Floor Sanding!

July 18, 2005 9:24 PM

I need tips on floor sanding.

I'm going to have to sand some hardwood floor in the near future. I have heard that floor sanders are tough to operate, so I'm looking for tips.

I'm capable of reading and following directions, so I don't need a total runthrough of 'How To Sand a Floor.' What I'm looking for are tips, things that 'they' don't tell you, etc.

The floor is not large, probably a hundred and fifty or so square feet. I believe that the floor is oak (or some other dark wood), and would like to preserve that color if possible.

posted by Yelling At Nothing to home & garden (8 comments total)

Keep the machine moving at all times! Start moving it as you turn the switch on. It is very easy to leave divots in your floor (I see them all the time in self-refinished floors).

Be prepared for LOTS of dust. I'd recommend taping off the rooms that you are doing with plastic sheeting to minimize infiltration to the rest of your house. Tape off any heating/cooling ducts as well. Have a good dust mask on hand, and hopefully you can open a few windows in the area that you're sanding.
posted by davey_darling at 10:08 PM on July 18, 2005

I would hire someone. I have been doing remodeling for 15 years and I would not consider doing a floor myself. It is a difficult job. Here in Chicago, you can have it sanded and stained/poly-ed for about $1-1.50 per sq. foot. You should get some estimates, it probably won't be much more to have someone do it as opposed to renting machines and buying sand paper, finishing materials, tools etc., for one room.
posted by lee at 11:12 PM on July 18, 2005

Yeah, check houseblogs.com to see how many people did it themselves vs. how many people hired someone, and the difference in product. This is one spot where "DIY" just ain't worth it.
posted by SpecialK at 11:50 PM on July 18, 2005

I've never actually used a large floor sander, the floors I've refinished I've always done with hand sanders. I'd imagine you can't really press down on a floor sander, but you should be wary that too much pressure can friction-burn the wood or leave divots or shallow depressions. If you've got plenty of time and want to do it yourself, I'd buy yourself and electric hand sander and do it that way.

Always sand with the grain of the wood, apply even pressure and make sure you get up every last bit of sawdust before staining. I'm refinishing an oaken kitchen table at the moment, so I wish you good luck.
posted by sciurus at 5:49 AM on July 19, 2005

I've done it twice. The first time, there were a few divots, the second time none.

Tips:
In addition to the big honking machine, there is a smaller edger (about the size of a very big router). Get this too. You'd think that you could just use that little hand belt sander for edges, but you'd be wrong.

Empty the dust bag often.
Wear a really good dust mask, not the crappy paper ones (unless you like really gigantic boogers).

When you're moving the machine, grab the handles like you're going to do a curl, lean back, lift up a little and walk backwards at a very even pace.

Make a pass with 38 grit and a pass with 60 grit. On fir, I've gotten about 100 ft² out of each belt.

After you're done, sweep up as best as you can then take out a spray bottle of water and spritz the floor then sand it down with a palm sander with 120 grit paper on it. Do this step in moderate sized patches so the floor doesn't fry completely before you get to sanding it. If you're going to use water-based polyurethane, this step is critical.

For refinishing, I put the poly down with a roller. I could put down a coat on 200 ft² in about 10 minutes.
posted by plinth at 6:15 AM on July 19, 2005

I hired someone to sand and refinish my hardwood floors. It was a combined living-dining area slightly larger (less than 2x) than what you're talking about. It cost me $700 total, which to me was well worth it, especially since it looked great when finished.

Sadly, I only did it to make my house more sellable and didn't get a chance to enjoy my hardwood floors for too long.
posted by Doohickie at 6:55 AM on July 19, 2005

I refinished some hardwood floors with no previous experience. I sanded down about 40 years worth of thick, black, tar-like paints, and then sanded them further to a shine and applied stain and polyurethane. I'd say it's perfectly reasonable to do this yourself.

I'd consider the most important tip to be: always keep the sander moving, even when you're turning it on and off. Don't treat it like a vaccum cleaner. Be moving the sander before you turn it on. If you can, try tilting the sander up on its edges, turn it on, then set it down while rolling. Do the exact opposite to turn it off. Always sand with the grain. Figure out how much sand-paper you need, then buy 10 more sheets than you thought you needed. Get a good variety of grits, too.

Get the small edger sander for doing the sides. Try and remove the base boards first to give you extra clearance, then reinstall them over the finished floor.
posted by odinsdream at 7:17 AM on July 19, 2005

Last year we put new floorboards in and did it all ourselves (because we're pretty handy and are cheapsaktes). Now I really wish we'd gotten a professional in. They don't look totally crap, aren't a complete disaster, and the actual job wasn't that difficult, but really the finish an amateur is likely to get on their first go is quite substandard.

Pay the money!

Otherwise, the answers above are good. If you're looking for a low-VOC, 'greener' option, consider using tung oil as your sealer. It wont give a high gloss finish, but looks pretty good to me.
posted by wilful at 7:53 PM on July 20, 2005