Less aggressive = slower That may be fine if you are working on only one room or a delicate surface. I am excited/dreading the day we refinish our floors. 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. A thorough vacuuming is crucial for a perfect finish. The orbital edger sander is my favorite, but I have a love/hate relationship with it. For 10% off, use the coupon code truetales. However, we have also rented from Home Depot. Then, Andy came back with the U-sand and did the finish sanding. 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. a big impact on the floors appearance once its coated. I used a combination of hand sanding and these fantastic detail sanding sticks to scrub it all out of there. And later, Stacy chats with Hugh Siler. This was a project for Team Andy & Stacy, not just me. If you feel like I have left out any crucial information about the sanding process or each type of machine, please leave your thoughts in the comments. Another handheld option, these edgers are designed to work along floor edges. Drum Your post is making me rethink my stance! Ben is responsible for almost all the content on this website. As a DIYer, its all on you. Copyright 2014-2019. Im so happy to have found your blog in the middle of the night! A floor sander helps remove wood's old finishes. To make it fit, the installer undercut the plinth blocks. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thank you for the details. Attached are two pictures of what you should be looking for in both areas while doing this. We ended up using all three sanding machines. After vacuuming, use a dry microfiber cloth to remove the finest specks from the floor. Before I start, I just want to say, either hire a professional (someone that does it every day) or do it yourself. All in, we sanded the three spaces (around 700 square feet) in about eleven hours. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us. That is why we can sand and stop where we did and refinish in two phases the way we have planned. We only have the one level (bungalow) but should be able to split it into phase one living/dining room and phase two bedrooms and hall. The downside is these machines are typically hefty and can weigh up to 100 pounds. Good luck with your project. It did not do excellent detail work as we hoped, but it did better than the drum sander. Sanding can be dangerous if you dont take proper safety precautions. 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. This makes it much easier to move across the floor in smooth First, I removed all of the shoe moldings. 2021 Blake Hill House. the wood. This weight makes it difficult to transport or haul the sanders without a dedicated team and vehicles. Sanding a hardwood floor is the first step of the refinishing process. You do not run the risk of cutting a finger while using this machine! Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window). Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Sanding hardwood floors as a DIY will save you money, and probably a lot of it. You will need to randomly orbit every single spot that you edged. 1) AFAIK most drum sanders work both ways (ask the rental company though!) Your email address will not be published. The Window Course from Scott Sidler of The Craftsman Blog will teach you everything you need to know to restore your original wood windows. I was shocked. For wood, you need to look for a machine that balances power with a low speed to not damage the material. It is a filthy job. The second half, where I talk in-depth about the different types of sanding machines, is more technical. The machine comes with multiple attachments and heads that allow it many functions. Special Note: We are using Rubio Monocoat as the floor finish. He also owns a floor sanding and restoration company. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. It's equipped with unique edging wheels and a maneuverable head that gets into even the most problematic areas. 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. Choosing the right wood floor sander for your project is vital if you want the best results. Low-grit sandpaper usually lasts for a reasonable amount of time. [] hardwood floors has been something that I would love to try when I someday purchase an old house. You made it through this entire post. 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. Cover hard-to-clean objects such as chandeliers with a plastic bag securely closed at the top. Having a nice bright halogen lamp is VERY helpful in this situation, it will highlight any edger marks and swirls. Any inconsistency around the perimeter is smoothed out with the buffer. Lines, bump marks and dips can occur where the belt touches down first. Hugh restores small cottages in the Old Towne District of Orange, California. It's easy to damage flooring and other wood surfaces with a sander you aren't ready to use. Like The equipment is heavy, and the act of sanding is physically demanding. Now that the new/old floor is gone, there is a gap, and I wanted to remove the old finish underneath. It will not fit under toe-kicks or low shelves. Or on sappy woods where anything over 60 grit gums up the disk. Wood, however, is soft and requires a lower speed. It does this by removing the top layer of wood and getting down to thesubstrate base of flooringor other projects. Finishing with the drum sander tends to leave drum marks near the edge of the floor. What a great, informativeand encouragingpost. ), but we cut our losses quickly. Thanks so much Stacy for replying. A builder or decorator will probably cost as much as a professional, because they will take longer to do it because they dont have the knowledge or the tools to do it quickly. Learn how your comment data is processed. If Sanding the hardwood floors in the hall was the most detail-oriented task of our project. 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. As pictured up above in the library photo, this machine is hardcore. Close the doors to every room and plug the bottom gap with a towel or plastic. (I will be vacuuming until Im dead.). They discuss why so many old houses have aluminum-wrapped exterior trim and whether removing it is a good or bad idea. Thanks for the tips about the edger! Its brilliant! The bulk of the labor cost for refinishing floors is sanding. 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. 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 must run the random orbit sander over these swirls to get rid of them around the entirety of the room. Disc sanders generally operate at high speeds, however, which can make them challenging to control. The reason you want to do the rough edging during the belt sanding process is to reduce the size of the rough edged area, usually when inexperienced people do all the edging at the end they end up missing some of the scratches from the coarser grits with the finer grits. I work for a third generation flooring company. This machine will sand within 1/2 inch of the edges of the room. Andy can live with that. I need to clarify that I never had any intention of doing this all by myself. The professionals have all sorts of tricks to keep the dust down, and they clean up when they are finished. Sanding The sandpaper discs are super cheap at around $1 each, and they last well. If they do manage to complete it quickly, they are probably doing a very bad job! If your project is lead-free, move ahead. Even the tiniest speck of dust can show up permanently on your floor once the coating is laid down. If your floors have been sanded numerous times, this machine might take. 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. When I mentioned that idea to Andy, he strongly opposed. Once the wood has been sanded down, it's a blank canvas and can be altered as desired. These cookies do not store any personal information. sandpaper grits and coating products. When working on a project with any hard-to-reach areas,a floor edgeris necessary. Likewise, a bad sanding job (even when using the right equipment) can kill the wooden material's lifespan, look, and functionality. All rights reserved. Your info is great! A square orbital sander can reach into corners Whenever I meet anyone that does floor sanding I have to ask them a thousand questions about their methods and what products they use. After each pass, vacuum the floors, even if theres a bag attached to the sander. While this is not an exhaustive list, I am including the types of machines that we have used, and a couple of others recommended to us by experienced floor refinishers. in the wood. passes. Andy did the first pass with the belt sander, and I did the edges with the Orbital. Email: customerservice@builddirect.com. Always do the final edging after the final belt/drum sanding. I would say do all the drum sanding, then all the edge sanding. The finish may come right off without resorting to 20-grit paper or lower. It was unsightly. A handheld belt sander is perfect for working in smaller areas like deck railing tops. It has to be used while squatting down or on your knees. Would you consider sanding hardwood floors as a DIY project? The hard part about the sanding errors or coating mistakes is that it is hard to get rid of them without a whole lot of extra work. Its what this website is all about. Do you have more questions about choosing the right wood floor sander? Like orbital sanders, vibrating sanders are less likely than drum Why not 100%? Using too high a speed on wooden surfaces can cause significant damage, including erosion of the natural grain. Hi Eva, Thank you! orbital sanders, vibrating sanders are used primarily as a finishing sander to All Rights Reserved. We always keep these lead check swabs handy. I think now that were a lot more experienced in the DIY departmentand Id make sure I was involved too!we could likely get a better result. Vacuum at least twice, paying special attention to the cracks between the planks and along the baseboards. 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. 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! Water popping followed by the palm sander worked great. If the sander isnt positioned Educate yourself about the Its little tips like this that people wouldnt know without experience. By enabling corners and other hard-to-reach areas to be fully sanded, handheld edgers ensure a complete, professional-looking result. The edger has a light bulb on the front so you can see where you are going. sanders, vibrating sanders, and some large orbital sanders are too big and Use high quality finishing products, and keep your safety in The good news is that its all a distant memory now, and the floor looks great! before you use the edger you sand to the finest grit with drum? The edger weighs about 40 lbs! He is a professional wood floor refinishing specialist with 15 years of experience. The orbital edger will strip that paint off in no time flat. For professionals, commercial vibratory and orbital sanders can be easier to control than drum sanders. I also read your other post on wetting the wood and using the palm sander to get rid of the swirl marksdid that work pretty well for you? Although we are sanding the entire first floor, so far, we have only sanded 1/2 of it. But this is what happens when you just learn on your own without meeting other people in the industry. An average disc sander is the most common choice. That helps reduce swirl marks. Also, Im glad you added the extra information about how to move the drum sander to avoid marks. I have been firmly in the refinishing floors is not a DIY camp since our first house. refinishing hardwood floors isnt particularly difficult, its an extremely This machine takes some getting used to. We knew that to get this done promptly, we would need to work together. This sander will leave swirl marks if you dont keep it moving. (See below for more information on this topic.). Wood should be sanded beforerefinishing, resealing, or redesigning. 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. Homes dating back more than a hundred years still have their original wood flooring. We must sand with the Random Orbit sander the last grit that we left off with on our belt sander and edge sander. I want to burn it all. To accomplish sanding on large projects, people use wood floor sanders. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Or did you just use the drum for the lowest grit and then u-sander for the higher ones? That said, it is physically demanding, so we recommend that you stretch often and keep your favorite over-the-counter pain reliever on hand. With a low-grit paper, it quickly strips off all types of finish from thick glossy poly to old varnish. A similar alternative is the OS2OS-L120 machine. Prospect | Elgin | Lombard | North Shore Area | Yorkville, How To Refinish Your Hardwood Floors: Final Sanding with the Buffer, How To Refinish Your Hardwood Floors: Sanding the Edges with the Edger, Office, 2540 Victor Ave, Glenview, IL 60025, How To Refinish Your Hardwood Floors: Sanding With The Random Orbital Sander. It is a unique finish that does not create lap marks. Finally, keep all cords well out of your way as youre moving across the floor. The orbital palm sander is handy for finish work and spot touch-up if you see bumps or swirl marks. damage to your floor if you arent very careful. As always, do your due diligence before selecting a contractor. A mouse detail sander is necessary for sanding the last bits out of the corners. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Ive vacillated between wanting to do the whole project myself to wanting to outsource the sanding but Ill probably do it myself. Also, Part II of thi refinishing hardwood floors as a DIY series, Removing Swirl Marks & Finish Sanding, is now available. It works like a dream around the edgesso fast! Id like to add a point or two, just for clarification. and that speeds up the process a whole lot. I did the entire kitchen and the dining room this way because the upright sanding machines were not doing a good job. I have a friendly relationship with a local rental store just down the road from BHH, and that is where we rent most of the time. The heavy-duty orbital edger cannot reach into those tight spaces and neither can the orbital palm sander. Thanks! A floor edger is explicitly designed to reach these areas without causing damage to walls or fixtures. 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. A detail sander with a pointed front is perfect for this job. You do flooring but how often do you actually sand floors? 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! bulky to reach into corners and along the edges of the room where the floor I began talking about our large floor refinishing project at the end of January. The OF16Pro is an excellent example of a multi-use tool. Ask your local rental store to explain the machine to you thoroughly, so you will know exactly how to use the sander before you begin your project. It also works well to remove swirl marks and small gouges. While it was not entirely necessary, the edger sander gets pretty close, I wanted the most professional-looking job, and much of the shoe was broken or chipped. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. No way. because they remove little material. Ben Osborne is the owner of HowToSandAFloor.com. the starting sandpaper grit should be. Orbital sanders are primarily used for finishing, The more you know going in, the better your refinished I found this particularly problematic when changing from forwards to backwards. 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. Choosing the right sander is vital to the success of your project. 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. Its possible that I misunderstood. None of our possessions are sparking joy right now. Sanding hardwood floors is always a grind (see what I did there? 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. In our last house, we made some mistakes too. I understand exactly how you are feeling. Although choosing a more powerful, complicated machine may sound like it'll do a better job, it won't in the wrong hands. For each pass, first use the drum sander, and then use the edger. 100 grit on an edger is possible sometimes but very often its too fine and spins too fast and just burns the wood very quickly. best sanding job possible. None the less it gave me food-for-blogging-thought. The U-sand works best on a flat surface. sanders are massively heavy beasts that generally require two people to carry. sanders to damage the floor. We can either A) Scrap the corner or B) Use a multi-master dremel tool. In the open areas, sanding the hardwood floors went quickly. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); when you say Always do the final edging after the final belt/drum sanding do you mean once you have done all your grits on the drum sander, i.e. 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. And I cant get over her gorgeous dining room and am totally mesmerizedby this timelapse []. The guys at my favorite rental place told me that the one I used worked on the backward pull, and the one Andy rented from Home Depot was the opposite. Typically, moving clockwise, I mark each piece with a room abbreviation and number them as I remove them in order. Copywrite 2022 How To Sand A Floor | All Rights Reserved | Powered by Ben Osborne. Andy and I decided that I would sand the entire dining room floor with the orbital edger and 20-grit sandpaper instead. Andy also recommends this back brace. Be warned that this is a super meaty post. With such powerful machines, t is hard to imagine using them any other way. There are several types of sanders you could choose for your next project. If your floor has significant dips or waves, this sander probably wont cut through the top finish well. After the main sanding was finished, it looked 95% better. 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.
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