How many hours will it take me to sand floorboards in standard size room?

[jgkgolf]

I'm planning to sand the floorboards in our dining room this weekend and would like to get my wife and baby out of the house while I'm doing the sanding but have no idea how long it will take?

I've got everything prepared, room cleared, all boards screwed down etc.

I want to sand the floorboards first to get rid of the top layer of dirt etc and then sand a second time to collect the sawdust to fill the gaps between the floorboards. I will mix this with some special glue like liquid (which I'm getting from sanding shop) and allow to dry overnight. I will then do the final sand on Sunday using 2/3 different grade sandpapers.

The room is about 12 foot by 12 foot.

Obviously they only need to be out while the sanding is going on, not while I'm filling the gaps.

[Ian Stirling]

10 minutes, to a week. Are you using a hired floor sander, a belt sander, an orbital sander, or hand sanding it?

Taking it back to 'clean' wood will of course remove any patina and get you wood that looks essentially 'new'. A light sanding will not do this so much, and will remove most of the minor scratches.

[Andy]

When I did it it took me sat/sun from a prepared position to having the varnish down.

I'd allow four hours each day. That ought to cover eventualities.

The dust will go everywhere, blank off all other rooms, you have been warned.

By the way, I tried that sawdust and pva business, what I ended up with did not match the boards, it looked like dark shiny goo, and it shrank as it dried. I recommend you bin the idea and use either a wood colour acrylic frame sealant, or, Wickes now stocks floorboard gap sealant in a range of three colours, light, medium and dark.

Another thing. I suspect you've booked the sander now, but unless your floor boards are really yukky there is a school of thought that just says clean them with a scrubbing brush to get the ingrained dirt out and then stain/varnish/oil. The reason is that sanding them flat removes all the character, whereas really old floorboards look best with a myriad of dings in them.

I went over my hallway with a scrubbing brush and then a handheld orbital sander and achieved a nice result that left some character: cupped floorboards cause some problems though as the raised bits tend to get sanded more than the dipped bits.

If your boards are painted with that black stuff then that'll need sanding off, and surface woodworm tracks are better removed or filled too.

Andy.

[Stuart]

I have had 3 rooms ...LR/BR and Hall done in my flat by a commercial organisation and the hall and bedroom being smaller were completed in one day .

The Living Room took until the second day but that didn't include gap filling that you are doing and they are used to doing this sort of work . The smell of the 2 pack they used was the worst thing and I certailny wouldn't have allowed a baby in to the flat .It was bad enough for me and I went out for fresh air when it was being done until the smell abated a bit .

I would have thought two full days in your case .

Stuart

[jgkgolf]

Andy, I'm not actually using PVA glue but a product specifically for this job which the hire shop reccommend.

In response to the previous comment I am using a belt sander along with a an edging sander.

[Andy]

If you're using some proprietary agent then I have no knowledge of that. I still think goo in a tube from Wickes will be easier, but that's just my opinion.

I tried various things when filling gaps. The PVA + sawdust shrank when drying and was almost a shiny dark brown colour, not a match at all ( NB: a perfect match is not necessary nor perhaps even desirable ).

I then tried wallpaper glue plus sawdust: this gave a good colour match with a matt finish and no shrinkage but was brittle and did not cling to the sides of the gap ( floorboard gaps open and close through the year ).

Eventually I caulked the gaps with twisted skeins of hemp string ( very fiddly and tiresome and probably unnecessary ) to be on the safe side and injected Dow Corning natural wood colour acrylic frame sealant into the gaps. That worked a treat. Each gap had to be masked off either side with masking tape to stop it contaminating the floorboards when smoothed with a wet finger.

As to the machines you are using, they sound standard. I expect the hire shop has told you but go at 45 degrees to the boards with the belt sander at first, finally along the length of the boards on the finer grades. Get all the nails out ( or bashed in ) and the staples out first. That black paint that is often painted on the boards seriously clogs sand paper. Lift the belt sander off at the beginning and end of each run whilst moving as if stationary it'll dig a groove.

Same goes for the circular sander, keep it moving else a circular groove appears. Do not touch any CH pipes with it.

Good luck,

Andy.

[visionset]

Jesus Christ!! It'd be quicker to relay the boards, which of course is the best solution.

[Mary Fisher]

That can't be stressed hard enough.

Don't think it won't happen to you!

Block round the doors as much as you can, that stuff gets everywhere. Remove as much furniture as you can - and if there are any plants (especially cacti) take them out before you start. Getting fine sawdust off those tiny prickles is impossible.

If there's a woman in your life don't forget to keep all doors shut and preferably blocked. Wear a mask yourself. Don't leave the room in your dusty clothes.

I'm not particularly house-proud but I'll never forget the wood dust everywhere when Spouse did our dining room while I was at the theatre and not there to shout at - er advise - him.

Mary

[meow2222]

makes it look more like a cheap laminate floor

ha, no, its not often domestic floors are like that. Sanding is good for public halls, but for domestic houses its normally well OTT. All most domestic pine floors need is a good clean up and refinish, plus If theres the dreaded black gloop on them those area will need sanding.

A good clean up of a room took me what, an hour and a half start to finish? way easier than sanding, costs nothing, and looks better in the end.

Another prob with sanding is it sometimes uncovers old worm tracks, making the wood look like real junk. This is irreversible. If that happens you can either live with your woodworm on show, replace the floor or hide it with lam. Either way its a floor ruined.

Damaged boards can usually be turned over.

NT

[Autolycus]

Beg to differ, unless you're talking about doing the whole floor. The tongue is frequently nearer one side than the other.

[Owain]

Gawd yes.

Remove *all* furniture including the skirting and picture rail if possible.

Seal round the door with parcel tape including the keyhole.

If you have a back-boiler turn that off and seal similarly.

Shave head, and wrap body in clingfilm from navel to knees. There are places you really, really don't want sawdust and it's probably worse for women.

Access and egress via the window from outside, not via the rest of the house.

I don't think I did any "surprises" that bad even as a child.

Owain

[meow2222]

if you've got tongue n groove boards, yes. Plain ones are common in old houses.

NT

[Mary Fisher]

:-)))))))))

Mary

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[Ian Stirling]

I have a large fan, a nice stainless steel 24" floor standing one, that on 'high' really makes a significant wind.

Cut a fan-sized hole in sheet of something, and attach it to an opened window. For me, this really worked very well. With windows elsewhere in the house open, and the doors shut normally, there is a really decent negative pressure inside the room when the fan is on.

Personally, I don't use breathing masks. I use 1*3m of hosepipe, connected to a Y adaptor, connected to 2*10m of hosepipe. Stick this in mouth, breath in through it, and out through nose.

The cling film suggestion is silly. I use a large binbag.

Put earplugs in. Put binbag on. Put shielded goggles (the ones with silicone rubber all the way round) on over the binbag. Put ear defenders on. Put hosepipe into mouth. Put rubber band round your throat.

The fan spins down much faster than it once did, now I've been using it to extract brick dust...

When you are finished for a while, beat yourself around the head to dislodge any dust, in front of the extractor fan, then wait for the dust to clear, and disrobe, shaking all clothes.

(this is not a good idea if the fan would blow the dust where it would be a hazard.

[jgkgolf]

you're starting to scare me a little bit now!

There is one door leading to the main hallway and french doors leading to the patio and garden. I was planning to seal the door leading to the hallway using masking tape and enter and exit via the french doors. Will masking tape be sufficient?

[Mary Fisher]

Some of the advice haws been a bit over the top but everything I said was serious, if you want to keep harmony in the house.

Yes, if it covers the gaps.

Don't open the hall door until the dust has completely settled and you've wiped the floor with a slightly damp cloth.

Honestly, you'll be amazed at the amount of dust.

Mary

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[Dave Liquorice]

When ever I'm doing anything that'll put dust into the air I either try and capture the dust with a vacume as it's generated or just run the vacume in the same room with the hose supported a few feet above the floor. Once the dust making is complete go away for a cup of coffee (10 or 15 mins) and the air, even if thick with dust on leaving, is very much cleaner on return.

[Mary Fisher]

Indeed, but there'll still be a film on the floor which needs to be removed.

Mary

[Dave Liquorice]

True but is a film not a layer... B-)

[Mary Fisher]

Hmm - when does a film become a layer?

:-)

Mary