Just rented a 3 disc sander and getting ready to start working on my wood floors. Any tips from some past experiences?
Refinishing Hard Wood Floors
- Thread starter stormchaser
- Start date
did you get varying levels of grit paper?
Do a quick once over with the lowest grit (usually like an 80), then go back over with like a 120 to smooth it out.
Do a quick once over with the lowest grit (usually like an 80), then go back over with like a 120 to smooth it out.
1. Don't use a 3 disc sander :wink:
2. Do not skip more than one grit sequence, because sandpaper that is more than 2 grits above will not remove your previous marks.
2. Do not skip more than one grit sequence, because sandpaper that is more than 2 grits above will not remove your previous marks.
Serious question though......are you stripping down to raw wood, or just recoating? If you are just recoating, your 3 disc (I'm assuming it's a buffer) should work ok. I wouldn't start more aggressive than 100# though. If you're stripping down to raw wood, that's really not the machine that you want to use (walk behind 8" floor/belt sander).
for my house i just stripped the old finish off with a stripper chemical, stained, and put a few coats of lacquer on top.
It is a buffer style sander, and has a recommended 3 different grit progression.
The floors varying levels of old finish still on. My goal is to get them looking equal and either add a stain and sealer or just a sealer if it has some finish still in it. Am I on the right track?
The floors varying levels of old finish still on. My goal is to get them looking equal and either add a stain and sealer or just a sealer if it has some finish still in it. Am I on the right track?
You're going to have to buff the crap out of it to get all of the finish off, which is especially necessary if you're going to stain it- stain won't absorb into the wood where there's still old finish. The other problem with staining is that, in buffing it aggressively, you're likely to leave circular sanding marks that the stain will accentuate.
If you're going to use that buffer, I would recommend going with a natural color (seal only), assuming that your old floor is not stained. The most common problem in sanding with that machine is not getting the old finish off, and not noticing until you've already coated the floor. If the floor is a honey color now, and you are using an oil base finish/seal, this will be less noticeable, but it still has the potential to show up.
If I was to try and remove fridge roller dents from a wood floor would I have to sand them out too or is there a way to 'pull' them up?
Only a small hijack
Depends how deep they are. Sometimes it just scuffs the finish, sometimes it's into the wood. I've heard of people steaming them out with a damp rag and an iron, but I have not tried that personally, so I don't know if that would work or not.
They are definitely more than scuffs. Maybe 1/10" deep. I have heard the iron trick once too. May have to at least try that. Also have to figure out how to get the damn fridge out to clean behind without doing this again!
They make fridge kits that are essentially hard plastic strips for your fridge to sit on, and an extra set to put down when rolling it out. If you're interested in knowing where, send me a PM (trying to avoid shameless self promotion of my business).
Hire somebody to do it. It is a difficult job that is easy to make and error with. Do not use a sander that rotates. Use a belt sander - a rotating sander will put a circular grain on your floor. Good luck with it.
I once installed a recycled hard wood floor and used a rotating sander to take it down to bare wood. The finished product turned out fine and I don't recall a problem with the grain. The biggest challenge was the corners that were not accessible to the machine that I used. Ended up needing a number of hours with a hand sander to complete the job.
The biggest issue was trying to control the dust - it ended up all over the house.
The next time around I went with a professional to sand and 3 coat a 250 sq ft room for $400. I do most of my own repair work, but this is one situation where hiring out is the only way to go. He brought in state-of-the-art equipment and did a beautiful job without any dust escaping the room.
True, it certainly can be done. I've seen some really beautiful floors done by customers. I've also seen some that were not. Reminds me of a guy I knew who put off the sanding on their newly bought house to go pheasant hunting. He finally went to do it the weekend before they moved in, and failed to get all of the finish off. His floor turned out with big blotches of orange all over the place, but they had to move in on it because they were out of time.
The better dust control systems out there now are amazing. Our company has a gas powered, truck mounted vacuum that hooks to every machine, and takes virtually all of the dust outside. Our guys actually come home now looking as clean as when they leave in the morning. That can be worth the price right there.
