Refinishing a small section of old tongue & groove oak floor

Greg Guarino · 2011-09-15T02:51:47+00:00

Old house, original solid oak flooring. Had it sanded and refinished 13 years ago when we bought the house. Most is in decent condition.But, there's a full length mirror on the back of a closet door that has ruined the floor in that area.Can you guess?I have a teenage daughter. She is often found in front of that mirror, often with wet feet, dripping hair and assorted sprayable toxins in hand.So anyway ... how best to fix it?There was a more extreme (but thankfully limited) accident involving nail polish remover earlier this year. It left a few square inches nearly bare of finish and rough to the touch. I sanded it with a detail sander and put a couple of coats of poly over it (steel wool in-between), the same poly that was originally used. While the spot was visible on close inspection right after the repair (it was newer-looking and glossier, naturally), it has grown even less conspicuous since then as people wear it down.The area I want to repair now is much bigger, maybe 2 square feet. And rather than a "clean" spot that had a chemical dropped on it all at once, this area looks dirty as well as worn down.I have access to a belt sander (hand-held, old), which seems like my best option, if I can keep it from becoming a Go-Kart. But what grit, kind of "paper", etc? I also have a half-sheet orbital, which seems like too much finesse and not enough beef. Are there any other good options (chemicals? scrapers?)Tips greatly appreciated.

Sep 15, 2011 20 Replies

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RicodJour 14 years ago

A good quality drill bit shaft works. I've never used a titanium coated bit as a burnisher, but this is interesting:

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Refinishing a small section of old tongue & groove oak floor

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