Anyone ever sand and poly their hardwood floors

[BB BELLA]

a mouse or reciprical for corners! I have a porter cable,just happen to have it in the room with me doing my bathroom reno!

 

[BB BELLA]

i guess it's an oscillator not reciprocal, kern will be along to help my spelling if I got it wrong!

 

[BanginGears]

I bought gloss clear but uncertain if I should stay with the satin instead.
Is there a difference between satin and semi gloss?
Hopefully someone chimes in before 10am. I have yo return the drum sander and might bring back the gloss poly

 

[BB BELLA]

only you can judge that! you need to take a look at the lighting in the room and decide if more or less sheen is desired and the final condition of the floors after being sanded! "they" say satin hides imperfections better because it has less sheen! I'm thinking you could finish the floors and see how you like the look and decide on the final coats which you like best!

 

[Hey-O]

only you can judge that! you need to take a look at the lighting in the room and decide if more or less sheen is desired and the final condition of the floors after being sanded! "they" say satin hides imperfections better because it has less sheen! I'm thinking you could finish the floors and see how you like the look and decide on the final coats which you like best!

X2

 

[Moms68]

I did a bedroom floor a year ago. It wasn’t terribly damaged so I used a random orbital floor sander rented from HD. It had 3 round pads arranged in a triangle. Worked really well and I didn’t run the risk of digging in too deep.

 

[joe smith]

I did a bedroom floor a year ago. It wasn’t terribly damaged so I used a random orbital floor sander rented from HD. It had 3 round pads arranged in a triangle. Worked really well and I didn’t run the risk of digging in too deep.

I have used a 4 pad like this with vacuum intakes between the pads... Worked good....

 

[BanginGears]

I'm doing the inside edges and corners with my 5" orbital sander. It looks like I'm going satin instead of semi gloss or gloss..
I was talked in to it from one of the contractors I met today.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

What's the best way to get in the corners and stairs. Just sanded almost the whole 1st floor with 30 grit and then 70 grit

 

[BanginGears]

Thanks... I'm going back tomorrow to rent this sander. Orbital sander didn't get down deep enough.

 

[kiwigtx]

Going back about 35 years, I worked for a company that built cheaper homes with T&G walls etc and particle board flooring. The painters would finish the flooring with (obviously sanded first) with oil based polyurethane mixed with a quantity (not sure exactly how much %-wise) of ammonia - typically household bleach.

Now, the house was always inhabitable for about 4-6 days after they had finished...they used the same brew on the natural timber walls also.....the ammonia must have added a measure of durability and make curing a lot more successful.....either that or they did it to piss the Sparkies off ...who incidentally had to go in straight away and perform all the tests on cables prior to fitting off switches and fittings etc.

We could always tell when a builder had nailed a cable in the chases, by the different readings on our Insulation Resistance tests....and we could pin point down to the exact nail to remove it. Fresh varnish/poly made the test results easy to follow. Of course the first thing we did was throw all the windows and doors wide open while unloading the van to work.

 

[Hey-O]

While hardwood flooring is nice, it started as standard flooring in new houses because carpeting was to expensive. I have put down miles of hardwood flooring and would never use it again. The sun bleaches it, big dogs destroy it, water will ruin it and drop something on it and the new dent becomes a character mark. Years ago I made cherry hardwood flooring out of 5/4 slabs with bark still on two sides , obviously machining it down to the finished flooring. No amount of refinishing will ever be as good as the original prefinished flooring. Aluminum oxide is the reason, it's a naturally occurring mineral that forms a hard coating which protects wood floors from damage. It’s the best choice for high-traffic areas because it’s resistant to scratches, dents, and scuffs. Wood floors finished with UV-cured aluminum oxide generally last 10-15 years longer than post-installation polyurethane finishes. I have always had hardwood flooring in my homes, being a furniture maker and wood being my bread and butter, it only made sense. I even cut a few fingers off cutting walnut flooring for a friend, they're back on now. I'm writing now, more about what to use instead of hardwood flooring. These new Luxury plank flooring are the way to go. If you’re looking for a flooring option that's both good looking and easy to maintain, luxury vinyl plank flooring is the way to go. It’s becoming a popular choice today and there are many reasons why. They look real, Most planks are embossed, giving them a textured, more realistic feel, very quiet, much more durable and resistant to pet, easier to replace a piece if it does get damaged, a monkey can install it, very easy to clean, spills and dirt wipe up, and the flooring doesn’t require much maintenance beyond that. The biggest reason to me is it's a 100 percent waterproof. I put a piece in a bucket of water and left it there for almost two months. I pulled it out and wiped it clean and it looked brand new! Once it's down it's totally water proof, nothing can go though it. It's not cheap for the good stuff, but it's 10 year commercial, life time residential warranty. This coming from a guy that made a great living from wood. Guess what, like I've said a hundred time about my stuff, I gave away my Bostitch nailer when I moved, as far as I'm concerned, it's obsolete. This time this is not just my opinion, this is my professional opinion, you'll never hear me say that again...........

 

[BrianS]

While hardwood flooring is nice, it started as standard flooring in new houses because carpeting was to expensive. I have put down miles of hardwood flooring and would never use it again. The sun bleaches it, big dogs destroy it, water will ruin it and drop something on it and the new dent becomes a character mark. Years ago I made cherry hardwood flooring out of 5/4 slabs with bark still on two sides , obviously machining it down to the finished flooring. No amount of refinishing will ever be as good as the original prefinished flooring. Aluminum oxide is the reason, it's a naturally occurring mineral that forms a hard coating which protects wood floors from damage. It’s the best choice for high-traffic areas because it’s resistant to scratches, dents, and scuffs. Wood floors finished with UV-cured aluminum oxide generally last 10-15 years longer than post-installation polyurethane finishes. I have always had hardwood flooring in my homes, being a furniture maker and wood being my bread and butter, it only made sense. I even cut a few fingers off cutting walnut flooring for a friend, they're back on now. I'm writing now, more about what to use instead of hardwood flooring. These new Luxury plank flooring are the way to go. If you’re looking for a flooring option that's both good looking and easy to maintain, luxury vinyl plank flooring is the way to go. It’s becoming a popular choice today and there are many reasons why. They look real, Most planks are embossed, giving them a textured, more realistic feel, very quiet, much more durable and resistant to pet, easier to replace a piece if it does get damaged, a monkey can install it, very easy to clean, spills and dirt wipe up, and the flooring doesn’t require much maintenance beyond that. The biggest reason to me is it's a 100 percent waterproof. I put a piece in a bucket of water and left it there for almost two months. I pulled it out and wiped it clean and it looked brand new! Once it's down it's totally water proof, nothing can go though it. It's not cheap for the good stuff, but it's 10 year commercial, life time residential warranty. This coming from a guy that made a great living from wood. Guess what, like I've said a hundred time about my stuff, I gave away my Bostitch nailer when I moved, as far as I'm concerned, it's obsolete. This time this is not just my opinion, this is my professional opinion, you'll never hear me say that again...........

He is 100% correct. When I got out of the Navy I went to work for a flooring contractor and have installed and refinished miles of wood flooring. I personally like the look of 3/4 t/g oak over the old 5/16 BUT with the luxury plank flooring you install it and forget it. Doesn't dent, my dogs nails doesn't tear it up ect. As far as refinishing a floor goes we always used a drum sander and the edges we used a special made scraper to take off the finish next to baseboards and in corners then used a commercial disc sander to even it up. The big problem with the drum sander and the disc sander is it WILL take quite a bit of material up if you don't know what you are doing or get impatient. As far as the finish goes we always used a 5-6" brush with polyurethane.

 

[Spare Parts]

I did the hardwood floor of a vintage movie theater balcony.
I rented a commercial high grade square sander like this. Don’t go against the grain! Worked very well and quick. Got in the corners easy.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

I did the hardwood floor of a vintage movie theater balcony.
I rented a commercial high grade square sander like this. Don’t go against the grain! Worked very well and quick. Got in the corners easy.View attachment 1271582

Thats the one I suggest to people these days.... The drum style is good if the floor is in really bad shape but it can do allot of damage if you don't know what your doing.... The square pad doesn't eat wood like the drum so if the floor just shows normal wear & needs sanding & a re-finish the square will be a good choice...

 

[BanginGears]

I did the hardwood floor of a vintage movie theater balcony.
I rented a commercial high grade square sander like this. Don’t go against the grain! Worked very well and quick. Got in the corners easy.View attachment 1271582

Should have used this one. Wish you replied earlier. My luck. Anyway, floor came out pretty good sanding. Used a orbital palm sander for close to walls. Didn't get down as deep , hopefully poly looks good even near baseboards.
Finding I have to do a lot of cleaning and prep work before the poly goes down. Had to replace a few boards. Have 4 more boards in another room to do tomorrow or Wednesday.

 

[BanginGears]

I think I messed up.
Took the wood down bare and I think there was a color on it before. Golden oak. Now I put satin clear and it looks totally different and looks dirty.
What do I do now?

 

[Hey-O]

If you sanded it down there should be nothing but bare wood left. The coloring should have been sanded till it was a natural looking wood.

 

[eldubb440]

yup..... keep sanding lol

 

[BDF6]

Make sure the temp & humidity are ok for the finish you choose.