By Home Improvement Expert on June 14th, 2010
How to Sand and Save a Wood Floor
Ron Tanner, from Houselove.org, shows you how to reclaim a damaged wood floor using a belt sander and simple tools.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Buying hardwood flooring requires coming up with a budget and searching for types of wood that fit into the price range, such as snap-and-lock, pre-finished or unfinished. Visit a home improvement store or an outlet to purchase hardwood flooring withadvice from a licensed remodeling contractor in this free video on home maintenance. Expert: Tim Gipson Contact: www.inhisstepsremodeling.com Bio: Tim Gipson is a home repair specialist and remodeling contractor in Franklin, Tenn. Filmmaker: Tim Brown
Video Rating: 0 / 5
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@booe1973 If you have chemically stripped the wood, wipe it clean with rubbing alcohol to make sure you get up everything. Then make sure it dries. Then try sanding (orbital sander) with 100 grit. Then move up to a higher grade sandpaper. Good luck.
im using a stripper type gel to strip the varnish fro mmy floors as advised from home depot staff… i was traring sand paper from the floor sander left and right and they said the varnish was the prolem… should i sand after applying the chemical gel stripper?
fine fo a small area
Good luck with your project!
Thanks for posting this video. My husband and I are getting ready to do hand sand our floors with a belt sander tomorrow. We’re a little nervous so it was great actually watching you do it on video. And as far as hiring a professional @4.99 sq foot…no thanks! I’m sure we’ll do a better job anyway.
I’m re-doing some wood floors on my rental. pulled up the carpet and am trying to save the floors. No big gouges.
excellent video, you are working with the same tools that I have.
Glad to see that it can be done without having to use professional machines.
I prefer doing it myself for two reason:
1)budget – just can’t afford to hire someone
2) bragging rights – when someone asks who did it, I can say me.
Thanks again
TC
admire the effort. I just hope few think this is actually how to refinish a hardwood floor. There’s no way to match the results of a professional job without a lot of experience with professional tools designed for this type of work. If he had actually done what it takes to achieve professional results, he’d probably also say it’s just not worth it, and would suggest hiring a professional. But attempting to refinish a hardwood floor seems to be one of those things everyone needs to try once
Dear Ron,
I will also be using a belt sander similar to the one in ur video in the next week or so to restore my brother’s cypress pine floor. I was wondering did you also use the belt sander with 110 grit paper to finish the surface? Also, did you lightly sand after each coat of poly or after applying the second coat…and did you then apply also a third coat? What abt ‘buffing’ the floor using an orbital sander & finer sandpaper…do you think the floor would benefit from this? Cheers Steven.
@werkbook Yes..I did a decorating job in my flat to let/discovered the Victorian pine floor hiding in carpet. I wanted to do it myself but changed my mind coz I saved £150 from a professional. Machine rental is too expensive in London. The result was great & I learned a lot from them.
I prefer to do the work myself. But, if you can find a pro you can trust and you can afford it and you’d rather not deal with the hassle–sure let the pro do the work!
But I did use a belt sander and it worked great! Also did my old porch floor. Again, it worked great. You have go slow and steady, tho.
That said, an orbital sander would do the job. I wouldn’t use a drum in that small a space.
Gr8 vid…but it’s more expensive to rent/buy the machines/matls. It’s cheaper to hire professional to do the job in a day. No mess & great job.
u need to have a professional floor sander to fixs, u can’t sand a floor with a little belt sander the drum sanders and easy to run !!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi: you need an orbital sander. These are easy to operate and it doesn’t matter which way you move the sander. Your local rental store will have one (and probably somebody who can tell you how to run it). Good luck with your project. Ron
xrocafelladymex has made a comment on How to Sand and Save a Wood Floor:
Great video! I have a question, and was hoping someone could help! How should I sand hardwood floor that has a sort of basket weave to it? It kind of looks like this (II=), only that it’s a square. Two piecesof wood are in one direction, and the other two pieces of wood are in another direction? How can I not go against the grain?? Thanks in advance!
I use DAP or whatever else I find on the shelf. It’s premixed wood fill (“plastic wood”). Do NOT get resin–the stuff that demands you mix a tube of hardener with filler.
what is the name of the stuff you were patching up the holes with ?
great video, also great beard! haha. im in the process of doing both
Sand it. If you just want to go down one layer. use a light sand paper, like 220. There is also “screening,” which is a meshlike material that acts like sandpaper and can be attached to a buffer-like machine. But I’ve never use one.
how to do you take out a layer of polyurethane ?
Ron is the man!!! Great vid.
very very good video… thanks for this.
thanks! great video
haha lol.