What kind of sander Do I need to refinish hardwood floors?

Random orbital sanders are the best choice for do-it-yourself hardwood floor refinishing. They take longer to remove old finishes than drum sanders, but they do not require a lot of experience to use and are less likely to damage your wood floor.

What kind of sander is best for refinishing hardwood floors?

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.

What kind of sander Do I need to sand my floors?

Good sander choice

Rent a drum sander with continuous belts and a lift-lower lever for better control. You'll need two rental machines: a drum sander to sand most of the floor and an edger to sand along baseboards. Here are some tips: Rent from a flooring specialty shop rather than a general rental store.

What tool do you use to sand hardwood floors?

Two power tools are needed to sand a floor -- a large drum sander and a smaller disk sander (also called a spinner). The drum sander handles the major areas. Edges and corners are cleaned up with the smaller disk sander. You can rent this sander team with the necessary sandpaper assortments at a tool rental store.

Can you use an orbital sander to refinish hardwood floors?

Random orbital sanders are the best choice for do-it-yourself hardwood floor refinishing. They take longer to remove old finishes than drum sanders, but they do not require a lot of experience to use and are less likely to damage your wood floor.

How To Sand and Finish Wood Floors

Can you use a hand sander on hardwood floors?

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.

What is the difference between an orbital sander and a drum sander?

What's the difference between a drum sander and an orbital sander? The best explanation goes something like this: “A drum sander is like a chainsaw; an orbital sander is like a hedge trimmer. They both cut wood, but at much different rates.”

Can you use a belt sander to sand hardwood floors?

Refinishing wood floors starts with a belt sander. Refinishing wood floors is quite a chore and can take many days. You can save a lot of money doing it yourself and it is accomplished best by using the correct tools. A belt sander will make stripping and sanding the floor quick and easy.

How many sanding sheets does it take to sand a floor?

8 sheets of 80 grit sandpaper. 5 sheets of 120 grit sandpaper. Optional: Woodstain (if you wish to colour your floor)

What is the difference between a drum sander and a belt sander?

Sanding paper is different with both tools. 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.

How hard is it to sand your own floors?

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.

What is the cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors?

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 heavy is an orbital floor sander?

Weight: 94.8lbs (45.0kg) without HTF weight, 176lbs (80kg) maximum recommended with HTF weight. Note: Typically the weight of an 18" x 12" orbital floor sander is centred around the middle of the machine in-line with the motor and not evenly distributed over the whole of the sanding pad.

Which is better orbital or belt sander?

A belt sander is more effective for large materials, while the orbital sander is ideal for small spaces and pieces of furniture. A belt sander works effectively on flat surfaces, while an orbital sander can work with various angles.

Should I strip or sand hardwood floors?

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.

Can you use an orbital sander on wood?

Is an Orbital Sander Good for Wood? Yes, orbital sanders can effectively sand wood. However, you should keep in mind that regular orbital sanders can leave circular marks on wood surfaces.

What are the different types of floor sanders?

What grit sandpaper should I use for hardwood floors?

Start with 36-grit sandpaper for a floor that hasn't been sanded in a long time or that has a lot of heavy finish on it. Floors that have been painted may even require you to go tougher and use 24 or 16-grit paper. Maple floors are so hard that they often require 36-grit sandpaper as well.

How long does it take to sand a floor with a floor sander?

If you're using both the electric sander and the edger in 140 square-foot floor space, it will take you roughly 5 hours to do three sanding passes. Another thing you must take into account is how old your house is. If yours is 50 years old or more, you'll need extra time to complete it.