I've got several floors with pine boarding, probably Victorian. They've collected all sorts of stains and paint over the years, and we want to sand them flat(ter), and to an even colour. This will obviously be a belt sander job. Trouble is I don't want to do them all at once, which would push me towards renting a floor sander. Will an ordinary sized one do a reasonable job, and if so which?
Andy
I don't know how big your floors are, what standard of finish you're looking for, or how much time/patience/money you have.
If you buy a belt sander, I recommend this:
Also don't overlook random orbit sanders which can have lots of clout and produce a very good finish.
Certainly start by hiring, you will also want an edge sander. HSS do "two machine" deals.
I did a couple of average sized rooms with a £50 Skil belt sander several years ago. Turned out fine and the sander is still going strong but it's a much longer and more wearisome job than just hiring the lawnmower sized g izmo which I did subsequently.
You need two sanders ideally - a big standup one on a long handle for the large areas, and a smaller handheld one of the edges etc.
However you can do a whole room (or house even!) with an handheld, but its harder work.
I would be tempted to buy a decent 4" hand one, and hire the big one when you need to get through rooms quickly if you need to.
With belt sanders, its well worth spending the money on a "pro" tool. They have the power and endurance to work non stop, and good dust collection with very low vibration. The belt will run true and its easy to adjust etc.
Something like:
(can often be had SH on ebay for much less)
Don't forget to punch all nails well below the surface before you start and maybe even have a second pair of eyes check that you have not missed one. It only takes one nail seconds to shred a sanding belt.
Rental floor sanding machines have moved on a bit - even if HSS hasn't enti rely kept up.
The 'standard' ones HSS offer are drum sanders - lots and lots of dust. Lot s of power too - easy to produce digs in the floor.
At a higher price point, this sort of machine is being replaced with belt s anders:
The more modern machines produce far less dust.
I recently hired this from HSS:
It's a more basic version of the Trio machine, and uses 4 heads with random
-orbit action. A delight to use, and it really was just about dust-free.
These don't have the sanding power of drum/belt machines - but suited my pu rpose. I needed to refinish a new tongue & groove floor (the lacquer had re acted with the dye, producing a rather orange tint), and to sand an old flo or without reducing it to a 'new wood' appearance.
I'd also recommend a hand-held random orbit machine for edging over those e dgers HSS offer, as the HSS are a pure rotary action with a strong tendency to dig and cut.
How did you learn that-:)?
The "decorators" we've just had in (to fill the holes the electrician made, and part of the same contract) reckoned a floor sander would take the nails off too.
It appears general opinion is not in agreement :)
Andy
with apologies to Brian - the blind leading the blind?
Jim K
I've sanded all my floors with a Makita belt sander, and taken at the right angle it's possible to sand the head of a flooring brad flush with the flo or. Catch the edge though and it's curtains for the belt. Less crucial if i t's a little belt on a belt sander, but quite expensive, I would imagine, i f you're using a lawnmower style hired machine. Worth taking the time to pu nch them down a bit before you start.
Cheers Richard
I like first-hand experience :)
I'm actually tempted, where they stick up enough, to pull then out & replace by screws. Having seen what happened to some of the boards while they were levring them up, nails and all, screws seem a good idea. I have a decent cordless drill, so screws won't kill me.
Andy
You will be there forever with and ordinary belt sander and use up loads of belts. Cheap mickey mouse belt sanders are not intended for continuous use either and may burn out. Also backbreaking, knee crunching task.
A proper floor sander has some really vicious abrasive and will do in minutes what takes hours with a belt sander. You stand to use it too. You have to use progressively finer grades.
You might need a belt sander to do the edges. Corners take up a lot of time, usualyhave to be chiselled/scraped.
Mind you don't damage skirting boards. Very dusty job unless it has dust extraction.
Mop & bio washing powder. Mop every few minutes, do this for a few hours. If you also want a new white wood look add a capful of bleach.
Sanding's seldom a good idea.
NT
Flat, as well as even colour.
There's a hundred years of paint splashes on some bits, and floor stain on others.
Andy
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