Wood – How to sand 1/2 inch hardwood floors

flooringhardwood-refinishing

I need to refinish the hardwood floors in my new house. I was going to rent one of those giant drum sanders to do the job, but everywhere I read says that unless the floor is 3/4 inch thick, you should consult a professional. Mine is 1/2 inch, and if I had the funds to consult a professional, I wouldn't have been researching the topic in the first place.

My question is: what equipment should I use to sand the floors? Is there a special technique I should employ? Any additional tips would be appreciated.

Best Answer

(Bona fides: I sanded my house and a friends' about 10 years ago, and two rooms in my new house last year. I then went with a pro for the rest of the house — it's crappy work and not something I wanted to do again.)

Drum sanders are the fastest but also take a deft hand and careful attention — they can dig a groove in the floor pretty quickly, especially where you drop and pick them up on each run.

An orbital or vibrating sander is a lot easier for novices to handle, I would recommend these if your floors have already been sanded several times.

If you take on this job yourself, you should be aware of a few things:

  • Sanding floors takes a lot of time to do properly. 1500 sq. ft. will probably take a week. There's the initial prep (removing molding, furniture, nails, and cleaning), three passes with different grades of sand paper, staining/sealing, screening that finish, then polyurethane three times, screening between each one. And lots of waiting time between applications of stain and poly. You'll also need hand sanders (a small drum sander works best) to get around the edges of the room, the floor sanders don't go all the way to the wall. Then you have to replace the molding.
  • This is dirty work. Even the sanders with nice vacuum bags are going to leave dust all over the place and you should wear a mask. And hearing protection, depending on the type.
  • Rental sanders vary in quality. Some rental shops take care of their equipment, but many do not. Best case, this can result in trips back when the sander is DOA. Worst case, the sander may sand unevenly and create grooves or circular patterns in the floor. Keep a close eye on them.
  • If the floors haven't been sanded in a number of years, the older varnishes (and the wax buildup on top of them) is very hard to get off the floor and you'll burn through a lot of sandpaper (it gums up the paper and you have to replace frequently).
  • Most rental places will let you return unused sandpaper for a full refund. Take advantage of this and buy 2–3× what you think you'll need, because those same rental shops probably aren't open on Saturday night or Sunday morning when you run out.
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