Current Events > About to sand my hardwood floors

(+) Yeah! (+)

Anyone ever do this before and have any tips?
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By hand or machine?
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Either case, be sure to nail-set each nail and then wood-putty the holes and irregularities. Sand with the grain, and have a shop-vac handy
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Vicious_Dios posted...

By hand or machine?

Got a hand sander/belt sander for by the wall and then a square sander for the middle of the floor.
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I dunno. Just don't be one of those dumbfucks that sand without a mask.
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ThunderTrain posted...

Vicious_Dios posted...

By hand or machine?

Got a hand sander/belt sander for by the wall and then a square sander for the middle of the floor.

Good luck getting it even with abelt sander. Floors are done with a large pedestal sander in order to cover a large area so any unevenness is more gentle.

Wear a RESPIRATOR, not a mask. They're 45 bucks . Get one that's good for particulates and fumes. You likely have no idea what that is finished with.

If there are exposed nails, set them all with a punch, then sand, then fill them AFTER sanding.

Use open coat sand paper. 60 grit to strip, 80-100 to even the grain. 150 grit Closed coat for the intermediate sanding to even the floor, and 220 for the finished sand.

Clean it afterward, no need to use anything serious. Vacuum it, then wash it with water. Let dry, and then use a pre-stain wood conditioner if you want a more even covering that doesn't blotch it show grain discolouration.

When staining, do not let the stain stand on the wood. Stain, let stand for 10-20 minutes, and wipe off the excess.

When varnishing, do not overwork the varnish, and scuff sand between coats with 220-400 grit. Do not oversand, just enough to scuff the surface and sand out any air pockets.

This is a large job you are undertaking and I am assuming you aren't a contractor. Good luck. Work slow and methodical.
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