How to Sand and Save a Wood Floor

Ron Tanner, from Houselove.org, shows you how to reclaim a damaged wood floor using a belt sander and simple tools.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• home improvement
• house rehab
• do it yourself
• house project
• handyman
• wood floor refinish
• wood floor sanding
• home repair
• remodel

[vegataxkc]

The U Sand rental sander works really well and is very user friendly. You CAN DIY with really excellent results. Re-did my oak floors that had paint splatters and stains all over them.

[werkbook]

@vegataxkc Right: there are many great machines on the market that make this an easy job.

[ciresharu]

you gotta be kiddin' me!!!! you know the one about bringing a knife to a gun fight???? that floor needs a serious, professional DRUM SANDER and EDGER!!! posting these kind of videos is just misleading people into thinking they can do a pro's job!

[werkbook]

@ciresharu You may not like it but the results don't lie.

[werkbook]

Yes, try 50 grit. That will get it up. You can also rent a hand-held edger that will scrap it down. Good luck with your project!

[rono8582]

Hey, Great vid.

I just pulled up carpet in a living room, and its about 300sq ft. the floors are dusty, but in good shape. how many hours did sanding take you? would doing the whole thing by hand be a ridiculous amount do you think?

or an excuse for me to buy more tools? :-D

[werkbook]

@rono8582 prep work takes more time than the sanding. I'd estimate that I spent 4-5 hours sanding this floor.

[ciresharu]

@mrohida It has nothing to do with his personal effort to fix his floors...that, I applaude... Whtat I don't agree with is posting it as a "how-to" video, giving people the impression that refinishing a wood floor can be something as easy as cleaning your windows. There is a whole industry around floor refinishing for a reason... AGAIN, I have nothing against him trying to refinish his floors, but posting this as an encouragement to others...

[mrohida]

@ciresharu

Never seen so many shit talkers ripping the work of others apart than I have on the subject of floor refinishing. Is it the lack of DOSH enforcement, and respirators that make the self proclaimed "pro's" of the floor refinishing business so hostile?

Or is it just that you're not really a professional in any sense at all, but just an A-hole with nothing constructive to add other than the label "professional" to various tools?

Make a video of your own and show us!

[ceemarie84]

This worked well for me with a 10 x 10 oak floor that was finished with an older shellac. Now I am working on the edges - I tried an 80grit with a palm sander, but it's not cutting through the shellac. Do I go to a courser grit of sandpaper? What has everyone else used to do the edges? I know I need to go rent the sander machine to take care of the floor under the radiators. Thanks for the video.

[Jeffcatbuckeye]

-Rent a drum/orbital pad sander

-Don't patch a floor with a 2" piece as it stands out really badly having a 2" strip amongst 14" strips. Plunge cut the old board with a circular saw then get a replacement board and cut the bottom groove portion out then drop it in with polyurethane adhesive. Good as new.

-Wipe the floor down before staining/polyurethaning with a damp watered cloth/dry tack cloth.

-Polyurethane cures by interacting with air..covering it just slows the process drastically.

[hyosunggv22]

are you kidding me? house love is right! that is to much labor for the do it yourselfer of today. correction...36 grit sandpaper is ruff stuff! all of the surface finish/dirt was not removed which could lead to problem if the old and new finishes aren't compatible! sandpaper, finish, hand belt sanders and time is expensive! i suggest finding a professional that will eat the cost of having to redo a floor that is damaged by a botched job!