The drum sander is the real workhorse of hardwood floor sanding. It is a massive piece of equipment, too heavy for most people to lift—two people are required to carry it.
Orbital floor sanders are heavy to pick up. But once they are switched on, they glide effortlessly across your floor. You won't be able to plane down imperfections in your hardwood floor, as you might do with a drum sander.
The palm sander is definitely the most common tool for sanding a wooden floor by hand. Palm sanders also oscillate, however, unlike orbital random sanders, the pad of the palm sander is fixed straight.
Orbital sanders are much easier to control. They can sand both the field or 'body' of the floor and the edges, which a drum sander cannot. Once you work up to the finer grits, orbital sanders produce a much smoother, less scratchy surface. They are cheap.
Unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, your best choice of floor sander is the random orbital sander from one maker in particular. Unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, the best choice for do-it-yourself floor refinishing is the random orbital sander.
Orbital sanders are great for removing top coats of finish and dirt as they only take off a few layers at a time. This means that there is much less of a chance of ruining your flooring because it doesn't grind off as much wood.
Applying a revitalizer gloss is the simplest and cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors. This approach works best on floors that only have surface-level scratches and other minor wear and tear issues. You can get the job done without the need for equipment rentals or hard-to-find materials.
How long does it take to sand a floor with an orbital sander? Unless your floor is in flat and in very good condition, an orbital sander is going to increase your refinishing time but 2-3 times. Let's say 2-4 days per room as opposed to 1-2 days with a full sanding kit. For handheld orbitals, double that again.
Drywall sanders, although commonly used to sand down plaster and taping, as well as preparing a wall for painting. This type of sander can be used to sand off anything, this is including wood. Therefore, you can use this specific sander to sand wooden floors.
Belt sanders simply allow one to slip sanding belts on and off without much effort. Drum machines take longer with abrasive sheets being wrapped around one single drum (photo above) and clamped into place by way of its own locking mechanism. What Kind Of Grit To Use? sanding grits to be used.
Sanding wood floors is a time consuming but relatively easy procedure. Sanding wood floors & refinishing yourself will definitely save money, and even an inexperienced homeowner can likely do a better job than the lowest bidding handyperson who quotes on it.
If your hardwood floors have been sanded and finished with Bona Mega Clear HD, it is safe to sleep in the home about 2-3 hours after the project is finished, but again, only if there are other rooms that have not been robbed of their furniture – furniture should stay off floors for at least 24 hours after ANY project ...
The primary purpose of an orbital sander is to create ultra-smooth surfaces on wood, plastic and metal. However orbital sanders can also be used to remove paint, polyurethane and stain, as well as prep objects for painting.
12 sheets of 24 grit sandpaper. 8 sheets of 40 grit sandpaper.
For example if you have a painted finish on your wooden floor then stripping will likely be more effective, however if you want to remove a basic polyurethane finish and you need to do so during the colder months of the year then sanding will be more appropriate.
The best way to refinish wood floors without sanding is to use a technique called screen and recoat. This involves scuffing up the finish with a floor buffer and applying a refresher coat of finish.
A belt sander is a versatile machine that quickly removes large amounts of material from wood floors or raw lumber. It uses different grits of sandpaper to remove multiple layers of wood, including varnish or paint, to create a smooth surface.
Sanding in general
When dealing with larger floor areas, it is better to use a belt (or drum) floor sander (illustrated right) for the main area of the floor and then using a handheld rotary sander to sand the areas around the edges and corners where the belt sander cannot reach.
No. By all means, avoid sleeping in the house after refinishing surfaces using oil-based products. Oil-based polyurethane emits a strong smell that's uncomfortable to be around. It is neither safe nor smart to expose yourself and others to such a highly toxic environment.
Wait 3 weeks before putting area rugs on newly refinished/finished hardwood floors. Wait 48 to 72 hours after the hardwood has been refinished/ finished before "PLACING" furniture back in its place. Keep a steady temperature and humidity within your home.