Very closely related: How should I sand before the final coat of polyurethane?
However, I'm not asking for a how-to or which is the preferred tool/method but rather one specific tool and if it's an "ok" approach to take.
Assuming I already owned a 5" random orbital sander (similar to below example image), would it be realistic to use it with 220+ grit sandpaper rather than a "full-fledged" floor buffer, at least to the level where I can use it between a few coats of poly and still achieve a good finish on the final coat?
I'm not really asking if it's necessarily practical, but more as a cost saver while also being able to achieve a decent result (plus I don't have the level of experience with the larger equipment as I'd like/be comfortable with).
From what I've been reading, poly doesn't seem to need a whole lot of intense sanding between layers and just a little roughing up for subsequent layers (by all means correct my if I'm wrong here – would rather be berated online than ruin a perfectly good floor).
I know it'll take longer simply due to size, but I'm only looking at a couple hundred square feet anyway, nothing overly large.
Best Answer
You could use a hand-held orbital- like you mentioned the biggest downside is time. But you're correct, sanding between coats of poly isn't stripping an old floor- it's just scuffing up the previous coat of poly in preparation for the next one.
Even easier for this step though would probably be a pole sander- like the kind for drywall seams. Use a fine grit paper and run it over the whole floor- you don't need much pressure.