out the window. Our dust containment systems are a totally new and innovative solution to the problem. Dust bags don't work so we got rid of them ! Without a bag, sanding machines breathe easier and there is no back pressure, so dust is picked up at the floor where it should be.

In place of a bag, a super efficient cyclone that attaches to the exhaust of the sanding machine is put in its place. Cyclones are centrifugal separators that use gravity and air speed to separate material from an air stream. The cyclone spins the dust-laden air stream and drops the dust out of the bottom into a clear dust cup. The air stream which now has only a small amount of ultra-fine dust in it, exists the top of the cyclone and goes through a high-efficiency cartridge filter. The filter removes particles down to below 1 micron in size.

A pencil point is approximately 100 microns, so there is essentially no dust emission from the filter.The dust that is separated into the bottom cup is carried away by a vacuum pump through a 1 1/2" diameter hose that transfers the dust outside the work area to a 35 gal. drum. The drum uses another small cyclone to drop the dust into a plastic bag. The airstream continues through the pump and through a last filter that removes any fine dust from the air used to convey the dust from the sanding machine. The results allow for a clean surface when preparing your floors for application of stain and finish and further eliminates the concerns for any air bourne dust settling into the finish after it has been applied as was the case with the old bag method.