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Using A Hardwood Floor Sander
By Lee Dobbins, Fri Dec 9th
Refinishing your hardwood floors yourself can be time consumingand a bit scary at first but well worth it in the long run. Itcan cost a bundle to hire a professional to refinish your floorsfor you, but if you have the time, you can do it yourself. Themost difficult part is learning to run the sander. Many peopleare afraid of ruining their floors, and you can really damage afloor if you do not take care in the sanding. Sanding is fairly easy if you pay attention and the finish doesnot take as long to dry as you might have been led to believe.You can rent a sander from your local Home Depot or hardwaresupply store. You’ll need a drum sander, a belt sander or both.They will explain to you how to use the machine and tell youwhat kind of sand paper to purchase. They will also tell youwhat kind of stain and finish to get. Make sure you also pick upsome dust masks because you will have saw dust everywhere. The key to a good floor finish is the surface, so the mostimportant thing when learning how to run the sander is getting afeel for the equipment. Sanders are not as hard to use as youthink. They are loud and messy, but fairly easy to operate. Justkeep the sander in motion at all times. Moving the sander in aconstant motion will reduce the risk of damaging your floor.Equate it to using an iron on your clothes – if you stop in 1spot too long you’ll burn a hole. The sander is similar since itcreates a lot of heat, keeping it in 1 spot can burn or dentyour floor. The sander is a self propelling
machine so it is easy to move,but you do need to keep in control of it at all times. Retain afirm grip on it when you power it up and you will get the hangof it after a few passes. You might even think it’s fun!Once you have removed to old finish by sanding, of course, youwill need to apply the new finish. First you will apply a stain(if you want a stain – some folks like to leave their floorsnatural) and then the finish to protect the floor. There arebasically two types of floor finishes: one is oil-based and theother is water-based polyurethane. Furthermore, oil is brokendown into a semi-gloss, gloss or satin. Satin is a good choicefor a hardwood floor because it hides small flaws and lets thenatural beauty of the wood show without a bright shine. An oilbased finish will give your floor a warm amber glow. A waterbased finish will dry quicker and keep from yellowing. Make sure you let each coat thoroughly dry before applying thenext. Follow the manufacturers instructions on the finish beforeyou occupy the room again. Usually you can move your furnitureback in after about 24 hours. Don’t be overwhelmed. Just take it one step at a time and you’llsoon have a beautiful new hardwood floor.
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