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 🙄
@@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 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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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"
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.
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.
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. 👍👍
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 .
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
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
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?
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!👍🏻
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 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 😢
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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 😉
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 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.
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
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!
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?
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.
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.
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
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..
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.
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?
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.
Can I use a floor buffer with a sanding pad at 100 grit for the final finishing step before finish? Trying to cut down on the number of machines I have to rent so would be great if I can use the same machine for final sanding + buffing in finish... thanks for this video!
Hi great video very informative. I have a Bosch 125mm random orbital hand sander and 40,80,120 grit sandpapers. I'm planing to refinish my room (~12m²) would it work? I'm a student and i can't afford pro equipment right now. My plan is first going to sand with 40,80,120 then apply wood filling varnish mixed with sawdust then re-sand with 120 then going to apply stain and lastly glossy transparent wood varnish. Is it doable? Will it work? Thanks in advance🙂
I have a question! I am moving into my first home. Someone painted the living room knotted pine floor with what seems to be 2 or 3 coats of a thick gray paint. Any advice on lifting this as much as possible? Going for a distressed but hopefully revived wood look!
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
Great video! I have an oak floor laid 12 years ago with 3 coats of Bona HD. The floor is good condition and even, but has heavy wear in a couple of places so I dont need to take off too much with a drum sander. Would a finishing sander be enough to take me down to bare wood to refinish? Thanks in advance.
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!
Great advice. I’ve just bought a house and discovered a parquet floor underneath the carpets I removed which doesn’t look in too bad condition. The previous owner said it was in when they bought it and there has only been one owner prior to them so I suspect it’s from the original build in 1950’s. What I have noticed however is that seems to be a gap of about 5-10mm all round which exposes a gap between the floor and the skirting. Any advice? I normally like super modern but I also think this could be an opportunity to create something contemporary with the right approach?
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?
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 ✌
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
So I've been installing,sanding and finishing floors since 1978 and I can tell you. This is an excellent video
Thank you!
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
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 🙄
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.
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?
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!
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.
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
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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.
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
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.
technically you are the best in Internet!! as an engineer I love all your detailed explanation
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.
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. 👍👍
Following your advices & knowledge I did one of my rooms , came out nice& beautiful! Thank you for been there for us
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.
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 !!!
Love the vids man. Been a installer/refinisher for over 12 years. Love the Galaxy and Clark Sanders.
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
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
Brilliant suggestion about practicing with the drum sander and 120 grit
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.
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
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?
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!👍🏻
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.
Thanks for the info and your peaks/valley’s illustration really clarifies the process.
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
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 😢
Great information!!! I plan to sand a floor in France, after removing two layers of tile first. So I need this info. All clear.
An excellent video, a natural teacher, loved it, thank you.
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.
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.
I was going to tackle my floors myself but looking at your workmanship. Defo gonna message you later this week for a quote.
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 ?
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.
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!
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
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 120 grit practice tip!
Thank you for the video. So far I trust yours over others and the proper steps and equipment I need.
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.
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
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 😉
Why didn't I find this video earlier? Best explanatory video out there, thanks!
this is actually your best video
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.
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
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!
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.
Floors look nice.Whats the polyurethane you are using
Great Video! I apricate that you are sharing your in depth knowledge. Thank you!
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.
Omg I am so glad I found you. Thank you for your wonderful advice.
You're welcome!
Good tip on grit sequences
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.
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!
this is the best info I found!!! looking forward to sand now :)
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.
Comprehensive and well-explained. Good practicl detail - well done!
great video, thanks for making it, great insight from a professional to keep us DIY'ers from messing up too much.
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.
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
Floor genius, i learned a bunch thank you for sharing your knowledge.
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 👌🏻
Excellent video, very clear instructions and explanations, happy to find it before making a mess haha
Glad you like it!
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?
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.
Thank you for the very informative video
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!
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
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.
Is there a smaller sander just for spots? All these instructions are making my head spin
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..
I am about to start my first floor. What videos should I watch to do it right the first time?
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.
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!
Now I’m really impressed this is freaking hard.
Nice job all around bro, thanks for the information my friend. You RocK!
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.
Can I use a floor buffer with a sanding pad at 100 grit for the final finishing step before finish? Trying to cut down on the number of machines I have to rent so would be great if I can use the same machine for final sanding + buffing in finish... thanks for this video!
Hi great video very informative. I have a Bosch 125mm random orbital hand sander and 40,80,120 grit sandpapers. I'm planing to refinish my room (~12m²) would it work? I'm a student and i can't afford pro equipment right now. My plan is first going to sand with 40,80,120 then apply wood filling varnish mixed with sawdust then re-sand with 120 then going to apply stain and lastly glossy transparent wood varnish. Is it doable? Will it work? Thanks in advance🙂
Randomly started watching floor sanding vids. Where are you based in uk ?
I have a question! I am moving into my first home. Someone painted the living room knotted pine floor with what seems to be 2 or 3 coats of a thick gray paint. Any advice on lifting this as much as possible? Going for a distressed but hopefully revived wood look!
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
Great video! I have an oak floor laid 12 years ago with 3 coats of Bona HD. The floor is good condition and even, but has heavy wear in a couple of places so I dont need to take off too much with a drum sander. Would a finishing sander be enough to take me down to bare wood to refinish? Thanks in advance.
At what point in time do I add the wood filler to areas where I pulled out carpet staples and other depressions?
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!
Great advice. I’ve just bought a house and discovered a parquet floor underneath the carpets I removed which doesn’t look in too bad condition. The previous owner said it was in when they bought it and there has only been one owner prior to them so I suspect it’s from the original build in 1950’s. What I have noticed however is that seems to be a gap of about 5-10mm all round which exposes a gap between the floor and the skirting. Any advice? I normally like super modern but I also think this could be an opportunity to create something contemporary with the right approach?
DId you ever bring it back to its old glory?
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
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 ✌
Thanks