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Sanding a wood floor is a multi-step process. Determine your grit sequence. Sand all main field areas with the drum sander on the first grit of your determined sequence. Use the edger (using the same grit you just used on the drum) to sand all the areas that the drum couldn’t reach. Sweep or vacuum all sanded rooms.
Can I sand my own hardwood floors?
Sanding wood floors is a time consuming but relatively easy procedure. Sanding wood floors & refinishing yourself will definitely save money, and even an inexperienced homeowner can likely do a better job than the lowest bidding handyperson who quotes on it.
Is it better to sand or strip wood floor?
If the hardwood floor has not been refinished before, it’s a better candidate for a manual stripping. However, this often requires a professional: sanding down the floor can be dangerous for a non-professional, as it’s easy to sand down the floor unevenly.
Can you sand floors with a hand sander?
The process for sanding a floor by hand would be, as a general rule, to start on a 40 grit sandpaper and work your way up to 100 or 120 grit paper to leave a fine finish. It is important to keep any sander moving so it does not dig into or burn the floor. Get yourself a floor sander, or better still hire a pro.
What is the cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors?
Applying a revitalizer gloss is the simplest and cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors. This approach works best on floors that only have surface-level scratches and other minor wear and tear issues. You can get the job done without the need for equipment rentals or hard-to-find materials.
Can you refinish a wood floor without sanding?
The best way to refinish wood floors without sanding is to use a technique called screen and recoat. This involves scuffing up the finish with a floor buffer and applying a refresher coat of finish.
What kind of sander to use on hardwood floors?
The drum sander is the real workhorse of hardwood floor sanding. It is a massive piece of equipment, too heavy for most people to lift—two people are required to carry it.
Is it worth refinishing hardwood floors yourself?
If you only have some minor scratches and dings or a dull finish, you might be able to simply buff and add a new coat of varnish. But, even if your floors need a complete makeover, refinishing hardwood is a very manageable and rewarding do-it-yourself job that can save a lot of money.
How do you refinish a 100 year old floor?
Refinishing 100 (plus) year-old hardwood floors Step 1 // prep. Empty the room and prepare for dust onslaught. Step 2 // drum sander. Step 3 // clean the dust. Step 4 // fill. Step 5 // orbital sanders. Step 6 // clean. Step 7 // stain (optional) Step 8 // first poly coat.
How much wood is removed when sanding hardwood floors?
When sanding any floor, the amount of wood you remove depends on the coarseness of the paper you use. Flooring professionals can sand away as much as 1/16 inches of wood with the coarsest paper.
How long does it take to sand a floor?
How long does it take to sand a floor? It can take 1-5 days for a professional and 2-15 days for a DIY enthusiast, depending on the size and condition of the floor. For planning purposes, it would take 1-day per room for a professional and 2 days per room for a homeowner doing DIY.
Should I use stripper or sander?
It’s almost always better to strip than to sand. To begin with, except in cases where the old finish is flaking off, it’s a lot more work to sand than to strip using a paint-and-varnish remover.
Do I need to strip floors before sanding?
We recommend that you at least attempt to remove some of it before you sand, but don’t bother trying adhesive remover (sanding is cheaper than that). But if this is your only hope for removing the adhesive, we can sand out the damage the water may cause.
What is the difference between a floor sander and a floor stripper?
Sanding. If you’ve ever stripped stained and finished furniture, you know that the stripper removes the finish but not the stain. You have to remove that by sanding. The same applies to wood floors, but floors are so large that stripping them with chemicals isn’t practical.
How do you prep a floor for sanding?
How to Prepare a Wood Floor for Sanding Clear the Room Before Sanding. This is probably pretty obvious but before you begin sanding, you will want to remove all of the furniture and clear out the room. Clean the Floor. Hammer in the Nails. Remove the Baseboards Before Sanding. Protect the House From Floor Sanding Dust.
Can you walk on freshly sanded floors?
At a minimum, you should wait at least 24 hrs before walking on the floors; for hours 24-48, it’s best to wear socks only (no shoes, no bare feet). Ideally, you should wait a total of 4 days before moving furniture back. This is to allow enough time for the floors to dry and cure.
How long does it take to sand a floor with a floor sander?
So how long does it take to sand a floor? If you’re using both the electric sander and the edger in 140 square-foot floor space, it will take you roughly 5 hours to do three sanding passes. Another thing you must take into account is how old your house is.
What type of sander is best for floors?
Unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, your best choice of floor sander is the random orbital sander from one maker in particular. Unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, the best choice for do-it-yourself floor refinishing is the random orbital sander.
Can you refinish floors in one day?
A screen and re-coat is a one-day process that doesn’t give you a blank slate like a full sand and refinish, but it DOES give your hardwood floors a fantastic refresh. The process is dustless (as is our full sand and refinish, by the way), and takes ONE DAY to complete.
