I respond to 98% of comments, feel free to ask a question. Or better still, tell me if I made sense about the surface areas of the sanders! I Waffle a lot so if you think I did OK let me know lol. Edit: Im sorry that the audio is horrific in this video lol.
Thank you for your guidance. I have a crown in my floor that runs the length of the hallway. Is it better to leave the crown or sand the whole floor level?
Hello! I am looking to sand, stain, and finish my floors! I went to home depot and they told I could use a Random Orbital Sander (www.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/Random-Orbit-Floor-Sander/07163A/index.html) for my floors starting with 80 grit and then to 100. My home has pine floors. No waves with little to no nicks or holes. The floors were put down in 2004 and this will be the first time they are refinished and stained. I was also told to use minwax oil base stain along with an oil base polyurethane to finish. Is it possible to sand the bulk of my 1300 sqft of pine flooring within 7 days? Should I rent more than one machine? Please let me know!
How To Sand A Floor it’s better to sand a floor or replaced..... I’m in that kind of situation, what is better for me with a budget of 1200 for 900 sf, or do it my self..if u have to replaced can u said (for u) witch is better, affordable and easy to install and replaced..thanks
I will probably never sand or refinish a floor in my life but I am here at 5:30am in corona quarantine learning how to do it right and why you do it this way.
Definitely try it, my wife and I bought our first house and the hardwood refinishing quote for 4 bedrooms (about 800 sqft total) was $3200+. I did the job myself put the door with tax for about $400
Really saved my butt- I’m about to rent a drum sander and unfortunately watched a lot of the videos you call “fails” until I came to yours 👍 I’m a believer in not skipping steps if you want the best outcome- thanks for the very helpful info.
This guy is the real deal!! I do it professionally as well and this guy definitely knows what he’s talking about ! The rest of the guys need to drop the subject cuz they ruining people’s floors 🙄
I have 98 year old fir floors, and started watching how to videos on This Old House channel, now I'm here absorbing even more detail, and feeling much better prepared! I know there will be discoloration, but if the surface is beautifully sanded before I oil it, those coloration variations are easy to live with. I actually think they'll add character. Excited to do this myself now.
@@joelesser7297 No, the first illustration shows how there are relatively deep grooves that are created by coarse grit sandpaper, if you go to a very fine grit sandpaper right away, you only make it part of the way toward getting to the bottom of those grooves. The finer grit sandpaper will make the surface flatter, but the grooves are still there. It would be like taking a bunch of mountains clustered together and chopping the tops off all at the same height and turning them into plateaus. Your result is definitely flatter than it was, but it is definitely not completely flat.
I'm a professional floor refinisher, and you do very good videos. You've got a good way of presenting the information, and it's the *right* information, according to my experience. I explain the drum sander technique by comparing it to an airplane landing and taking off- the plane is always moving as it lands, or as it lifts. There should never be a "thud" as the plane touches down! Most people can visualize that. Your idea about using 120 grit as a training grit on the big machine is great!
This is fantastic! I totally would've skipped grits, just because no one's been able to tell me why I shouldn't. I love that you explain the theory behind refinishing. Thank you!
I only use Trio Lägler but 4pcs extra weigth in all 28kg then grid 40 to start and 60 80 120 as fast as drum, better quaiity. THE Electric motor is powerful enough.For many years i took away dust filter, can and plastic bag.Instead a separated big dust collector. Now it.s almost dustfree working.I do not use my drumsander anymore, very happy with that after more than 20 years as a proffesional floor entrepreuner. Thanks for your video and stay safe. Greets from🇫🇮Finland. 👍👍
Ben, you are a life saver. I really really appreciate your fact-based, highly credible explanations. love the whiteboard. Also your willingness in another video of yours to call out the ridiculous stuff that's out there on the internet while somehow not being a jerk about it. constructive criticism is a good thing. the world needs more people like you at the top of youtube searches (which is where i get all of my information / disinformation these days for my myriad DIY projects). i made the mistake of watching somebody else's video that suggested using a square buff, when i was trying to take off multiple coats of paint and shellac primer from a wood floor. the floor laughed at me. then i saw your video and went and got a proper drum sander with 24 grit paper (36 wasn't enough for me). keep being yourself. and please clone yourself if you can.
Unfortunately Home Depot didn't have any drum sanders available for rental, so I used a finishing sander despite watching several of your videos advising me not to. It took me nearly 10 hours of constant work just to get the floor sanded in a single room. The whole time I was thinking to myself "damn that guy was right"
Just tonight found your channel. Boning up on floor refinishing as it’s about the only home building/remodeling projects I haven’t yet tried. Your explanation is very well put, clearly shown and logically explained. (Handy tip for practicing btw). I’ve had all sorts of technical training in industry and yours is very well executed. I’m sure I’ll watch many more upcoming. Cheers and Thanks!!!
Your breakdown of why it's necessary to step up with grit was excellent. I'd sort of implicitly known this just from doing some woodworking, but hadn't quite grasped the whole peak removal concept behind it. I'm watching the rest of your series and reading your blog before I dive into this myself.
I'm currently remodeling my half bath. It had peel and stick over hardwood and I finally got the adhesive off and am working on sanding it down before finishing it. Thank you for the video, very informative.
I don’t have a wooden floor (LVP) but I watched this whole thing. I notice I do this a lot, watching professionals talk about things in depth on things I normally I have no interest in, and I think I realized why I like them so much. It demonstrates that almost anything can be more complex and detailed than you give it credit for. Sometimes not researching results in more work, sometimes the quality suffers. Videos like this reiterate for me that if you want to diy something effectively, proper research is a necessity. Great job.
Glad I watched this video. I'm getting ready to refinish my hardwood floors. The videos I've watched scare you out of using a drum sander. I've used a square sander to sand my deck but for my house I want it to done the correct way.
Th, anks for the well needed info. I restore antique furn., and have taken on restoring the oak flooring in a house built in 1882. It has never had a restoration done in the past, just multiple,(to say the least) layers of wax, oil, and varnish. Your video reminded me , there is no short cut if you expect quality results. This will be the third floor I've ever done, and by far the worst. Thanks again .
This is great information that I wished I found sooner. Unfortunately I've sanded my floors already where I have skipped some grit and did not use a square buff to even out the marks. Oh well, you live and you learn. Thanks for the content.
So I had installed Unfinished Red Oak (Solid) Hardwood Flooring through my house (large renovation, been doing this for a couple years, learning each trade on weekends for...idk.. knowledge?). Background before asking the question: - Everyone of the planks for the Unfinished hardwood flooring were ran through a planer, only about the thickness of a 'stain' was taken off (These are 'new' unfinished flooring, this was because I already owned the planer and I was given the advice of it potentially being a good idea. So far I live in this house without sanding the floors and they feel incredibly smooth already). - I filled the knots that were present in some of the planks with blue hot glue (See KnotFiller). - Doing this myself, about 500sqft of flooring total around the house (May need to convert that from Imperial; Square Feet). My question: Since this is 'unfinished' hardwood floor and it was ran through a planer already for surface imperfections, should I skip to a finish sander or would it be a good practice to start with a drum sander and go through the grits?
Thanks so much for all your information, wish I would have seen it BEFORE I started sanding my wood floors! Went to Home Depot and rented a sander, the rectangular one. My son sanded for hours on a patch of the living room floor, about 4' x 6' with the 20 grit sand paper. It was taking so long that we went back and got a second machine! We worked all day on the living room and dining room floors and still there was a lot of finish left in lots of the seams. I watched your video and several other ones that night and then realised we were using the wrong machine! So I took them both back and got an Easy 8 drum sander which has a lever to lower the drum and raise the drum when you get to the wall. It works much better but only part of the sand paper is hitting the floor so I get an uneven section of the floor sanded, not the full width of the sander and when I try to go diagonal it leaves dig marks in the floor 😢
not sure I have the confidence necessary to do the job myself, especially after watching this video. It's great to know this information when we select someone to have the work done, otherwise. Will check out your other videos, thanks
I had no idea when I started that the drum could take so much off in such a small amount of time. I had read about drum marks before I started thankfully so I made sure to be cautious but it definitely isn't as easy as it looks. Refinishing pine floors from old houses built in 1948 right now. I am using dark walnut stain and satin poly and they are truly gorgeous. Bonus: they are saving us almost a thousand dollars since we don't have to buy carpet.
Thank you sir for your professional coach that is so important for me since I will rent tools in the couple days👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Hope more and more people will see your videos getting your great coach! Good luck for business sir!👍🏻
1 tip i would have loved to hear years ago is to... Depending of the age... check if its a nailed floor because you need to hammer them down first, learn that the hard way
Thats called prep work, most all house remodeling projects require. Cant side a house with old nails sticking out, can't shingle a roof without pounding all the nails in. Want things to work right and look good don't skip the prep work.
Found your channel via your “what not to do” videos. For a fairly experienced worker in various aspects of the construction industry I really appreciate that you give the “WHY”, and not just “do this.” The why really cements the good habits IMHO. Good stuff brother. Btw it also shows that you know what you’re doing. Edit: I’m about to tackle a really nasty hardwood floor upstairs in my house. I may be back with questions lol.
If the previous owners of my house saw this video, my floors would look a lot better. There are start and stop marks ALL OVER the floors. So much so it looks like a exotic species of oak 😆. It’s gunna be a good time straightening that mess out. Been casually watching your videos here and there. When it comes time to get this done I will take a deep dive to learn how to do this right. I’ve always had a curiosity about this process, like any trade, trying to find information with integrity is so hard to find. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience over the pond.
As a retired autobody painter I understand and appreciate your advice on sanding and grit progression. When it comes to my floor, which is red fir, I fear I did a stupid thing. I gutted my house because of water damage, so I pulled up all my boards very carefully (dry and splinters easily) and they were in good shape for the most part. But I had to destroy some boards which had black adhesive from tiles that were glued over. An abandoned house next door had the same flooring so I took some boards from there. I re installed all the boards only to find that in some areas, boards were about 2-3 millimetres lower than adjacent boards in a section usually about a foot long or less. There seems to be about an average of 7 millimetres of the top lip of the groove left. What I want to do is use a router with a big base, and take these low spots down another 2 millimetres , and then glue on a thin strip of fir onto the now uniformly low surface ( a strip planed from other boards and about 6 millimetres thick) ...a sort of a thick veneer instead of cutting the board out and replacing those small areas.. Then my plan is to sand these areas flush with a belt sander , and then refinish with a drum sander. The areas in question are usually no more than 12 inches long. What are my chances of success ...I'm sure you've seen it all. Cheers from Canada!
I would sand it flat with the drum sander, diagonal 36 cut, just make sure you get used to that motion first. You will find it takes a while with the drum sander, with the hand held belt sander youre talking hours maybe days.
Can't tell ya how much I appreciate this video. Moving into a house soon with a nice small woodfloor area in the living room, the previous tenants put a good bit of traffic across it, finish worn away in parts, scratched on about 50% of the surface area, and black patches (their dog enjoyed taking a slash in there it seems). Thought to myself, yeah, I can take care of this, sand it, seal it, get it looking awesome. And some of the youtube vids I watched confirmed that thought, even the one with a guy using a hand belt sander. Even better I thought, I'll just buy one of those for the price of renting a drum sander, perfect. I'm still going to take on that room myself, but it's going to be done as close to the way a pro would do it as possible. It will mean dropping money on rentals for 2/3 days, not just the 1 I'd hoped. Screw it though, your vid will cost me some extra cash, but the education it gave will hopefully allow me to sit back and enjoy looking at that floor for years to come :) Or at least until my own dog turns it black :/ Also, I don't know why, but I really want to rewatch Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels right now. Cheers chap!
This is a really informative and well explained video. Why on Earth is there irritating music being played in the background. There was never music in any lesson I took at school or college. It’s really distracting and you don’t need it. You have a good clear voice and you deliver your knowledge well.
@@HowToSandAFloor Really. It works in some of your other videos especially when you are doing the work. Maybe it’s the volume level on this one. Although I guess I also find this particular type of music especially annoying. You can’t please all the people all the time, and Me most of all 😉
F@#$!!!! Why does this video not come up first?!?!?! I literally watched all the videos, rented all the wrong equipment (in the wrong order anyways) before finding this one. What a waste of 8 hours.... found this and literally sanded my floor the right way in about 2..... I wish UA-cam could filter out all the crap and get quality to show up first. Thanks a ton!!!!
Thank you clint! UA-cam doesn't like this video, I have no idea why. I think its because its less entertainy and more actual facts that only people who are faced with the task of sanding floors will appreciate
You're an excellent teacher, I can actually envision the procedures as you describe them..probably because I have witnessed this process before but I did not personally use the equipment..if only we had virtual "hands on" !!
Amazingly informative video for anyone starting to refinish their own floors. Your information was exactly what I needed. Way beyond other common youtube videos on the subject. Thank you very much -- very greatful.
Great information. I just finished 600 sqft for the first time every. Unfortunately, I saw this video after we finished. It was a badly abused multi layered old poly and carpeted areas on pine boards. The floor boards were not tight, had cupping and plenty of unevenness. We used 36 grit, but one of the sander's disk broke off probably because the grit was too aggressive and it was hopping! LOL We managed to set it on under the machine to finish. Then we used an edge sander, but my son went nuts cleaning up areas were the poly was. It is definitely making for an interesting grain patterns! Good thing my son loves wood and to him all wood looks nice. His girl friend hasn't seen it yet though! LOL It was her idea to remove the rug so we figure it is her fault how ever it looks! I wish we had watched your video prior to this 4 day grind!
Update: 27 hours into cure time and his girl friend was upset with a few white streaks and some areas above the old existing wood filler that appeared to be "crystalizing" according to my son. My son asked me to bring a heat gun to try and remove the "crystals", that is when I figured out what happened. The existing poly and wood filler must have been oil based because I noticed while applying the stain to the old wood filler, it avoided the stain. I believe the poly did the same making a bubble which is now cracking along the filler lines as they walk on it. Had we not been rushed, by the new slave master to finish as quick as doing laundry, perhaps my son would have listened to me to removed all the old wood filler and sanded more. Dark Walnut stain on old pine is nothing anyone should ever wish for! Had we just applied poly, it would have looked great! Some people's expectation and perceptions are not based in reality! Question: Is it possible to sand areas where it was cracking, remove the old wood filler between boards(limited area of the floor), stain and poly.... would it look worse to do so or would it blend in and not be noticeable? I have no idea if this possible.
I started with a square buff because Home Depot told me it was safe. What they didn't tell me was it would do nothing to my floor. I went to random oscillating. I think it got the job done ok enough, but took forever. I'm too stubborn and lazy to redo it all (800 sq ft). And the floor wasn't in terrible condition to begin with, so i think i can get away with what I did. I will definitely take this into consideration if I'm ever crazy enough to sand hardwood again.
I have silly question, sanding small areas do tackle that with a edge sande. I had a few companies refuse to quote. I totally respect there reasons given. So I'm going to tackle it myself and try salvage previous owners disaster. Tired of looking waves throughout my house.
Very good, I learned much! I am refinishing a 100 year old heart pine floor myself without renting a drum sander. It is a small hallway and I am using a belt sander, orbital circular, and vibrating sander. Thanks again for sharing your expertise.
I work refishising and installing all types in floor. All I can say is nothing is light on hardwood floors. I've had to pack a Clarke American sander into a house by myself more times than care to think about I only weigh 165lbs. Bulldog it out the van carry it. In I think the motor might weigh more that the body. Lol. Great tips thanks.
I wish this video was out 8yrs ago. I damaged my floors with the drum sander because I didnt let up off the floors. Soo many uneven grooves. I really stands out with a darker Stain.
If ur on Facebook feel free to hit me up. I’m on the back end of 1500 sf . My first time. I know every machine out there now. I should have ripped the floors out but live and learn
I typically use -12inch drum sander 36 grit Water based filler 80 grit -8 inch edger 36 -6 inch edger 80 grit -18 inch flooring buffer 60 grit screens 180 grit if I'm staining. . The floors typically come out looking beautiful.
But also my drum is one of the old like 100 kg, 200 lb sanders. I go quicker with the 36 to flatten and clean the floor. Slow with the 80 to smooth it.
@@HowToSandAFloor whoops, 7 inch edger and it's a. 'American Sanders' Super 7r edger. Old one though. Like mid 90s. The smaller one is another old toe kick edger. Sorry, my state in the united states closed down all construction because of this cold. So I'm not even close to my equipment. I forgot their brands and names. Looking them up online. Lol
Thank you for sharing your hard earned experience and know-how with us!! Excellent content and commentary on video, including your replies in text. Truly nice work. Many thanks.
this chanel is gold! there will be so many people with perfect floors because of you. I got a question: at which point are you supposed to fill in gaps between the planks with the mix of resin and 80grit dust? Before 100 grit belt sander, or just before the 80grit finishing sander? thanks!
I like to start with a less coarse sand paper as to not make big grooves in the floor as with very large grit paper. This process allows more refinishes over the life of the floor however if your floor is severely damaged and it needs to be taken down deeper go with the big stuff..
Gd I wish I had seen this video before getting talked into a square box finishing sander. Going back to get the drum and edger tomorrow and do it right. Thanks for the amazing information. Excuse me while I binge watch every video you have and like everything to show my thanks cause you need a LOT more attention.
If I just want to change the stain color, could I use just the finishing sander to take out the old finish? (My floor doesn’t have any scratches or dents. The old finish is medium/dark and I want a very light finish.) Thank you very much for your videos!
Great videos bro Can i go through all the sanding grits using the drum sander....36..50..80..100.... Also they don't rent edgers ...can i use a rotary palm sander for the edges... Thanks keep up the good work
So far best Instruction. Specially -not jumping from 38 to 120. and with Finish sander going back to 80 and work up_ and your other tip -- start practicing with 120-- I never thought about that. I am planning to do sanding on my daughter's floor. Oak floor is 60 years old . First time for floor; First time for me. 1-- I saw some nails in there; what do I do with those.? 2-- floor has natural Blond Oak Color. I am thinking to stain it with Red Mahogany Gel Stain for warmth . Any suggestion? or complete rejection? 3-- what is your Max Grid for Oak? Thanks millions from California.
I have an unusual situation. I'm going to install brand new prefinished 3/4" solid red oak flooring but I will immediately be refinishing it after the install. The reason is because I don't like the prefinished color but I got the flooring for 1 dollar a square foot. In my case all I need to sand away is the finish and color stain, no scratches or dents because it's new. Would the finishing type of sander be sufficient for my particular situation or should I still use a drum sander first? Your videos on this topic are simply the best, thanks for making them. The way you explain and teach is perfect.
Jason D hi Jason, typically prefinished boards aren’t perfectly flat, they have variation in the heights of the boards aswell as a camber over the surface of the board. The finish may be very tough too. It’s possible a finishing sander could do it but unlikely. Stain is usually fairly deep too. I would say no actually, probably not start with finishing sander
Hi! great video! ive got a question: you say: drum sander sequence (for example) 36-50-80-100... then 80 and 100 buffer... but when you drop down buffer with 80 grit it doesnt scratch the 100 that you made with the drum?? greeting from Argentina
Refinishing some of my floors right now... using the buff sander since I was afraid of what you warned about with belt and drum sanders... sure enough, as current finish comes off I can see lots of bites from a drum sander from someone who didn't know what he was doing 😡😡😡
Thanks for your videos! Very very helpful in refinishing our 1900s hardwoods. I trust you! And in rehabbing a house based mostly on UA-cam videos, that is very valuable. Question: at some point, probably the 1930s, they painted the hardwood floors in our home Assholes. Does that change the initial grit, or anything else in the process, other than running through pads more quickly?
If I'm sanding 150 year old wood floors, where the finish is already coming off due to normal wear, do I need to start off as low with the grit? The floors seem delicate so I dont want to take much wood off. I'm actually hoping polyurathane will strengthen it, when I apply that.
Thank you Stefan, I wondered if it was too obvious. It also doesnt take into account that the machine will sand down the floor if you keep going over it, but if you skip from 36 to 100, it will leave very obvious scratches in the floor! If there's anything else you need clarifying or any other question just shoot.
Not to obvious at all Ben. I've been sanding through the grits since I started woodworking, but that ΛΛΛΛΛ drawing it such a great way of showing why that's necessary. You've almost given me the confidence to try and sand my own worndown pine floors. What do you do with the large (up to 7 mm) gaps between the boards?
I leave them, the expansion and contraction through out the year is too much for any kind of filler to withstand. I only fill parquet floors these days
Jose Aldo this is a very popular method but it still doesn’t mitigate problems with contraction. With the slivers it can often mean the wedge zigzagging across the gap after the boards have contracted. It’s a good method but I literally try to avoid any problems whatsoever. Most people just do what the customer wants 😉
Do you recommend sanding the edges prior to the main body or post? Does it matter? I feel like it would hide the transition better if edges were first but I don't know, so I'm asking. Plus, I mean Edges then Body, change grit, Edges then Body, change grit/sander; Not sand all the edges perfectly first then try to sand the body and feather that in. Thanks.
How about practicing your starting and returning technique on a sheet of plywood first? That's what I'm going to do before I sand my rough Fir floor with my 120 lb. Porter Cable F18 8" drum sander.
Hi, I'm starting a project with some wood floors that have been painted on and covered by carpet for years. There's a framing pattern in the floors, so it will be impossible to move in the same direction of the grit. Any suggestions? Thanks so much for the awesome video by the way! A few years ago I did this same thing at another house. Rental company convinced me to use an orbital sander. It. Took. Forever. I actually pulled an all nighter to get the sander back to the rental office at the end of the weekend. I'll definitely be using a drum sander this time. This video is so helpful!
Thanks for the great video! I have a quick question and it would be awesome if you could share the advice. Would the process of sanding with 36/60/80/100 grid apply to newly installed unfinished hardwood? Also, which tool and what grid would you recommend for sanding in between finishing coats?cheers!
Hi, we have beautiful original unpolished unfinished wood floor boards. If I clean any stuff off the floor boards would I be able to just use the edge and finishing sander on these floors? Very informative video ✌
First of all thank you! Finally I can understand, and better yet, appreciate the reasoning behind sanding using a grit sequence. My house is super old, but I'm not sure how old the floors are. They're wide, with 12" wide boards in some rooms, and the nails have square heads with a hand made look to them. One corner area is rotted; could I use a wood hardener product rather than replace the boards if there is no structural damage? Also, how do you tell what kind of wood your floor is made of?
Susan Joyce I would sacrifice other areas in the house to make the areas you want to look good, look good. There are no hardening products unfortunately. It sounds like you have pine floor boards, are you in the U.K.?
@@HowToSandAFloor In the US--the home was built circa 1767, but I can't imagine the floors are that old. Pine was my guess too. I'm studying your videos so that I can learn to do this myself, but replacing the boards may be out of my wheelhouse. Thanks for the reply though! I was hoping there was something I could put on the boards to fix the issue. Great stuff! AND you have a website. A true godsend.
Hi Ben Greetings from Oz. Thank you for your time and the effort you put into your videos. I'm about to attempt sanding and refreshing my herringbone jarrah parquet floors. You've given me the confidence to try drum sanding. Due to the apartment being under renovation and cluttered with furniture in the same room that I am going to be sanding I have no option but to do the sanding and the application of the water based satin polyurethane finish in 2 stages I guessing with 6 inch overlap.I was hoping to complete one section and then transfer the furniture and go again. Is it likely there will be a noticeable line where the two sections of polyurethane meet? Am I better off using an oil in this situation for that reason as it could possibly offer a more seamless transition? Your advice would greatly appreciated. Thanks and all the best
If you like the look of the dents and scrapes in the floor because you like the character of it what is the best way to finish that floor as to protect the wood.
Excellent video! Got a fixer upper from1947 in Texas. Trying to do the cheap route and fix it myself😁 it's oak 2" wide 3/4 inch thick. A few boards have been completely eaten Away by termites but the termites have been killed for 10 years and now there's just a few holes here and there?? I plan on renting a floor sander for 24 hours from the nearest Home Depot and sanding it to Oblivion. Then filling it in with varnish?! What can I do about termite holes? If they have been exterminated already is it safe to use? Also I'm thinking about burning the wood black then coating it? What do you think?
Yes good idea practising with 120 grit .. that my main worry is getting the technique right & becoming second nature.. I might even work my way up with 80.. to get the feel of the pull.. it there is any.
Hello, I’ve watched a few of your videos and appreciate the expert advice you’re putting out there! I am getting ready to sand some pretty beat up Douglas fir floors in my house. Does the process you laid out in this video apply to those softer wood floors as well?
I respond to 98% of comments, feel free to ask a question. Or better still, tell me if I made sense about the surface areas of the sanders! I Waffle a lot so if you think I did OK let me know lol.
Edit: Im sorry that the audio is horrific in this video lol.
Do a review on bona edgers vs American sander
Nice video, a have question, my old hardwood floor have gaps betwens the planks, how can we fill those gaps? Thanks.
Thank you for your guidance. I have a crown in my floor that runs the length of the hallway. Is it better to leave the crown or sand the whole floor level?
Hello! I am looking to sand, stain, and finish my floors! I went to home depot and they told I could use a Random Orbital Sander (www.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/Random-Orbit-Floor-Sander/07163A/index.html) for my floors starting with 80 grit and then to 100. My home has pine floors. No waves with little to no nicks or holes. The floors were put down in 2004 and this will be the first time they are refinished and stained. I was also told to use minwax oil base stain along with an oil base polyurethane to finish. Is it possible to sand the bulk of my 1300 sqft of pine flooring within 7 days? Should I rent more than one machine? Please let me know!
How To Sand A Floor it’s better to sand a floor or replaced..... I’m in that kind of situation, what is better for me with a budget of 1200 for 900 sf, or do it my self..if u have to replaced can u said (for u) witch is better, affordable and easy to install and replaced..thanks
I will probably never sand or refinish a floor in my life but I am here at 5:30am in corona quarantine learning how to do it right and why you do it this way.
HAHAHA. Yeah, UA-cam is a bit f***ed that way. But if you don't do it right, you'll be left with hypothetical ridges and dents, and that would be shit
Definitely try it, my wife and I bought our first house and the hardwood refinishing quote for 4 bedrooms (about 800 sqft total) was $3200+. I did the job myself put the door with tax for about $400
Checking in…did you decide to go for it and buy a house with hardwood and refinish? Inquiring minds…
@@andil.1309 not yet lol
Really saved my butt- I’m about to rent a drum sander and unfortunately watched a lot of the videos you call “fails” until I came to yours 👍 I’m a believer in not skipping steps if you want the best outcome- thanks for the very helpful info.
Thank you for posting this Pamela. lots of people have said the same
So I've been installing,sanding and finishing floors since 1978 and I can tell you. This is an excellent video
Thank you!
This guy is the real deal!! I do it professionally as well and this guy definitely knows what he’s talking about ! The rest of the guys need to drop the subject cuz they ruining people’s floors 🙄
Thank you for this. You’ve saved me from ruining 105yr old fir floors with overconfidence I haven’t earned.
I have 98 year old fir floors, and started watching how to videos on This Old House channel, now I'm here absorbing even more detail, and feeling much better prepared! I know there will be discoloration, but if the surface is beautifully sanded before I oil it, those coloration variations are easy to live with. I actually think they'll add character. Excited to do this myself now.
@Faithful525 how was getting the rougher grit scratches out?
That VVVV illustration of sanding peaks and valleys should be a poster in every wood shop and paint shop everywhere
Except both explanations had the exact same result 😂
@@joelesser7297 No, the first illustration shows how there are relatively deep grooves that are created by coarse grit sandpaper, if you go to a very fine grit sandpaper right away, you only make it part of the way toward getting to the bottom of those grooves. The finer grit sandpaper will make the surface flatter, but the grooves are still there. It would be like taking a bunch of mountains clustered together and chopping the tops off all at the same height and turning them into plateaus. Your result is definitely flatter than it was, but it is definitely not completely flat.
@@bielio1028 he should have explained that in the video.
I'm a professional floor refinisher, and you do very good videos. You've got a good way of presenting the information, and it's the *right* information, according to my experience.
I explain the drum sander technique by comparing it to an airplane landing and taking off- the plane is always moving as it lands, or as it lifts. There should never be a "thud" as the plane touches down! Most people can visualize that.
Your idea about using 120 grit as a training grit on the big machine is great!
This is fantastic! I totally would've skipped grits, just because no one's been able to tell me why I shouldn't. I love that you explain the theory behind refinishing. Thank you!
Nicole Comerford I’m glad it helped
Jdhkdhkwrjfidrofhrhgugortkyhfhurjyuuytjrtdgrgudyjeheggrgg
I only use Trio Lägler but 4pcs extra weigth in all 28kg then grid 40 to start and 60 80 120 as fast as drum, better quaiity. THE Electric motor is powerful enough.For many years i took away dust filter, can and plastic bag.Instead a separated big dust collector. Now it.s almost dustfree working.I do not use my drumsander anymore, very happy with that after more than 20 years as a proffesional floor entrepreuner. Thanks for your video and stay safe. Greets from🇫🇮Finland. 👍👍
Ben, you are a life saver. I really really appreciate your fact-based, highly credible explanations. love the whiteboard. Also your willingness in another video of yours to call out the ridiculous stuff that's out there on the internet while somehow not being a jerk about it. constructive criticism is a good thing. the world needs more people like you at the top of youtube searches (which is where i get all of my information / disinformation these days for my myriad DIY projects). i made the mistake of watching somebody else's video that suggested using a square buff, when i was trying to take off multiple coats of paint and shellac primer from a wood floor. the floor laughed at me. then i saw your video and went and got a proper drum sander with 24 grit paper (36 wasn't enough for me). keep being yourself. and please clone yourself if you can.
Unfortunately Home Depot didn't have any drum sanders available for rental, so I used a finishing sander despite watching several of your videos advising me not to. It took me nearly 10 hours of constant work just to get the floor sanded in a single room. The whole time I was thinking to myself "damn that guy was right"
Menards has both drum and orbital sanders.
Shoulda drove an hour to another store and you'd still be hours ahead
Just tonight found your channel. Boning up on floor refinishing as it’s about the only home building/remodeling projects I haven’t yet tried. Your explanation is very well put, clearly shown and logically explained. (Handy tip for practicing btw). I’ve had all sorts of technical training in industry and yours is very well executed.
I’m sure I’ll watch many more upcoming. Cheers and Thanks!!!
Your breakdown of why it's necessary to step up with grit was excellent. I'd sort of implicitly known this just from doing some woodworking, but hadn't quite grasped the whole peak removal concept behind it. I'm watching the rest of your series and reading your blog before I dive into this myself.
I'm currently remodeling my half bath. It had peel and stick over hardwood and I finally got the adhesive off and am working on sanding it down before finishing it. Thank you for the video, very informative.
Again perfect video start to finish. Who ever has a hard time understanding your videos should just stop trying to be a DIY... Thanks for the videos.
I don’t have a wooden floor (LVP) but I watched this whole thing. I notice I do this a lot, watching professionals talk about things in depth on things I normally I have no interest in, and I think I realized why I like them so much.
It demonstrates that almost anything can be more complex and detailed than you give it credit for. Sometimes not researching results in more work, sometimes the quality suffers.
Videos like this reiterate for me that if you want to diy something effectively, proper research is a necessity.
Great job.
razordu30 🙏🏼 thanks again
Glad I watched this video. I'm getting ready to refinish my hardwood floors. The videos I've watched scare you out of using a drum sander. I've used a square sander to sand my deck but for my house I want it to done the correct way.
technically you are the best in Internet!! as an engineer I love all your detailed explanation
Th, anks for the well needed info. I restore antique furn., and have taken on restoring the oak flooring in a house built in 1882. It has never had a restoration done in the past, just multiple,(to say the least) layers of wax, oil, and varnish. Your video reminded me , there is no short cut if you expect quality results. This will be the third floor I've ever done, and by far the worst. Thanks again .
mark j. Good luck!
Im sanding my own floors now as we speak and yoru tips have been amazing so far,. i have sanded p34 and p40 so far. onto the p80 !!!
I will follow your lessons and once I feel ready, I will take my chances to renovate my mountain cottage's floors! Thanks, mate!
This is such important information that everyone attempting their own floor work definitely needs to know - Thank you very much!
This is great information that I wished I found sooner. Unfortunately I've sanded my floors already where I have skipped some grit and did not use a square buff to even out the marks. Oh well, you live and you learn. Thanks for the content.
So I had installed Unfinished Red Oak (Solid) Hardwood Flooring through my house (large renovation, been doing this for a couple years, learning each trade on weekends for...idk.. knowledge?).
Background before asking the question:
- Everyone of the planks for the Unfinished hardwood flooring were ran through a planer, only about the thickness of a 'stain' was taken off (These are 'new' unfinished flooring, this was because I already owned the planer and I was given the advice of it potentially being a good idea. So far I live in this house without sanding the floors and they feel incredibly smooth already).
- I filled the knots that were present in some of the planks with blue hot glue (See KnotFiller).
- Doing this myself, about 500sqft of flooring total around the house (May need to convert that from Imperial; Square Feet).
My question:
Since this is 'unfinished' hardwood floor and it was ran through a planer already for surface imperfections, should I skip to a finish sander or would it be a good practice to start with a drum sander and go through the grits?
Following your advices & knowledge I did one of my rooms , came out nice& beautiful! Thank you for been there for us
Thanks so much for all your information, wish I would have seen it BEFORE I started sanding my wood floors! Went to Home Depot and rented a sander, the rectangular one. My son sanded for hours on a patch of the living room floor, about 4' x 6' with the 20 grit sand paper. It was taking so long that we went back and got a second machine! We worked all day on the living room and dining room floors and still there was a lot of finish left in lots of the seams. I watched your video and several other ones that night and then realised we were using the wrong machine! So I took them both back and got an Easy 8 drum sander which has a lever to lower the drum and raise the drum when you get to the wall. It works much better but only part of the sand paper is hitting the floor so I get an uneven section of the floor sanded, not the full width of the sander and when I try to go diagonal it leaves dig marks in the floor 😢
not sure I have the confidence necessary to do the job myself, especially after watching this video. It's great to know this information when we select someone to have the work done, otherwise. Will check out your other videos, thanks
I had no idea when I started that the drum could take so much off in such a small amount of time. I had read about drum marks before I started thankfully so I made sure to be cautious but it definitely isn't as easy as it looks. Refinishing pine floors from old houses built in 1948 right now. I am using dark walnut stain and satin poly and they are truly gorgeous. Bonus: they are saving us almost a thousand dollars since we don't have to buy carpet.
Yep. Thank you for confirming for me that I need to hire someone to do this. I only want to do this once and have it done right the first time.
Thank you sir for your professional coach that is so important for me since I will rent tools in the couple days👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Hope more and more people will see your videos getting your great coach!
Good luck for business sir!👍🏻
1 tip i would have loved to hear years ago is to... Depending of the age... check if its a nailed floor because you need to hammer them down first, learn that the hard way
Thats called prep work, most all house remodeling projects require. Cant side a house with old nails sticking out, can't shingle a roof without pounding all the nails in. Want things to work right and look good don't skip the prep work.
Found your channel via your “what not to do” videos. For a fairly experienced worker in various aspects of the construction industry I really appreciate that you give the “WHY”, and not just “do this.” The why really cements the good habits IMHO. Good stuff brother. Btw it also shows that you know what you’re doing.
Edit: I’m about to tackle a really nasty hardwood floor upstairs in my house. I may be back with questions lol.
Thanks Jay. I have a video coming up soon that will explain the why for some advice that no one ever seems to take. Stay tuned!
Have u done it yet? How did it go?
@@Bone89 not yet redoing some drywall and painting atm , figure I’ll make all that mess before I tackle the floor
I will probably never need to sand a floor in my life, but hey I learned how to do something correctly.
Thanks for the uploads.
Great video. Very useful. Most rental companies will only rent out the drum and edger. This leads most to think that only the two will do the job.
Brilliant suggestion about practicing with the drum sander and 120 grit
I was going to tackle my floors myself but looking at your workmanship. Defo gonna message you later this week for a quote.
Love the vids man. Been a installer/refinisher for over 12 years. Love the Galaxy and Clark Sanders.
excellent explanation of sanding grits. I use the same explanation when explaining how to sand and polish metals from a cast part to a mirror finish
If the previous owners of my house saw this video, my floors would look a lot better. There are start and stop marks ALL OVER the floors. So much so it looks like a exotic species of oak 😆. It’s gunna be a good time straightening that mess out. Been casually watching your videos here and there. When it comes time to get this done I will take a deep dive to learn how to do this right. I’ve always had a curiosity about this process, like any trade, trying to find information with integrity is so hard to find. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience over the pond.
You’re welcome! Hopefully going to have a lot more demonstrational videos up soon
As a retired autobody painter I understand and appreciate your advice on sanding and grit progression. When it comes to my floor, which is red fir, I fear I did a stupid thing. I gutted my house because of water damage, so I pulled up all my boards very carefully (dry and splinters easily) and they were in good shape for the most part. But I had to destroy some boards which had black adhesive from tiles that were glued over. An abandoned house next door had the same flooring so I took some boards from there. I re installed all the boards only to find that in some areas, boards were about 2-3 millimetres lower than adjacent boards in a section usually about a foot long or less. There seems to be about an average of 7 millimetres of the top lip of the groove left. What I want to do is use a router with a big base, and take these low spots down another 2 millimetres , and then glue on a thin strip of fir onto the now uniformly low surface ( a strip planed from other boards and about 6 millimetres thick) ...a sort of a thick veneer instead of cutting the board out and replacing those small areas.. Then my plan is to sand these areas flush with a belt sander , and then refinish with a drum sander. The areas in question are usually no more than 12 inches long. What are my chances of success ...I'm sure you've seen it all. Cheers from Canada!
I would sand it flat with the drum sander, diagonal 36 cut, just make sure you get used to that motion first. You will find it takes a while with the drum sander, with the hand held belt sander youre talking hours maybe days.
Thanks for your reply and advice Do you think this will work and having staying power ?
Can't tell ya how much I appreciate this video. Moving into a house soon with a nice small woodfloor area in the living room, the previous tenants put a good bit of traffic across it, finish worn away in parts, scratched on about 50% of the surface area, and black patches (their dog enjoyed taking a slash in there it seems).
Thought to myself, yeah, I can take care of this, sand it, seal it, get it looking awesome. And some of the youtube vids I watched confirmed that thought, even the one with a guy using a hand belt sander. Even better I thought, I'll just buy one of those for the price of renting a drum sander, perfect.
I'm still going to take on that room myself, but it's going to be done as close to the way a pro would do it as possible. It will mean dropping money on rentals for 2/3 days, not just the 1 I'd hoped. Screw it though, your vid will cost me some extra cash, but the education it gave will hopefully allow me to sit back and enjoy looking at that floor for years to come :) Or at least until my own dog turns it black :/
Also, I don't know why, but I really want to rewatch Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels right now. Cheers chap!
Great information!!! I plan to sand a floor in France, after removing two layers of tile first. So I need this info. All clear.
Thank you for the video. So far I trust yours over others and the proper steps and equipment I need.
This is a really informative and well explained video. Why on Earth is there irritating music being played in the background. There was never music in any lesson I took at school or college. It’s really distracting and you don’t need it. You have a good clear voice and you deliver your knowledge well.
a lot of people have said this, stats show that it does help with viewer retention
@@HowToSandAFloor Really. It works in some of your other videos especially when you are doing the work. Maybe it’s the volume level on this one. Although I guess I also find this particular type of music especially annoying. You can’t please all the people all the time, and Me most of all 😉
An excellent video, a natural teacher, loved it, thank you.
F@#$!!!! Why does this video not come up first?!?!?! I literally watched all the videos, rented all the wrong equipment (in the wrong order anyways) before finding this one. What a waste of 8 hours.... found this and literally sanded my floor the right way in about 2..... I wish UA-cam could filter out all the crap and get quality to show up first. Thanks a ton!!!!
Thank you clint! UA-cam doesn't like this video, I have no idea why. I think its because its less entertainy and more actual facts that only people who are faced with the task of sanding floors will appreciate
Same here
You're an excellent teacher, I can actually envision the procedures as you describe them..probably because I have witnessed this process before but I did not personally use the equipment..if only we had virtual "hands on" !!
Thanks for the info. We have our work cut out for us. Ours is an old pine floor and it has some areas that are buckling
Fantastic video! I loved the explanation of how grit skipping ultimately pans out. Great job, and THANKS!
Douglas MacDonald you’re welcome! glad it helped
Thanks for the info and your peaks/valley’s illustration really clarifies the process.
Thanks for the 120 grit practice tip!
Amazingly informative video for anyone starting to refinish their own floors. Your information was exactly what I needed. Way beyond other common youtube videos on the subject. Thank you very much -- very greatful.
Great information. I just finished 600 sqft for the first time every. Unfortunately, I saw this video after we finished. It was a badly abused multi layered old poly and carpeted areas on pine boards. The floor boards were not tight, had cupping and plenty of unevenness. We used 36 grit, but one of the sander's disk broke off probably because the grit was too aggressive and it was hopping! LOL We managed to set it on under the machine to finish. Then we used an edge sander, but my son went nuts cleaning up areas were the poly was. It is definitely making for an interesting grain patterns! Good thing my son loves wood and to him all wood looks nice. His girl friend hasn't seen it yet though! LOL It was her idea to remove the rug so we figure it is her fault how ever it looks! I wish we had watched your video prior to this 4 day grind!
Update: 27 hours into cure time and his girl friend was upset with a few white streaks and some areas above the old existing wood filler that appeared to be "crystalizing" according to my son. My son asked me to bring a heat gun to try and remove the "crystals", that is when I figured out what happened. The existing poly and wood filler must have been oil based because I noticed while applying the stain to the old wood filler, it avoided the stain. I believe the poly did the same making a bubble which is now cracking along the filler lines as they walk on it. Had we not been rushed, by the new slave master to finish as quick as doing laundry, perhaps my son would have listened to me to removed all the old wood filler and sanded more. Dark Walnut stain on old pine is nothing anyone should ever wish for! Had we just applied poly, it would have looked great! Some people's expectation and perceptions are not based in reality! Question: Is it possible to sand areas where it was cracking, remove the old wood filler between boards(limited area of the floor), stain and poly.... would it look worse to do so or would it blend in and not be noticeable? I have no idea if this possible.
I started with a square buff because Home Depot told me it was safe. What they didn't tell me was it would do nothing to my floor. I went to random oscillating. I think it got the job done ok enough, but took forever. I'm too stubborn and lazy to redo it all (800 sq ft). And the floor wasn't in terrible condition to begin with, so i think i can get away with what I did. I will definitely take this into consideration if I'm ever crazy enough to sand hardwood again.
I have silly question, sanding small areas do tackle that with a edge sande. I had a few companies refuse to quote. I totally respect there reasons given. So I'm going to tackle it myself and try salvage previous owners disaster. Tired of looking waves throughout my house.
Very good, I learned much! I am refinishing a 100 year old heart pine floor myself without renting a drum sander. It is a small hallway and I am using a belt sander, orbital circular, and vibrating sander. Thanks again for sharing your expertise.
Why didn't I find this video earlier? Best explanatory video out there, thanks!
I work refishising and installing all types in floor. All I can say is nothing is light on hardwood floors. I've had to pack a Clarke American sander into a house by myself more times than care to think about I only weigh 165lbs. Bulldog it out the van carry it. In I think the motor might weigh more that the body. Lol. Great tips thanks.
I wish this video was out 8yrs ago. I damaged my floors with the drum sander because I didnt let up off the floors. Soo many uneven grooves. I really stands out with a darker Stain.
Thank you for this video and all the tips! Wow have been so nervous to DIY our hardwoods but all your videos and giving my confidence! Thank you!!!!
If ur on Facebook feel free to hit me up. I’m on the back end of 1500 sf . My first time. I know every machine out there now. I should have ripped the floors out but live and learn
Good luck Taylor!
I typically use
-12inch drum sander
36 grit
Water based filler
80 grit
-8 inch edger
36
-6 inch edger
80 grit
-18 inch flooring buffer
60 grit screens
180 grit if I'm staining.
. The floors typically come out looking beautiful.
But also my drum is one of the old like 100 kg, 200 lb sanders. I go quicker with the 36 to flatten and clean the floor. Slow with the 80 to smooth it.
Interesting, what edger is that?
@@HowToSandAFloor whoops, 7 inch edger and it's a. 'American Sanders' Super 7r edger. Old one though. Like mid 90s.
The smaller one is another old toe kick edger.
Sorry, my state in the united states closed down all construction because of this cold. So I'm not even close to my equipment. I forgot their brands and names. Looking them up online. Lol
@@HowToSandAFloor the 6inch, has a higher rpm but way less weight. Works great to get under cabinets and radiators.
Very helpful to explain the difference in machines and uses
Thank you for sharing your hard earned experience and know-how with us!! Excellent content and commentary on video, including your replies in text. Truly nice work. Many thanks.
this is actually your best video
this chanel is gold! there will be so many people with perfect floors because of you. I got a question: at which point are you supposed to fill in gaps between the planks with the mix of resin and 80grit dust? Before 100 grit belt sander, or just before the 80grit finishing sander? thanks!
Before the 100g belt 👌🏻
Great Video! I apricate that you are sharing your in depth knowledge. Thank you!
I like to start with a less coarse sand paper as to not make big grooves in the floor as with very large grit paper. This process allows more refinishes over the life of the floor however if your floor is severely damaged and it needs to be taken down deeper go with the big stuff..
Gd I wish I had seen this video before getting talked into a square box finishing sander. Going back to get the drum and edger tomorrow and do it right. Thanks for the amazing information. Excuse me while I binge watch every video you have and like everything to show my thanks cause you need a LOT more attention.
cheers!
Now I’m really impressed this is freaking hard.
This has been very informative. How do you treat stains in oak flooring as part of the process?
Personally, I dont. You with sand out as much as you can, then stain over them, or you remove the damaged boards and replace.
If I just want to change the stain color, could I use just the finishing sander to take out the old finish? (My floor doesn’t have any scratches or dents. The old finish is medium/dark and I want a very light finish.) Thank you very much for your videos!
Great videos bro
Can i go through all the sanding grits using the drum sander....36..50..80..100....
Also they don't rent edgers ...can i use a rotary palm sander for the edges...
Thanks keep up the good work
David Olguin Yes
Omg I am so glad I found you. Thank you for your wonderful advice.
You're welcome!
Comprehensive and well-explained. Good practicl detail - well done!
Floor genius, i learned a bunch thank you for sharing your knowledge.
So far best Instruction. Specially -not jumping from 38 to 120. and with Finish sander going back to 80 and work up_ and your other tip -- start practicing with 120-- I never thought about that.
I am planning to do sanding on my daughter's floor. Oak floor is 60 years old .
First time for floor; First time for me.
1-- I saw some nails in there; what do I do with those.?
2-- floor has natural Blond Oak Color. I am thinking to stain it with Red Mahogany Gel Stain for warmth . Any suggestion? or complete rejection?
3-- what is your Max Grid for Oak?
Thanks millions from California.
I am about to start my first floor. What videos should I watch to do it right the first time?
I have an unusual situation. I'm going to install brand new prefinished 3/4" solid red oak flooring but I will immediately be refinishing it after the install. The reason is because I don't like the prefinished color but I got the flooring for 1 dollar a square foot. In my case all I need to sand away is the finish and color stain, no scratches or dents because it's new. Would the finishing type of sander be sufficient for my particular situation or should I still use a drum sander first? Your videos on this topic are simply the best, thanks for making them. The way you explain and teach is perfect.
Jason D hi Jason, typically prefinished boards aren’t perfectly flat, they have variation in the heights of the boards aswell as a camber over the surface of the board. The finish may be very tough too. It’s possible a finishing sander could do it but unlikely. Stain is usually fairly deep too. I would say no actually, probably not start with finishing sander
@@HowToSandAFloor Thanks, it's good to be reassured by a pro before doing unnecessary things.
I am not watching this to DIY but to know what to expect from next floor sander
great video, thanks for making it, great insight from a professional to keep us DIY'ers from messing up too much.
Hi! great video!
ive got a question: you say: drum sander sequence (for example) 36-50-80-100... then 80 and 100 buffer... but when you drop down buffer with 80 grit it doesnt scratch the 100 that you made with the drum??
greeting from Argentina
Refinishing some of my floors right now... using the buff sander since I was afraid of what you warned about with belt and drum sanders... sure enough, as current finish comes off I can see lots of bites from a drum sander from someone who didn't know what he was doing 😡😡😡
this is the best info I found!!! looking forward to sand now :)
Floors look nice.Whats the polyurethane you are using
Thanks for your videos! Very very helpful in refinishing our 1900s hardwoods. I trust you! And in rehabbing a house based mostly on UA-cam videos, that is very valuable. Question: at some point, probably the 1930s, they painted the hardwood floors in our home Assholes. Does that change the initial grit, or anything else in the process, other than running through pads more quickly?
Jackie Kinealy it may not change anything at all, in most cases it should come off as easily as normal lacquer
@@HowToSandAFloor Thank you!
If I'm sanding 150 year old wood floors, where the finish is already coming off due to normal wear, do I need to start off as low with the grit? The floors seem delicate so I dont want to take much wood off. I'm actually hoping polyurathane will strengthen it, when I apply that.
Thats a great explanation of how grits work!
Thank you Stefan, I wondered if it was too obvious. It also doesnt take into account that the machine will sand down the floor if you keep going over it, but if you skip from 36 to 100, it will leave very obvious scratches in the floor!
If there's anything else you need clarifying or any other question just shoot.
Not to obvious at all Ben. I've been sanding through the grits since I started woodworking, but that ΛΛΛΛΛ drawing it such a great way of showing why that's necessary. You've almost given me the confidence to try and sand my own worndown pine floors. What do you do with the large (up to 7 mm) gaps between the boards?
I leave them, the expansion and contraction through out the year is too much for any kind of filler to withstand. I only fill parquet floors these days
Jose Aldo this is a very popular method but it still doesn’t mitigate problems with contraction. With the slivers it can often mean the wedge zigzagging across the gap after the boards have contracted. It’s a good method but I literally try to avoid any problems whatsoever. Most people just do what the customer wants 😉
Do you recommend sanding the edges prior to the main body or post? Does it matter? I feel like it would hide the transition better if edges were first but I don't know, so I'm asking. Plus, I mean Edges then Body, change grit, Edges then Body, change grit/sander; Not sand all the edges perfectly first then try to sand the body and feather that in. Thanks.
Excellent video, very clear instructions and explanations, happy to find it before making a mess haha
Glad you like it!
How about practicing your starting and returning technique on a sheet of plywood first? That's what I'm going to do before I sand my rough Fir floor with my 120 lb. Porter Cable F18 8" drum sander.
Hi, I'm starting a project with some wood floors that have been painted on and covered by carpet for years. There's a framing pattern in the floors, so it will be impossible to move in the same direction of the grit. Any suggestions? Thanks so much for the awesome video by the way! A few years ago I did this same thing at another house. Rental company convinced me to use an orbital sander. It. Took. Forever. I actually pulled an all nighter to get the sander back to the rental office at the end of the weekend. I'll definitely be using a drum sander this time. This video is so helpful!
Thanks for the great video! I have a quick question and it would be awesome if you could share the advice. Would the process of sanding with 36/60/80/100 grid apply to newly installed unfinished hardwood? Also, which tool and what grid would you recommend for sanding in between finishing coats?cheers!
Is there a smaller sander just for spots? All these instructions are making my head spin
Hi, we have beautiful original unpolished unfinished wood floor boards. If I clean any stuff off the floor boards would I be able to just use the edge and finishing sander on these floors? Very informative video ✌
First of all thank you! Finally I can understand, and better yet, appreciate the reasoning behind sanding using a grit sequence. My house is super old, but I'm not sure how old the floors are. They're wide, with 12" wide boards in some rooms, and the nails have square heads with a hand made look to them. One corner area is rotted; could I use a wood hardener product rather than replace the boards if there is no structural damage? Also, how do you tell what kind of wood your floor is made of?
Susan Joyce I would sacrifice other areas in the house to make the areas you want to look good, look good. There are no hardening products unfortunately. It sounds like you have pine floor boards, are you in the U.K.?
@@HowToSandAFloor In the US--the home was built circa 1767, but I can't imagine the floors are that old. Pine was my guess too. I'm studying your videos so that I can learn to do this myself, but replacing the boards may be out of my wheelhouse. Thanks for the reply though! I was hoping there was something I could put on the boards to fix the issue. Great stuff! AND you have a website. A true godsend.
Hi Ben Greetings from Oz. Thank you for your time and the effort you put into your videos. I'm about to attempt sanding and refreshing my herringbone jarrah parquet floors. You've given me the confidence to try drum sanding. Due to the apartment being under renovation and cluttered with furniture in the same room that I am going to be sanding I have no option but to do the sanding and the application of the water based satin polyurethane finish in 2 stages I guessing with 6 inch overlap.I was hoping to complete one section and then transfer the furniture and go again. Is it likely there will be a noticeable line where the two sections of polyurethane meet? Am I better off using an oil in this situation for that reason as it could possibly offer a more seamless transition? Your advice would greatly appreciated. Thanks and all the best
If you like the look of the dents and scrapes in the floor because you like the character of it what is the best way to finish that floor as to protect the wood.
Excellent video!
Got a fixer upper from1947 in Texas.
Trying to do the cheap route and fix it myself😁 it's oak 2" wide 3/4 inch thick. A few boards have been completely eaten Away by termites but the termites have been killed for 10 years and now there's just a few holes here and there?? I plan on renting a floor sander for 24 hours from the nearest Home Depot and sanding it to Oblivion. Then filling it in with varnish?! What can I do about termite holes? If they have been exterminated already is it safe to use? Also I'm thinking about burning the wood black then coating it? What do you think?
Yes good idea practising with 120 grit .. that my main worry is getting the technique right & becoming second nature.. I might even work my way up with 80.. to get the feel of the pull.. it there is any.
You can do it! There is a pull and you will get that from the 120 too
Hello, I’ve watched a few of your videos and appreciate the expert advice you’re putting out there! I am getting ready to sand some pretty beat up Douglas fir floors in my house. Does the process you laid out in this video apply to those softer wood floors as well?
Yes, Douglas fir is particularly soft, but you also need to go a bit deeper with it anyway because the bruising is deeper