sanding an old floor

I would have thought that to be normal as the floor (drum) sander will go close to the skirting and the edge sander does the rest . Are you using the edge sander flat on the floor -Ive neve used one so i dont actually know whether all the disc sits ON the floor or just the ddge . Is the finish satisfactory-If so there isnt a problem !! Stuart Stuart

If you have lots of s**nk to clear off, you should develop a "flicking" technique. Rather than leaving the edge sander on the floor, just flick off the nastiness with just the edge. It takes a little practice. You lift the machine clear of the floor and swing it left to right at a slight angle to the floor and just make contact with the wood as you swing. You should then see the black gunk fly through the air.

This prevents the disc becoming clogged with the stuff. Instead, you give the grit a chance to actually wear down. I used around 2 extra coarse disks per room. Most of my rooms had Victorian style black sticky gunk round the edges.

Using the machine this way you develop good muscles. Unfortunately, they have since disappeared...

Christian.

thanks, I found if I used a bit more force behind the sander, it lessened the promlem, but got to play with the flicking game too ;0)

What is that gunk? Tar based? Jut a century of muck? And why was it put down?

Regards, NT

Apparently it is a mixture of all sorts of crap. Take some shellac, horse piss and coal dust. Stir in a big pot with a little water. Pour onto the floor, but not in the middle where the rug goes. Wait 100 years. Sand the muck off.

Paint was expensive.

Christian.

"N. Thornton" wrote | > Most of my rooms had Victorian style black sticky gunk round the | > edges. | What is that gunk? Tar based?

Paint

| Just a century of muck? And why was it put down?

Because they didn't have fitted carpets, so they put a rectangular carpet in the room and painted round the edges.

Owain

Whatever kind of paint it is I'd like some, cos its remarkably tough wearing. Ditto the black undercoat Ive seen on Vic doors - probably the same stuff.

Regards, NT

Whatever it is, don't even think of trying to remove it. Nothing will shift it and it gums up sandpaper like crazy.

On Fri, 5 Mar 2004 11:25:15 -0000, "stuart noble"

It's a kind of lacquer. (Old-fashioned type of varnish, for any youngsters tuning in.) As you say, very resistant to sandpaper. Better off getting the doors dipped, if you want to get down below that layer.

The stuff you get on the edges of floors doesn't respond to caustic soda either. It seems to be a kind of bitumen that a) won't come off and b) penetrates the wood if you try to solubilise it in any way.

"stuart noble" >wearing. Ditto the black undercoat Ive seen on Vic doors - probably

Well I got it off no problem. Now I'm trying to remmber how... might have scraped it with a blunt scraper to get 98% off, then sanded the remainder, I'm not sure though.

Regards, NT