Sanding reclaimed wooden floor

[Rob]

Hello all.

Just wondering if anyone had any experience sanding reclaimed floors using a hand held belt sander, like the ones purchased from any DIY store.
I have heard good reports about the large industrial floor sanders that can be hired,but as the floorboards are reclaimed and in various conditions I wanted to sand the floor a bit more gently.

Any thoughts or experiences would be greatly appreciated

Regards
Rob.

 

[Moo]

Have you tried a Search?

And Toby Newell has contributed an excellent extended essay on the subject (in the Information section of the site).

 

[sidd]

I've resanded a modern oiled floor with such sanders, and I found it was much easier to get a blended finish: sand hard where you need it, and less where you don't, with a graduation of tints between them. Much more authentic. I used several sizes of hand belt sanders.

Frankly I hated the big hired floor sanders. Just too aggressive.

 

[AMc]

I sanded most of the floors in our previous Victorian terrace.

Firstly I did a room with a big belt sander (the one like a lawnmower). In fact I think using a lawnmower would have been as enjoyable.
100 years of carpet tacks and staples were almost impossible to remove and almost everyone resulted in a sandpaper belt confetti that was expensive and time consuming to clean up. In the end I got a smooth floor but it was really hard work and really unpleasant to do.
Norm Abrams on "The New Yankee Workshop" recommends using one of these to find nails in reclaimed timber which might have helped.
http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=SR06879.

I did the remaining rooms with a handheld orbital sander. It took time, but created less dust. I was able to work more carefully and got a nicer finish. The odd nail head was easier to spot and didn't shred the paper beyond use before I pulled it or punched it down. In retrospect a handheld belt sander would have been a good choice but an orbital sander was what I had and it seemed to work out OK.

Use the dust extraction and keep the saw dust to use with wood glue to make 'your floor' coloured filler. Wear mask, gloves and ear plugs. Seal the room as well as you can but be prepared to hoover the house if it's occupied.

 

[leewilliams]

I sanded my oak wooden floor over 45 sq yards by hand. I used a Bosch orbital sander with various grade sand paper, came up great, then 4 coats Danish Oil sanded very lightly between coats.

 

[geoff]

Yep, belt sander works best - they are far more controllable than the big floor sanders and can keep the shape of old boards (if they are not completely flat) where a floor sander just flattens everything to a uniform level. I find old hand-sawn boards have more variation in shape, and wear over time causes differences too. Oh, and BUY KNEE PADS. You will need them. And a good mask - spend a few quid if you can, it really is worth it for both protection and comfort - the disposables are for small quick jobs. Get the most powerful sander you can afford - they're not actually that expensive, and it's quite a long job. I started with a cheap one which was underpowered, always ran hot and soon burnt out, so I got a better one which lasted the course.
I did my upstairs floors using it on various types of woods - a mix of oak, ash, alder and pine, it took ages but a much better result than a floor sander would give. Mine were very grubby so I started with grade 60 sandpaper, then 120. I used an orbital - the 'pointy' type - to get into corners (slower work than a belt sander) and also to finish the floors, going over using a 180 (I think) grade. I'm not sure that was really necessary - the finish with the 120 was probably enough for a more rustic floor. I waxed them afterwards (dark oak in my case) and I like the results.