I remain confused about the multi-directionality of all drum sanders. Another handheld option, these edgers are designed to work along floor edges. I should offer some kind of reward for that. . Im so happy to have found your blog in the middle of the night!

Low-grit sandpaper usually lasts for a reasonable amount of time. Call: 1-877-631-2845 floor sander rental sand pro orbital I did the entire kitchen and the dining room this way because the upright sanding machines were not doing a good job. If you need to sand where you have a lot of cabinets, ask the rental company if they have a low-profile version or use a, Multi-directional No need to go with the wood grain, Much less aggressive than the belt sander. An average disc sander is the most common choice. I understand your feelings. The professionals have all sorts of tricks to keep the dust down, and they clean up when they are finished. and take the floor down to a layer of bare, untouched wood. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us. I recently had a call to go and look at a floor that had been sanded by a builder. We were also disappointed with the U-sander. Not really. In todays episode, Danny Moody from Pro Historical joins Stacy for listener Q&A. floor will look. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. and that speeds up the process a whole lot. Vacuum at least twice, paying special attention to the cracks between the planks and along the baseboards. Must be used in the direction of the wood grain, or there will be visible scratch marks. He also owns a floor sanding and restoration company. We are a little overly ambitious sometimes. Using too high a speed on wooden surfaces can cause significant damage, including erosion of the natural grain. None the less it gave me food-for-blogging-thought. Andy and I decided that I would sand the entire dining room floor with the orbital edger and 20-grit sandpaper instead. Although sanding a floor with an orbital Disc sanders generally operate at high speeds, however, which can make them challenging to control. sandpaper grits and coating products. Lines, bump marks and dips can occur where the belt touches down first. *Rubio Monocoat recommends sanding the floor with 120-grit. As always, do your due diligence before selecting a contractor. Once you finish with the random orbit sander, be sure to clean the machine and pack it away safety as you will no longer be needing it. Unlike trees, hardwood floors are not a renewable resource. (See below for more information on this topic.). Should You Ever Refinish Hardwood Floors Yourself? It is pretty self-explanatory, pull the scraper across the corner going WITH the grain until you have removed all of the finish, be sure to hand sand the corner lightly with 80 grit sandpaper to blend the rest of the floor well with it. In the meantime, I am working on a post about using Rubio Monocoat while we live here in squalor mid-project. Id like to add a point or two, just for clarification. The orbital edger sander is my favorite, but I have a love/hate relationship with it. Most floors require about Small, common mistakes by DIYers can have can damage the floor if its improperly used, causing gouges and circular marks You made it through this entire post. The OFEdge 120 18" Floor Edger is a great choice for both beginners and experienced contractors. Using improper equipment can lead to damaged floors or incomplete projects.

sanders to damage the floor. Even the tiniest speck of dust can show up permanently on your floor once the coating is laid down. Refinishing worn hardwood floors isnt a DIY project for the squeamish, but if youre determined and somewhat skilled, you can pull it off with the right equipment and materials. I would say do all the drum sanding, then all the edge sanding. Smaller machines range in difficulty, so consider what your experience level with these machines is. You do flooring but how often do you actually sand floors? Here are a few tips to help ensure the This was a project for Team Andy & Stacy, not just me. In the open areas, sanding the hardwood floors went quickly. It adheres when you want it to come off, and it flakes where you need it to say intact. Sanding can be dangerous if you dont take proper safety precautions. Water popping followed by the palm sander worked great. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. DIYers should avoid all commercial floor sanders unless they have extensive sanding experience. While it turns around it slows down the machine quite a bit and that can cause gouges too (at some point the wheel is perpendicular to the path of the sander so it really gives the sander a short jerk). This machine will sand within 1/2 inch of the edges of the room. Another option is our multi-master Dremel tool. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Hi! These machines are lightweight and more comfortable to handle than their larger counterparts. After a lot of discussion with the guys at my favorite rental place, I rented a U-sand machine and an orbital edger. Ive vacillated between wanting to do the whole project myself to wanting to outsource the sanding but Ill probably do it myself.

Enter the edge sander, which is a heavy, hand-held sander with That simple choice is whether you should do the final drum sanding last or the final edge sanding last.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[468,60],'howtosandafloor_com-box-3','ezslot_7',107,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-howtosandafloor_com-box-3-0')}; Last year I drove across 2 counties to go and help a friend that was over worked and under staffed. This is particularly important when changing direction as many sanders have a single wheel that needs to turn around when you change direction. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The finish may come right off without resorting to 20-grit paper or lower. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. I chose the U-sand over a belt sander because it was gentler on the surface, and we wanted to avoid bump marks and lines. Wood flooring is aversatile materialthat canlast centuriesif adequately taken care of. The builder that had sanded this floor had done it before, so dont let that one trick you either. This will prevent sanding mistakes. bulky to reach into corners and along the edges of the room where the floor That helps reduce swirl marks. Use the coupon code truetales10 to save 10% off your order from Abatron.com. Sanding a hardwood floor is the first step of the refinishing process. If youre not It doesnt take any skill to make this change to your method yet knowing it can make a fair difference to the quality of the finish. However, Copywrite 2022 How To Sand A Floor | All Rights Reserved | Powered by Ben Osborne. Andy also recommends this back brace. If it tests positive, STOP and make a plan to keep everyone in your household safe.

Once we could see that the poly was gone, we switched to the U-sand with the same grit that we ended on with the drum sander and worked our way to the finer grits. If you're not a professional, it's highly recommended you practice using the disc sander before tackling your project. 80grit is just a rule that applies to most floors. It was worth it. The good news is that its all a distant memory now, and the floor looks great! smooth out the wood after using the drum sander. The heavy-duty orbital edger cannot reach into those tight spaces and neither can the orbital palm sander. A floor sander helps remove wood's old finishes. Although we are sanding the entire first floor, so far, we have only sanded 1/2 of it. damage to your floor if you arent very careful. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about choosing an appropriate sander for your project. I could, but it would bother me for a long time. Would you consider sanding hardwood floors as a DIY project?

This should leave a very distinctive line, take the time to also run the Random Orbital Sander over this line until it is no longer visible. itll require more sandpaper, an orbital sander is less likely to cause Your DIY experience will pay off, and knowing what you are trying to avoid is helpful too. The issue I want to address today is just a simple choice that can make a big difference to the finishing quality of the floor. [] House is an absolute old-home-restoring powerhouse. We ended up using all three sanding machines.

Likewise, a bad sanding job (even when using the right equipment) can kill the wooden material's lifespan, look, and functionality. In my opinion, it works best for me, but operating it is a real back breaker since the user has to be on their knees or squatting to move it back and forth. Its a monster. meets the wall. We knew it would be slower going with the U-sand vs. the belt sander, but neither of us was prepared for the fact that this machine barely made a dent in the surface of the old polyurethane. The sandpaper belts are spendy at around $8 a pop. The edger is designed to go as low as 4" and reach as deep as 11". tools youll need, including different types of sanders and applicators, and The same is true in places where the old finish is already gone completely. Each sandpaper pad costs around $1.25 each X four, and that adds up. involved and taxing job, requiring specialized, heavy equipment and the right I am sorry you are up in the night, but Im happy you found the blog too. It did not do excellent detail work as we hoped, but it did better than the drum sander.

Oh, how I understand! Choosing the right sander is vital to the success of your project. After vacuuming, use a dry microfiber cloth to remove the finest specks from the floor.

Your post is making me rethink my stance!

Next you will need to find your Connecting Line of where you sanded the belt sander in one direction and then turned around to start sanding the other side of the room. Educate yourself about the Special Note: We are using Rubio Monocoat as the floor finish. Only the shoe molding in the dining room was in salvageable shape, so I labeled it and set it aside. Our house is laid out like a traditional Colonial, and the living room, foyer, and dining room are open. Examples of difficult areas include beneath overhangs or shelving units and around permanent fixtures. Oh and something on the edger that I learned on Youtube: move it back and forth like the drum sander until all the old finish is gone, only then do one sweeping sideways pass! Orbital sanders are primarily used for finishing, There are several types of sanders you could choose for your next project.

Neither Andy nor I found sanding hardwood floors to be a particularly difficult job. Fatigue leads to accidents and mistakes, so take breaks to rest and stretch. Commercial floor grindersand sanders provide the most power and should only be used by professionals. First, I removed all of the shoe moldings. BHH looks like it has been ransacked. are several different types of sanders used for refinishing hardwood floors. That way you are feathering the edges out into the main floor, and smoothing out any drum marks. Dont hire another DIYer! And I cant get over her gorgeous dining room and am totally mesmerizedby this timelapse []. Avoid this problem by touching the belt down gently and moving immediately.

Because of its weight, an edge It also works well to remove swirl marks and small gouges. Copyright 2014-2019. The OF16Pro is an excellent example of a multi-use tool. You must run the random orbit sander over these swirls to get rid of them around the entirety of the room. When the vinyl and linoleum were installed, that raised the floor, so it no longer fit under the plinth blocks. Its little tips like this that people wouldnt know without experience. Thanks for the tips about the edger! the floor. I was thinking Id try just my orbital sander but I might see about getting one of those orbital edgers, it looks like a beast. If your floors have been sanded numerous times, this machine might take. While I organized our supplies, Andy started with the U-sand machine fitted with 20-grit sandpaper discs.

Both palm and vibratory sanders are an excellent choice for those without a lot of experience using sanding machines. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. While still very heavy, the U-sand has both a handle and lifting bar which makes it easier for two people to lift in and out of a vehicle. sanders are powerful enough to remove finishes and stains, smooth high spots, Good luck with your project. Like orbital sanders, vibrating sanders are less likely than drum Below are the most commonly used sanders and when they're most appropriate. Drum The Window Course from Scott Sidler of The Craftsman Blog will teach you everything you need to know to restore your original wood windows. It is a unique finish that does not create lap marks. We can either A) Scrap the corner or B) Use a multi-master dremel tool. When working on a project with any hard-to-reach areas,a floor edgeris necessary. Waiting will reduce the number of times you will need to vacuum. Its possible for a professional to do that, but its not good advice for a novice. To keep floors looking their best throughout this significant lifespan, occasional sanding is necessary. However, all of the finish sanding, including doing the corners in all of the rooms with the mouse sander, took a lot of extra of time. I understand exactly how you are feeling. For all intents and purposes, thats what they are. Whether to DIY or hire it out is a big decision. It was unsightly. These cookies do not store any personal information. Thanks for sharing! Why not 100%? We have a tiny sun porch with a painted wood floor that I plan to do first as a trial project and will probably sand it by hand. Also, Im glad you added the extra information about how to move the drum sander to avoid marks. Your info is great! After you are finished sanding, wait a few hours (preferably overnight) to let the dust settle. Check out ourselection of machinesdesigned to work on wood flooring and decks. It can be used for grinding, sanding, or polishing either wood orconcrete. Always wear goggles to prevent serious eye damage due to flying debris, and wear a dust mask to protect your lungs from fine airborne particles. experienced with this type of machine, you can quickly cause serious, permanent and makes quick work of sanding a floor. , but then on the edge what you do, do you then go through the grits again ? because they remove little material.

I told him what I will now tell you. Also, I do not have a picture of how these rooms flow together, but there are individual pictures on the Winter Eclectic House Tour post if you want to take a look. These are smaller sanders that usually provide less power versus disc sanders. That means that you will need to use them in a particular way or direction. For 10% off, use the coupon code truetales. Even nearly a week later, my back is still sore from the hunching over, squatting, and scooting. Can you say ouch? Attach a shop vac instead of the dust collection bag to the sanding machine. That is why we can sand and stop where we did and refinish in two phases the way we have planned. ), but we cut our losses quickly. I apologize for the crummy photo, but I realized that I only photographed the U-sand in an Instagram Story. As pictured up above in the library photo, this machine is hardcore. sanding pad. A detail sander with a pointed front is perfect for this job. an orbital sanding pad and a built-in dust bag. four passes. A few weeks ago, we demoed the old floor, and the hardwood underneath was a dirty mess. the same size as a drum sander, and it also has a dust bag attached. If You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. (I will be vacuuming until Im dead.). Then, Andy came back with the U-sand and did the finish sanding. All the pros Ive seen on Youtube and in real life start forward and then immediately do a backward pass in the same line.

Nailing Techniques Used in Home Renovation, By continuing to browse this website, you agree to the use of cookies for the collection of traffic statistics and to improve the quality of our website. Wood, however, is soft and requires a lower speed. Hold it firmly in your hands, or it will jerk out of your hands and swirl around the room like a beheaded chicken leaving swirl marks and gouges in its wake. Eek! Straight away I knew what to expect; old varnish left on certain parts of the floor that dip down slightly, drum marks all over the place from where they have stopped with the sander before lifting the drum off the floor, it was your typical how hard could it be? DIY job.

Having a nice bright halogen lamp is VERY helpful in this situation, it will highlight any edger marks and swirls. That said, it is physically demanding, so we recommend that you stretch often and keep your favorite over-the-counter pain reliever on hand. Sanding hardwood floors is always a grind (see what I did there? sanders, vibrating sanders, and some large orbital sanders are too big and By the time I finished, I knew there was no way I was going to use the same method in the laundry room and the hall. They can also be used to level out uneven flooring. We must take care of all these areas before we begin our final sanding with the buffer.

What a great, informativeand encouragingpost. Drum Did you really go through the whole floor and sand those one by one?? Thanks so much Stacy for replying. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. While I want to burn it all. refinishing hardwood floors isnt particularly difficult, its an extremely After each pass, vacuum the floors, even if theres a bag attached to the sander. I must say that I was very disappointed with what the u sander did I guess I had this dream that the u sander would get rid of all the unwanted edger and drum marks but it didnt do that all!

1) AFAIK most drum sanders work both ways (ask the rental company though!) We moved the furniture from the dining room into the living room, and we scattered everything from the laundry room all over the house, explosion style. With each Like the starting sandpaper grit should be. The orbital edger will strip that paint off in no time flat. I will keep updating this post. [] hardwood floors has been something that I would love to try when I someday purchase an old house. Your floor should have a distinctive line where the big machine was sanded and turned around to sand the other direction, as well as the edges being distinctively different from where you had run your edger. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. sander will take considerably longer than it would with a drum sander, and Refinishing hardwood is not easy, but spending time on the details makes all the difference in the outcome. A handheld belt sander is perfect for working in smaller areas like deck railing tops.

However, I started to think about Team Andy & Stacys collective weaknesses, and I strongly considered calling in the professionals to do the sanding and limiting our involvement to finishing the floors. Typically, moving clockwise, I mark each piece with a room abbreviation and number them as I remove them in order. and other spaces that a large drum sander cant reach. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. But this is what happens when you just learn on your own without meeting other people in the industry. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(7667689, '1caa7391-d1db-42ca-b79c-8f80044f1608', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Sanders are machines that can be difficult to control. No way. Sanding hardwood floors as a DIY will save you money, and probably a lot of it. Kidding. A similar alternative is the OS2OS-L120 machine. Here, we look at the different types of floor sanders and offer some tips for getting the best possible results. My husband and FIL refinished the floors there, and the floors turned out really terribly (not trying to be mean to either of them). you choose to go the DIY route, more power to you! In our last house, we made some mistakes too. Always choose a machine that falls within your experience level. Use high quality finishing products, and keep your safety in I have been firmly in the refinishing floors is not a DIY camp since our first house. Abatron manufacturers two of Stacys favorite wood repair products, WoodEpox and LiquidWood. 2) REALLY important: dont just lower the drum gently and then start, ALWAYS get moving first and then lower the drum gently once youre sure the sander is moving properly! It creates a much smoother finish around the edges. No matter how experienced you are with the edging sander, theres a high likelihood that there will be edger swirl around the perimeter of the room. Some sanders are designed for use on concrete, and these require higher speeds because the surface is more difficult to grind. Cover hard-to-clean objects such as chandeliers with a plastic bag securely closed at the top. It doesnt look so bad when you do it, but when you put a lacquer on it with some level of reflective sheen, it stands out like a sore thumb. All rights reserved. I work for a third generation flooring company.

It was so much work and then the results were not something my husband (he acknowledged it) or I were happy with. Attached are two pictures of what you should be looking for in both areas while doing this. This makes it much easier to move across the floor in smooth Thank you for the details.

This sander offers the most control of any of the power sanders as long as you hold it firmly (see below). Simply stick some 80 grit sandpaper to the triangular head of the sander and sand the corner until all of the finish is removed just like the rest of the floor. orbital sander consists of a circular or square sanding pad that moves in a Long sleeves, pants, and gloves will prevent your skin from being coated with tiny particles.

Finally, keep all cords well out of your way as youre moving across the floor. We just bought. If you do, your efforts could leave behindcross-grain marksin the wood. Before I start, I just want to say, either hire a professional (someone that does it every day) or do it yourself. The final sanding is always done with 100 grit with the edger, then 100 grit with the drum sander. The first half is about our method. If your project is lead-free, move ahead. Wood should be sanded beforerefinishing, resealing, or redesigning. An You will need to randomly orbit every single spot that you edged. Or on sappy woods where anything over 60 grit gums up the disk. The machine comes with multiple attachments and heads that allow it many functions. None of our possessions are sparking joy right now. best sanding job possible. Finishing with the drum sander tends to leave drum marks near the edge of the floor. He is a professional wood floor refinishing specialist with 15 years of experience. Remove this by sanding the swirl by hand with 80-grit sandpaper. If they do manage to complete it quickly, they are probably doing a very bad job! , The Podcast For People Who Love Old Houses. To do this, take your Random Orbit Sander, whichever one it may be, and attach to it a sheet of 80 grit hook and loop sanding paper. Homes dating back more than a hundred years still have their original wood flooring. Quick question: did you do all the grits with the drum sander and then again with the u-sander? Im listing them from most-aggressive to least-aggressive. Im glad the post was helpful. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(7667689, '68632c8b-76e2-4d28-89fe-a2b1fcda8aa4', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); How to Choose the Right Wood Floor Sander, Why You Should Not Cover Up Concrete Basement Floors, Refinishing Vs. Resurfacing Hardwood Floors: Everything You Need To Know, The Ultimate Guide To Concrete Resurfacing. Edgers, however, are necessary for any project. The second half, where I talk in-depth about the different types of sanding machines, is more technical. It's easy to damage flooring and other wood surfaces with a sander you aren't ready to use. It also works well across thresholds where the big machines may not reach well. Before we begin buffing the floor for our final sanding pass, you may have noticed the corners still have finish on them and they are not sanded! permanent damage to your floor. This weight makes it difficult to transport or haul the sanders without a dedicated team and vehicles. Always do the final edging after the final belt/drum sanding. Cover the vents, especially the air intake vents with plastic.

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