Floor sanding - getting into corners

I'm planning on sanding/varnishing our hallway floor soon using the usual belt and disc sanders (hired). However, whilst I believe the latter is fine for sanding right up to the skirting what is the panels opinion on dealing with the corners? No doubt the answer may well be 'normal sandpaper on a block' however I was wondering if there were any other tool/technique that may aid this task?

Also, whilst I've got the floor (no pun intended), can anyone suggest the best way to tackle the occasional unevenness of board height that we've got? Nothing too major - couple of mm tops - due largely to the slight cupping of some of the boards hence it is mainly at the edges. All guidance I've read on the topic suggest starting the initial coarse runs at a 45deg angle across the boards/room to allay this however given the narrow hallway I'm pretty restricted solely to running parallel with the boards. The devil on my shoulder is whispering to do a few runs of the electric plane to tackle the worst edges...?

Any other relevant tips (regarding sanding hallways in particular but I'll take anything!) would be most welcome.

Mathew

Reply to
Mathew Newton
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Might be a bit expensive for a one-of job, but the Fein-Master Prof i really good for this kind of things.

In regards of small height differences, your 'whispered' idea is good or go over those bits a few more times with grit 40

-- WoodYouLike

Reply to
WoodYouLike

I sanded my hallway using a random orbital, as the planks were in good condition and not cupped very much, but this won't be a good idea for cupped boards, as it won't take the cupped edges down much at all. I also sanded my living room using the usual kit of hired belt sander and disc sander, and went at 45 degrees to the boards, and the belt sander made short shrift of the cupped edged of the boards after a few passes. All I can suggest is not going completely parallel to tour hallway boards at first, even a shallow angle will tend to flatten the boards equally I should think: it is just that 45 degrees is the angle that works best. It requires a fair bit of deftness in a confined space, I presume the hire shop have explained that you need to tip up the belt sander at the end of a run to prevent digging grooves?

The corners, well, I used the disc sander in as far as possible, then 40 grit on a detail sander. That worked quite well, as the corners tend to miss out on all the damage that occurs to the central areas, and don't need much sanding anyway. Be sure to clear the corners of grit before using an orbital detail sander, otherwise you get those epicyclic scratches that only show up really when you varnish!

I really wouldn't bother with the electric plane as the belt sander with the coarsest grit grade is a monster and will remove a couple of mm easily. Of course, you will need to assess the problem as you go along.

By the way, protect any radiator pipes you have coming through the floor, the disc sander will slice straight through if it touches. And of course, the dust will get all through the house, so wear a mask and use as many dustsheets as possible.

Watch out for the disc sander, as if you are not consistent with it you will cut a circular arc in the floor ( same problem as belt sander really, they must never be allowed to come to a halt whilst touching the floor ).

Andy.

Reply to
Andy

I don't know what that is but in tight corners I use a tool, I think that it is called an electric file. It is like a small one handed belt sander. It is a bit tricky to use and is easy to make a groove but it does get into tight corners. I finish with a delta sander as you seem to able to apply a bit more pressure if needed.

Kevin

Reply to
kajr

I would forget the 'electric file' they are hard to escape a gouge in the wood. Take the floor up in the corners and lay in another part of the floor and sand then replace it back in the corner. As for uneveness try turning the floorboard over before sanding.

Reply to
ben

Thanks Andy, and everyone else, for the tips and pointers. I'll see how the belt sander handles the edges and take it from there - it sounds like they flatten down a treat with no additional work.

As for the corners, I neglected to add that the skirting is off at the moment so I think I'll be able to get quite far in - if not I'm sure some hand sanding ought to be able to tackle such a small area.

Thanks again,

Mathew

Reply to
Mathew Newton

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