As a professional sander myself when you said "400 in 1 day" i thought to myself, "you need a full day for only that?" Though watching through the video i see you used a more careful method for a natural finish and actually did multiple coats! Keep up the good videos 🤙
I knew these comments were coming 🤣 of course we do floors in a day all the time. Has to be oak strip though, floorboards, parquet, not happening! I mean old parquet ofcourse.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am going to save every floor in my house that was built in 1930. Has been going great so far with your help. Thank you so much!
Just found your channel and watched most of your videos today. I'm thinking of having a go at sanding the pine floors of my 1920's house (before I give in and opt for laminate!), so trying to educate myself. Thanks for posting.
I'm working on my floors in my house built in 1930. It is going quite well at the moment. This channel is were I am getting most of my research. I want to save every pine wood floor in this house. I don't think they have ever been sanded.
The machines are heavy and backbreaking. The timing, depending on the space and what your time constraints are, is important. There is no possible way a brand new person is going to do a good job of this in one day, if I'm honest. Ben's videos are incredible, and the fact he gives you so much education here is amazing. It's still a technical and artistic skill to learn, with instruments that punish wrong notes with irreparable damage. The amount of time the edging takes is what you need to calculate. The "bent over the machine," time is important to know compared to the drum sander which is pretty comfortable on the body (other than lifting it, of course, lol). Ben also uses automatic dust vacuums which eliminate the dust disposal parts of the time. The dust really is a big deal and will cover everything in your home if not managed well. I highly recommend his course, it is what enabled me to do my floors. I consider myself a very handy and versatile DIY homeowner, and this is certainly the most ambitious task I've undertaken.
As a pro sander I can say the hummel machine is the best I have ever used and I have been using it 20 years now. 30 40 80 grade belts. The clarke machine is a heavier sander for doing really old boards and ives a reall good cut into the boards but all brad nails need to be punched down with a hammer as the clarke uses paper lenghts and the sheets can rip and cause a mess if a nail head catches it.
Yep 😂 had it been 2 small rooms and a hall it would have been much more difficult, thrown in some cast iron radiators to work round… or some aluminium oxide finish.. you know the drill
ive watched a bunch of your videos. always great to watch. i have one question which i havent seen anyone address. speaking from a purely quality perspective, could you sand an entire floor with an edger? i would like to only do one room apprx 140 sqft. could i do everything with just an edger? would it have the same quality as if id have used the ez8 and the edger?
What would people advise for small hall about 5sq m (solid oak). Has a dark finish and fancy something a lot lighter. Worth paying a company or spend day with orbital sander with extractor stuck to it ?
Hi great series of videos, it's giving me the confidence to tackle the engineered wood floors in our house. One question regarding the Bona traffic HD. It seems that there is also a hardener for this product. Do you use that or just use the straight traffic HD? I'm slightly confused as to whether I would need to use both.
Fastest I've done as a DIYer with limited experience was an afternoon for a small room (something like 2.5x3 m) of oak parquet tile, the 100x100 mm thingies you had back in the 60s and 70s, I think including an emergency trip for more abrasives or something like that. The worst floor I ever did was NOS beech herringbone, utterly horrible stuff (I'm fairly sure it was reject leftovers to begin with and several decades of poor storage didn't help), massive height variations and rock hard timber. I'm surprised you actually sanded the floors in the video, my parents have been told flat out: "No one refinishes engineered floors, just replace them!".
@howtosandafloor I may have missed it but did you say what finishes you used to stain with?? I would really love to know as I am looking for a light natural stain like this. Awesome work really Thank you . Please if anyone knows the brand and stain reply
Hello fellow Craftsman,and D.I.Y. * "attempting" watching persons. It all depends on the state the floor is in! And even more important , the size of the floor! Never rush ! Always follow a professional routine, and You will have happy Customers. * Sorry , without arrogance I politely advise DO NOT SAND YOUR FLOOR by yourself without experience or proper quality machinery! I am 30 years in the flooring craftsmanship. Merely laying herringbone Tapis floorings, private and projects. Sanding,maintenance etc. Renovated several floors approx 180-200 years old. some still insane thick compared to modern standards, some so delicate , I was the last to had the honour to correct and repair. Sanding / renovation is not just about the end result! Is there wood left (in case of engineered wood/or Tapis ) after sanding? It is a delicate process, delivering a beautiful floor , and if possible leave the option to be sanded again ! I am close to 61 , love My craft/work ! Kind regards, Rene du Bois The Netherlands
If we aren't able to get the large machines, could we just use a couple of the orbital sanders? I know it would take longer, but we don't have easy access to rent the larger equipment. We're doing a room similar in shape and size to this video.
doin an open area that goes from livingroom into dining room and an office. for a diy’er need to do rooms separately bc of furnishings. how do we make sure everything looks even and blended btwn rooms? oh the floors r original to the house, 100years old.
Its a bit long to explain here, but at the moment I’m offering unlimited email help with my video course, it’s an absolute bargain and I’ll answer this for you. For 100 square metres it’s a must.
Hey! I’m a flooring contractor in the USA. What poly did you use that dried that quick?? I’m usually only able to apply 2 coats in a day but three is incredible!
Base coat was like a universal sealer, dry in 30 mins tops. Very hot dry day, it was. Then bona traffic on top, with fans you can be ready to cut back and re coat in an hour.
I recommend streetshoe Water base They also have tinting base coats for different stain colors and a bleaching one if people want that white washed look (popular these days)
400 Sq ft is large? I use a large drum sander and I can typically get a large room sanded and finished. The perk of having a big old sander, I do oe run with 36 and I go straight up to 80. Though I do want a belt sander, much easier working alone on smaller jobs. Drum sander can't be lifted by yourself and you need a 40 Amp breaker. I do like processes and results.
Regarding can’t lift by yourself: I have thought so many times about having a pulley on a rail inside the van, and the. Obviously wheels to roll it in and out. Just a thought
@@HowToSandAFloor I think the difference in speed is solely the difference in tools. Belt sanders are just slower machines. The drum sander I use is 100 years old aluminum brick of a machine. It cuts hard and takes a lot of power. Lol I also can't really cross grain with it. I only do that on really sticky thick floors. I was just mostly amazed at the house size. Being American I forget the houses in my rural area are pretty good sized. I'm doing a 1,200 Sq ft about 111 Sq m and that's an average job.
@@hardwoodstudio5833 late to party but interesting to read your about your happiness with old machinery,I also use an older,1965 Vinco drum sander,eats old floors and spits them out. Also heavy but motor comes off easily to transport between van and job. My father made a long plywood ramp to roll machine out ,was still sanding at 70.
@@brucehayes7251 at 70!? That's going to be the guy who taught me. I still work with him as we are 2 of 4 hardwood guys in my county. But dang, they don't make people like your father anymore. I'm 36 and I'm already looking at doing something else. I love my work, it's very fulfilling but it can start getting hard on your knees and wrists.
I’ve done 1 wax job in my entire life, and that’s because the owner explicitly said he wanted it to wear out and get stained. Treatex have a 2 component Hardwax oil that is very good
Did you mean for your belt sander to have more pressure on the right side of the drum rather than having the drum flush all the way across? or was that how the boards laid being close to the edge near the wall?
Honestly, I cant remember, but once the balance goes, out of whack, I correct it straight away. Lots of floors in the UK have sunken slabs and ramp up to the edge of the room. Im guessing thats it
Hi! We’re going to be sanding our floors ourselves! I personally love the shade of freshly sanded wood without the coating on it- the sandy colour.. how can I achieve this? Would it be a particular type of coating or does it all depend on the wood itself?
You don’t mess around with the grits. I like that. There is something to be said about I guy working for himself opposed to a guy working for a guy. You still get paid very well for taking your time… comparing to a slave driving boss who looks at you sideways because you didn’t get that f’cked up 550 sq’ done in one day. Fine, I can one cut a floor with 80. Watch me. Just don’t ever look at the floor in direct light or with your eyes open. As a matter of fact, just look the other way and turn the lights off when viewing the floor. It’s tiring when you care more about the floors than your boss does.
I’m on the dark side of the force. Bona Traffic HD 😂 I deffo want to get one of those videos of yours so I can do a voice over, wax lyrical and mention you by name and your business!
@@HowToSandAFloor holy crap what are you abrading with that powders up like that with HD? I'm gonna get back on doing video content for wood floors. I have a go pro now so I should be able to make a banger of a video compared to before.
I dont know why people do real wood veneer floors like this, either stick to laminate or go fully solid wood. But going hybrid you get beenfits of neither. The floor looks like laminate.it will peel off the backing and lift. You dont want to sand and refinish more than once, and based on b&q prices it's about 2/3 of the price of solid wood.
solid wood is getting phased out almost completely here mate. Engineered is more stable, cheaper, the hardwood bit that you can actually use is just as thick as the bit you can use on the solid wood, as once you sand down to the tongue and groove, it needs replacing anyway. However... the stuff that im sanding in this video, is indeed cheap crap 😂
Ah ah ah io con la levigatrice a nastro e monospazzola ci metto la metà del tempo facendo due volte i bordi con lo stesso macchinario se vuoi contattarmi
This is awesome but I think this is a technical fail on the fact that trades are not aloud to work past 4 maybe 5pm so 6:15pm is completely unrealistic.
What do you mean they’re not allowed to? Tbf, if I had started at 8 and not forgot my bits, I’d have been done by 4:30 easy. Also recording and messing around with that
lol no belt on the machine. u cant sand a floor with no belt. always start on diaganol with the rough paper. i'de have first coat of varnish on that floor by 12 o'clock. top coat by 2..been sanding floors non stop since 1978.
As a professional sander myself when you said "400 in 1 day" i thought to myself, "you need a full day for only that?"
Though watching through the video i see you used a more careful method for a natural finish and actually did multiple coats!
Keep up the good videos 🤙
I knew these comments were coming 🤣 of course we do floors in a day all the time. Has to be oak strip though, floorboards, parquet, not happening! I mean old parquet ofcourse.
Takes me 3 to 7 days to sand a gym floor
Brilliant to see you back mate.
Thank you 😊 I've got some real banger videos coming soon!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am going to save every floor in my house that was built in 1930. Has been going great so far with your help. Thank you so much!
You're welcome! 🍻
Just found your channel and watched most of your videos today. I'm thinking of having a go at sanding the pine floors of my 1920's house (before I give in and opt for laminate!), so trying to educate myself. Thanks for posting.
Good luck Rose!
I'm working on my floors in my house built in 1930. It is going quite well at the moment. This channel is were I am getting most of my research. I want to save every pine wood floor in this house. I don't think they have ever been sanded.
I hope and pray on everything holy u did not do laminate. ❤
The machines are heavy and backbreaking. The timing, depending on the space and what your time constraints are, is important. There is no possible way a brand new person is going to do a good job of this in one day, if I'm honest. Ben's videos are incredible, and the fact he gives you so much education here is amazing. It's still a technical and artistic skill to learn, with instruments that punish wrong notes with irreparable damage.
The amount of time the edging takes is what you need to calculate. The "bent over the machine," time is important to know compared to the drum sander which is pretty comfortable on the body (other than lifting it, of course, lol). Ben also uses automatic dust vacuums which eliminate the dust disposal parts of the time. The dust really is a big deal and will cover everything in your home if not managed well.
I highly recommend his course, it is what enabled me to do my floors. I consider myself a very handy and versatile DIY homeowner, and this is certainly the most ambitious task I've undertaken.
You are experts and well worth having you or colleagues in to do the work.
As a pro sander I can say the hummel machine is the best I have ever used and I have been using it 20 years now. 30 40 80 grade belts. The clarke machine is a heavier sander for doing really old boards and ives a reall good cut into the boards but all brad nails need to be punched down with a hammer as the clarke uses paper lenghts and the sheets can rip and cause a mess if a nail head catches it.
Great video Ben!! You are a master at your trade!
Thanks brother!
Let’s gooo. Nice that it’s all pretty square, open, and flat. Helps that you got another person there too! That’s the key with these quick jobs ;)
Yep 😂 had it been 2 small rooms and a hall it would have been much more difficult, thrown in some cast iron radiators to work round… or some aluminium oxide finish.. you know the drill
@@HowToSandAFloor Aluminum Oxide the worst mate. The scraper blade killer!
Skill and experience make for a good combination
Depends how many square feet and if they're using poly or water based
Can’t believe you use a duct bill for all the edging to each there own they do cut great
3 coats I a day you naughty boy! Love your vids, nice to see you representing the Brits most of the stuff on UA-cam is from the USA or europe
First coat was solvent 👌🏻
Hi ! Thank you for great video always! I wonder which grit you use for final cut on your trio??
ive watched a bunch of your videos. always great to watch. i have one question which i havent seen anyone address.
speaking from a purely quality perspective, could you sand an entire floor with an edger? i would like to only do one room apprx 140 sqft. could i do everything with just an edger? would it have the same quality as if id have used the ez8 and the edger?
We do the same process and we use water before staining. Love just poly in and out
Looks like someone patched it with the wrong wood though
Actually not at end it’s beautiful
yes, just poly is the ticket :)
W the big sander, after roughing w 36 grit can u jump to 80? I don't want to sand 3 times if I can avoid it.
👏🏽Great video! Thanks for sharing
Thank you! 🍻 I didn’t think this video was great, glad to hear someone enjoyed it!
What would people advise for small hall about 5sq m (solid oak). Has a dark finish and fancy something a lot lighter. Worth paying a company or spend day with orbital sander with extractor stuck to it ?
I thought it's always best to let sit so dust in the air doesn't fall on your finish
Hi great series of videos, it's giving me the confidence to tackle the engineered wood floors in our house. One question regarding the Bona traffic HD. It seems that there is also a hardener for this product. Do you use that or just use the straight traffic HD? I'm slightly confused as to whether I would need to use both.
You mix the Gardner in with the traffic hd.
what is first coating brand plz?
Did you finish the trio on 60grit? Also 3 coats in one day isn’t good especially if your using water based.
Well done!
Thank you! :)
Fastest I've done as a DIYer with limited experience was an afternoon for a small room (something like 2.5x3 m) of oak parquet tile, the 100x100 mm thingies you had back in the 60s and 70s, I think including an emergency trip for more abrasives or something like that. The worst floor I ever did was NOS beech herringbone, utterly horrible stuff (I'm fairly sure it was reject leftovers to begin with and several decades of poor storage didn't help), massive height variations and rock hard timber.
I'm surprised you actually sanded the floors in the video, my parents have been told flat out: "No one refinishes engineered floors, just replace them!".
Whoever said that shouldn’t be sanding floors. Or they just want to install floors instead of sanding
@howtosandafloor
I may have missed it but did you say what finishes you used to stain with?? I would really love to know as I am looking for a light natural stain like this.
Awesome work really
Thank you . Please if anyone knows the brand and stain reply
It’s not a stain just a clear primer. The lacquer was Bona Traffic HD in a matt finish. Good luck with your project!
4 inch cut in brush maybe satin finsh ?
Great stuff.
Hello fellow Craftsman,and D.I.Y. * "attempting" watching persons.
It all depends on the state the floor is in!
And even more important , the size of the floor!
Never rush !
Always follow a professional routine, and You will have happy Customers.
* Sorry , without arrogance I politely advise DO NOT SAND YOUR FLOOR by yourself without experience or proper quality machinery!
I am 30 years in the flooring craftsmanship.
Merely laying herringbone Tapis floorings, private and projects.
Sanding,maintenance etc.
Renovated several floors approx 180-200 years old.
some still insane thick compared to modern standards, some so delicate , I was the last to had the honour to correct and repair.
Sanding / renovation is not just about the end result!
Is there wood left (in case of engineered wood/or Tapis ) after sanding?
It is a delicate process, delivering a beautiful floor , and if possible leave the option to be sanded again !
I am close to 61 , love My craft/work !
Kind regards,
Rene du Bois
The Netherlands
If we aren't able to get the large machines, could we just use a couple of the orbital sanders? I know it would take longer, but we don't have easy access to rent the larger equipment. We're doing a room similar in shape and size to this video.
sorry for the late reply, but as clownmoshpit says, its a lot of work!
doin an open area that goes from livingroom into dining room and an office. for a diy’er need to do rooms separately bc of furnishings. how do we make sure everything looks even and blended btwn rooms? oh the floors r original to the house, 100years old.
Its a bit long to explain here, but at the moment I’m offering unlimited email help with my video course, it’s an absolute bargain and I’ll answer this for you. For 100 square metres it’s a must.
Hey! I’m a flooring contractor in the USA. What poly did you use that dried that quick?? I’m usually only able to apply 2 coats in a day but three is incredible!
Base coat was like a universal sealer, dry in 30 mins tops. Very hot dry day, it was.
Then bona traffic on top, with fans you can be ready to cut back and re coat in an hour.
I know guys that would have 3 coats on that in 2 hours, not kidding 😂
I recommend streetshoe Water base
They also have tinting base coats for different stain colors and a bleaching one if people want that white washed look (popular these days)
I noticed that you did not remove floor baseboard trim, how does it look along the trim and edges after shaving off some floors?
Have you never done it?
Very good job.
Many many thanks!
That I get done by noon with 2 passes of BM and edger and finish with Trio… 3 coats of Bona and I’m out. Latest 1:00 I would be out
No rotex?
Did you start this with a 36 grit?
whats the product you use to finish?
Of coarse u can if it’s small job I’ve done it plenty of time s
I wouldn't have noticed that spot on the lens if you hadn't mentioned it in the video... I couldn't stop staring at it after you pointed it out :(
400 Sq ft is large? I use a large drum sander and I can typically get a large room sanded and finished. The perk of having a big old sander, I do oe run with 36 and I go straight up to 80. Though I do want a belt sander, much easier working alone on smaller jobs. Drum sander can't be lifted by yourself and you need a 40 Amp breaker. I do like processes and results.
I did say the Pro’s will be coming out in force telling me I’m slow 😂
Regarding can’t lift by yourself: I have thought so many times about having a pulley on a rail inside the van, and the. Obviously wheels to roll it in and out. Just a thought
@@HowToSandAFloor I think the difference in speed is solely the difference in tools. Belt sanders are just slower machines.
The drum sander I use is 100 years old aluminum brick of a machine. It cuts hard and takes a lot of power. Lol
I also can't really cross grain with it. I only do that on really sticky thick floors.
I was just mostly amazed at the house size. Being American I forget the houses in my rural area are pretty good sized. I'm doing a 1,200 Sq ft about 111 Sq m and that's an average job.
@@hardwoodstudio5833 late to party but interesting to read your about your happiness with old machinery,I also use an older,1965 Vinco drum sander,eats old floors and spits them out. Also heavy but motor comes off easily to transport between van and job. My father made a long plywood ramp to roll machine out ,was still sanding at 70.
@@brucehayes7251 at 70!? That's going to be the guy who taught me. I still work with him as we are 2 of 4 hardwood guys in my county. But dang, they don't make people like your father anymore. I'm 36 and I'm already looking at doing something else. I love my work, it's very fulfilling but it can start getting hard on your knees and wrists.
What do you think is the best "wax" none stained finish thats not a 2 pack type and ok to work with ? This is for a nice condition Pine floor . Cheers
I’ve done 1 wax job in my entire life, and that’s because the owner explicitly said he wanted it to wear out and get stained. Treatex have a 2 component Hardwax oil that is very good
Did you mean for your belt sander to have more pressure on the right side of the drum rather than having the drum flush all the way across? or was that how the boards laid being close to the edge near the wall?
Honestly, I cant remember, but once the balance goes, out of whack, I correct it straight away. Lots of floors in the UK have sunken slabs and ramp up to the edge of the room. Im guessing thats it
Hi! We’re going to be sanding our floors ourselves! I personally love the shade of freshly sanded wood without the coating on it- the sandy colour.. how can I achieve this? Would it be a particular type of coating or does it all depend on the wood itself?
Look up bona Nordic seal or natural seal
You don’t mess around with the grits. I like that. There is something to be said about I guy working for himself opposed to a guy working for a guy. You still get paid very well for taking your time… comparing to a slave driving boss who looks at you sideways because you didn’t get that f’cked up 550 sq’ done in one day. Fine, I can one cut a floor with 80. Watch me. Just don’t ever look at the floor in direct light or with your eyes open. As a matter of fact, just look the other way and turn the lights off when viewing the floor. It’s tiring when you care more about the floors than your boss does.
I could never go back to working for someone, the time scales are just so unrealistic
You need to be running your own business - where YOU get to set and maintain the standards you like.
How would you sand unfinished hardwood flooring ?
Coincidentally, I’ve just uploaded a 46 min video on sanding new unfinished hardwood floors to my video course!
Did you try-out the green belts from bona already?
I tried the green disks, they were ok. Nothing to write home about imo
Consider me uneducated but what’s the difference between a stain that u wiped away after applying and what u initially applied on this job?
Stain is a pigment that changes the color, lacquer dries as a film over the surface, giving the floor some protection
@@HowToSandAFloor and which one do u generally recommend or does it depend on how dark u want the flooring to look?
i'de be top coating that by 2 o'clock.
i've been sanding floors since 1978.
Flaaaaaat bro. What finish do you use these days?
I’m on the dark side of the force. Bona Traffic HD 😂
I deffo want to get one of those videos of yours so I can do a voice over, wax lyrical and mention you by name and your business!
@@HowToSandAFloor holy crap what are you abrading with that powders up like that with HD?
I'm gonna get back on doing video content for wood floors. I have a go pro now so I should be able to make a banger of a video compared to before.
What finish did you use that would let it dry so fast? Great job by the way. I wish my ex boss would've bought a trio. Floors look amazing with that
First coat is a solvent primer, with a fan it dries in about 30 mins. Second coat is bona traffic HD, with a fan 45 mins to an hour
@@HowToSandAFloor bona traffic hd for the win 👍👍
Johnny sins you're good at sanding
🤣 if only
Is there a different procedure for a front porch floor?
Is it outside? and if so is it sheltered?
Yes, outside and sheltered but open to the elements
Easy natural finish
I dont know why people do real wood veneer floors like this, either stick to laminate or go fully solid wood. But going hybrid you get beenfits of neither. The floor looks like laminate.it will peel off the backing and lift. You dont want to sand and refinish more than once, and based on b&q prices it's about 2/3 of the price of solid wood.
solid wood is getting phased out almost completely here mate. Engineered is more stable, cheaper, the hardwood bit that you can actually use is just as thick as the bit you can use on the solid wood, as once you sand down to the tongue and groove, it needs replacing anyway.
However... the stuff that im sanding in this video, is indeed cheap crap 😂
Who's taught you to edge like that
Oof that scotia strip..
No reason to do a 45 on It unless it’s not flat waste of time
To be honest, that floor looked like it had many years left before refinishing
Only 400 hundred? I nead to restore 2K²Foot And I have only 2 days
To be honest that floor looked like it had many years left before refinishing
Merhaba dostum kolaygelsin
in other video you say, that one should sand diagonally, yet in this video, you do it yourself in "wrong" way! why?
Ah ah ah io con la levigatrice a nastro e monospazzola ci metto la metà del tempo facendo due volte i bordi con lo stesso macchinario se vuoi contattarmi
No big deal do it ever day 😀
We know this, only way to make money.
Have you ever gotten distracted and painted yourself into a corner?
This is awesome but I think this is a technical fail on the fact that trades are not aloud to work past 4 maybe 5pm so 6:15pm is completely unrealistic.
What do you mean they’re not allowed to? Tbf, if I had started at 8 and not forgot my bits, I’d have been done by 4:30 easy. Also recording and messing around with that
lol no belt on the machine. u cant sand a floor with no belt.
always start on diaganol with the rough paper.
i'de have first coat of varnish on that floor by 12 o'clock. top coat by 2..been sanding floors non stop since 1978.
Try doing this with a full house with pets and kids and no where to store your furniture….
Typical boss leaving for a while don’t touch a thing comes in to coat lol jk
Haha, you know the drill 😂
Omg that buffer is crap. I’d have it done in 30 mins and me time. All u need for natural
Whats wrong with the buffer? You'd have the whole job done in 30 mins?
Hae
If u had a real sander it would go wayyyyyy faster
made in America
haha