Sanding right to the edge: skirting boards, stairs, under radiators
The big machine stops a few centimetres from the wall. What is left is the most visible strip in the room. Here are the machines in the catalogue that deal with it.
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The problem is geometric
A sanding drum is enclosed in a housing. The housing has a thickness, the wheels take up space, and the machine cannot get right up against the skirting board. An unsanded strip is left around the edge, plus a corner in each angle, plus everything under the radiators and on the stairs.
Two sheets in the catalogue point out that the main machine reaches a little further than the others: the Aries claims the “ability to work right up to the skirting boards”, the Taurus a “removable drum guard door for sanding right up to the skirting boards”. Even so, the edges are finished with another machine.
The edge sanders in the catalogue
| Model | Reference | Disc | Power | Speed | Weight | Arm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova II LED | 001051 | Ø 150 mm | 1 150 W | 3 200 rpm | 7.9 kg | 130 mm |
| Nova II LED long nose | 001052 | Ø 150 mm | 1 150 W | 3 200 rpm | 8.2 kg | 300 mm |
| Kroma | 001240 | Ø 140 mm | 750 W | 1 400 rpm | 10 kg | not specified |
| Pegasus | 001110 | Ø 178 mm | 1 250 W | 3 000 rpm | 14 kg | extended arm 300 mm |
| UNO | 001140 | Ø 140 mm | value in the database to be corrected | 900 rpm | 18 kg | not specified |
All are rated at 230 volts.
Two logics coexist in this table. The light edge sanders spin fast on a small disc: the Nova II LED reaches 3 200 rpm on 150 mm for 7.9 kg. The heavier machines turn slowly: the UNO, 18 kg, runs at 900 rpm. The catalogue links this second logic to operator comfort, the UNO being presented as a “universal edge sander that lets you work standing up”, with a hood carrying eight skirting board protection stops.
The special cases, machine by machine
Stairs. The Kroma sheet describes it as “ideal for sanding right up to the skirting boards as well as stairs thanks to its removable wheels”. It is the only edge sander in the catalogue whose sheet explicitly mentions stairs.
Under radiators. The Pegasus sheet describes a 300 mm extended arm and handles that turn through 360 degrees, which lets you get under a radiator and then go back to working along the skirting boards as with a conventional edge sander. The Nova II LED long nose meets the same need with its 300 mm arm, for only 8.2 kg.
Both arms. If you cannot decide, the NOVA LED II edge sander pack (ref. P01053) brings both configurations together: short 130 mm arm, 300 mm extended arm, 25 abrasives Ø 150 mm, a 7 metre extension lead and a case on wheels. The extended arm is also sold on its own (ref. 001273).
Corners. A round edge sander cannot do a right angle. For this, the catalogue offers the corner milling machine (ref. 012100), presented as designed to surface corners without touching the skirting boards, and the milling machine (ref. 012381), fitted with a tool holder carrying four carbide inserts, given for surfacing and quickly removing varnish and adhesives when renovating stairs and the edges of wood floors.
Truly inaccessible places. The offset flat-head sander (ref. 252321) has a head 15 mm thick. Its sheet gives it for sanding under radiators, on stairs and in inaccessible places. For vertical surfaces and ceilings, the Festool Planex (ref. 571719) works right up to the walls with a removable brush segment, on an extension from 1.10 m to 2.10 m.
Door bottoms. This is not sanding, but it is the same stage of the job. The undercut door saw (ref. 012770) trims door bottoms, frames, wooden or ceramic skirting boards and panelling without removing them.
Edge sander abrasives
The disc diameter determines everything you reorder.
| Machine | Disc | Grits available in the catalogue |
|---|---|---|
| Nova II LED and long nose | Ø 150 mm without hole | 16, 24, 36, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150 |
| Pegasus | Ø 178 mm on fibre, 22 bore | 16, 24, 36, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 |
| Kroma and UNO | Ø 140 mm, reinforced backing, 30 bore | 16, 24, 36, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 |
| Quadral and Trial | Ø 140 mm, reinforced backing, 30 bore | 16, 24, 36, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 |
The catalogue also offers 115 mm wide rolls, in paper, hook and loop paper and cloth backing, for touching up by hand.
The bag, the part people forget to order
Each machine has its own, and they are not interchangeable.
- Small edge sander bag, Nova II type: ref. 001255
- Edge sander bag, Vega and Pegasus type: ref. 940580
- Sander bag, all types: ref. 940170
- Paper dust extraction bag for Arlequin: ref. 001955
Order them at the same time as the abrasives. An order placed before 12 noon ships the same day for references in stock.
Sanding the edges is not always enough
Depending on how the finish is planned, blending in the edges may call for extra de-nibbing so that the boundary between the area sanded with the belt sander and the area sanded with the edge sander does not show. It is a matter of skill and experience. It comes up on every job, and it deserves a call to 03 87 71 37 50 rather than an approximate paragraph.