Anybody ever rented a floor sander?

Pepper · 10-21-2006, 10:35 PM

OK - my turn to ask a question of the experts in home maintenance! Have any of you ever rented a floor sander to refinish their hardwood floors?

We're trying to guage our time here, and are trying to figure out how fast or slow these machines work. For instance, are we going to be sanding for three hours and discover we've only sanded twenty feet of flooring? Also, did you get the desired result?

Any guidance and advice would be welcome! We have the machine reserved for Monday!

PaulS · 10-22-2006, 10:42 AM

Not that this will help, but my grandfather refinished floors for a living, and had huge equipment circa 1940's, including a large disc floor sander and buffer. My grandmother decided to buff the floors one day. When she started the machine, it threw her across the room. All my grandfather said was something to the effect of "serves you right, I told you not to use my floor machines". I think today's machines are smaller and easier to handle, but I don't have any hardware floors, so what do I know? http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...s/confused.gif

Weirs guy · 10-22-2006, 07:31 PM

OK, so I've never done it myself, but I know enough people who have. Patience, lots and lots (and lots and lots) of patience. The going is slow, and you'll need a smaller sander for the corners, but it can be done. Hopefully whatever your trying to get up Pepper hasn't been on the floor forever either!

meteotrade · 10-22-2006, 07:58 PM

Its not too bad Pepper. I did my first floor last year in less than a day. The trick I discovered (after a few early missteps!) is to keep a slow and steady pace with the belt sander. Never, ever stop the machine with the belt moving or you'll end up with a nasty gouge that takes forever to sand out. Once you get the hang of it, its about as easy as mowing the lawn. The edger is harder to work and you'll probably need a few ibuprofin for your back when all is said and done.

Having said all this, the real fun comes when you poly. Its an absolute nightmare- poly, sand, vaccuum, and repeat. One sticky, smelly, grueling job!

Pepper · 10-23-2006, 08:29 AM

Thanks everybody! Fortunately when we rippped up the carpets and padding last night we were delighted to discover that a good portion of the previous finish is already simply degraded to dust. The surface of the floors is smooth and even, so that should help a lot!

We spoke at length with a professional, who gave us some awesome tips, too! We now expect it will be a full three days before the job is complete.

Thank heavens we're not trying to live in the house while this mess is underway!

islandAl · 10-23-2006, 09:45 AM

Make sure your wear good dust masks and not just the paper kind. After your final sanding, wet wipe the ceilings, walls and floors to get all the dust up before applying the poly.
I used a water based poly and there was no smell, and could apply the second coat in just a few hours. Light sand again when dry and apply third coat. This water based poly cost a little more but the lack of odor throught the rest of the house was worth it. clean up is easier also.

Pepper · 10-23-2006, 09:34 PM

IslandAl - we're wearing respirators, and thankful to have them, for sure! Even though the sanders have collectors, there's still quite a bit that escapes, and it gets airborne immediately. It's now all over every surface on the first floor.

We're definately going to do that wet wipe before applying the finish, because as we move around the rest of the house we don't want any dust settling into the wet finish!

Now a suggestion to anyone thinking about sanding their floors: If your finish is old, don't waste your time using the orbital sanders - head straight to Taylor Rental and get the belt sander and edger! We learned this the hard way, and after wasting a couple of hours and about $40 worth of sanding disks, we realized that we were getting nowhere. A few phone calls gave us the answers we needed, and the belt sander did a fabulous job!

I guess it takes a lot of might to remove 50 year old finish!

10-21-2006, 10:35 PM	#1
Pepper Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Laconia, NH Posts: 1,284 Thanks: 409 Thanked 155 Times in 40 Posts	Anybody ever rented a floor sander? OK - my turn to ask a question of the experts in home maintenance! Have any of you ever rented a floor sander to refinish their hardwood floors? We're trying to guage our time here, and are trying to figure out how fast or slow these machines work. For instance, are we going to be sanding for three hours and discover we've only sanded twenty feet of flooring? Also, did you get the desired result? Any guidance and advice would be welcome! We have the machine reserved for Monday! __________________ Never waste time lamenting what was. Simply celebrate what is!

10-22-2006, 10:42 AM	#2
PaulS Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 55 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Be careful Not that this will help, but my grandfather refinished floors for a living, and had huge equipment circa 1940's, including a large disc floor sander and buffer. My grandmother decided to buff the floors one day. When she started the machine, it threw her across the room. All my grandfather said was something to the effect of "serves you right, I told you not to use my floor machines". I think today's machines are smaller and easier to handle, but I don't have any hardware floors, so what do I know? http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...s/confused.gif

10-22-2006, 07:31 PM	#3
Weirs guy Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Weirs Beach, NH Posts: 1,067 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	OK, so I've never done it myself, but I know enough people who have. Patience, lots and lots (and lots and lots) of patience. The going is slow, and you'll need a smaller sander for the corners, but it can be done. Hopefully whatever your trying to get up Pepper hasn't been on the floor forever either! __________________ Is it bikeweek yet? Now?

10-23-2006, 08:29 AM	#5
Pepper Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Laconia, NH Posts: 1,284 Thanks: 409 Thanked 155 Times in 40 Posts	Thanks everybody! Fortunately when we rippped up the carpets and padding last night we were delighted to discover that a good portion of the previous finish is already simply degraded to dust. The surface of the floors is smooth and even, so that should help a lot! We spoke at length with a professional, who gave us some awesome tips, too! We now expect it will be a full three days before the job is complete. Thank heavens we're not trying to live in the house while this mess is underway! __________________ Never waste time lamenting what was. Simply celebrate what is!

10-23-2006, 09:45 AM	#6
islandAl Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mountonboro Posts: 200 Thanks: 12 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Sanding and dust Make sure your wear good dust masks and not just the paper kind. After your final sanding, wet wipe the ceilings, walls and floors to get all the dust up before applying the poly. I used a water based poly and there was no smell, and could apply the second coat in just a few hours. Light sand again when dry and apply third coat. This water based poly cost a little more but the lack of odor throught the rest of the house was worth it. clean up is easier also.

10-22-2006, 07:58 PM	#4
meteotrade Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Moultonboro Posts: 95 Thanks: 0 Thanked 16 Times in 6 Posts	Its not too bad Pepper. I did my first floor last year in less than a day. The trick I discovered (after a few early missteps!) is to keep a slow and steady pace with the belt sander. Never, ever stop the machine with the belt moving or you'll end up with a nasty gouge that takes forever to sand out. Once you get the hang of it, its about as easy as mowing the lawn. The edger is harder to work and you'll probably need a few ibuprofin for your back when all is said and done. Having said all this, the real fun comes when you poly. Its an absolute nightmare- poly, sand, vaccuum, and repeat. One sticky, smelly, grueling job!

10-23-2006, 09:34 PM	#7
Pepper Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Laconia, NH Posts: 1,284 Thanks: 409 Thanked 155 Times in 40 Posts	IslandAl - we're wearing respirators, and thankful to have them, for sure! Even though the sanders have collectors, there's still quite a bit that escapes, and it gets airborne immediately. It's now all over every surface on the first floor. We're definately going to do that wet wipe before applying the finish, because as we move around the rest of the house we don't want any dust settling into the wet finish! Now a suggestion to anyone thinking about sanding their floors: If your finish is old, don't waste your time using the orbital sanders - head straight to Taylor Rental and get the belt sander and edger! We learned this the hard way, and after wasting a couple of hours and about $40 worth of sanding disks, we realized that we were getting nowhere. A few phone calls gave us the answers we needed, and the belt sander did a fabulous job! I guess it takes a lot of might to remove 50 year old finish! __________________ Never waste time lamenting what was. Simply celebrate what is!