How to Sand Hardwood Floors

Refinishing hardwood flooring is a daunting task that requires quite a bit of time and patience. Before you can even begin to think about applying a new finish, you’ll need to sand your hardwood floor down to the natural wood to remove the old finish and repair any scratches or grooves. The process of sanding a hardwood floor doesn’t have to be as long or as troublesome as it might sound and the things you’ll need to get started are easily available at your local hardware or home improvement store.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Floor sander or hand-held sander
• Various grit sandpaper
• Hammer
• Broom and dustpan
• Safety glasses
• Respiratory mask
• Edge sander
• Knee pads if using a hand-held sander

Sand Hardwood Floors

1. Consider your options and determine which method you’ll use to sand your hardwood floors. You can rent a commercial grade floor sander to make your job faster and easier or you can use a hand-held drum sander to allow yourself more control in the sanding process and save quite a bit of money. Improper usage of a commercial grade floor sander can cause severe damage to the floor; however, using a hand-held drum sander can wreak havoc on the knees if you’re not wearing knee pads.

2. Hammer down raised nails and remove any staples or tacks from your hardwood flooring before you get started.

3. Sweep the floor thoroughly removing dust, hair and other fine particles to provide a clean sanding surface and to remove anything on the floor that may damage the sandpaper.

4. Attach a course-grit sandpaper onto the sander following the instructions that should have accompanied the machine. Many hardwood flooring installers recommend a 36-grit paper to remove old finish.

5. Open windows in the room where you'll be sanding and in any adjacent rooms. You will create a lot of dust as you work and you'll need adequate ventilation.

6. Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes and a respiratory mask to prevent inhalation on the sawdust.

7. Plug the sander in to an electrical outlet, position it where you’d like to begin sanding, and turn it on.

8. Place the sander down evenly on the floor and try not to apply pressure as you slowly pull the sander along the natural grain of the wood.

9. Change the paper as often as necessary to ensure even sanding of the floor. Don't try to save money by overusing worn out sandpaper. You'll save yourself a lot of time and trouble by replacing it as soon as it shows signs of wear.

10. Work in small sections until you’ve finished sanding the entire floor. The coarse-grit paper should have removed the majority of the old finish.

11. Empty the dust bag from the floor sander and sweep the floor to remove the sawdust.

12. Unplug the machine, remove the old paper, and attach 60-grit sandpaper to the sander.

13. Sand the entire floor with the 60-grit sandpaper, using the same methods you used when you were working with the 36-grit paper.

14. Empty the dust bag and sweep the floor to remove the sawdust.

15. Unplug the machine, remove the 60-grit paper, and attach 100-grit sandpaper to the sander.

16. Finish sanding the floor.

17. Empty the dust bag and sweep the floor once more to remove the sawdust.

18. Use an edge sander to sand along the baseboards, hearth, and stairs. Your floor should now be down to the natural wood, free of any scratches or scrapes, and ready for its new finish!

Tips & Warnings

• Sawdust is flammable!
• Commercial sanders are sometimes difficult to control. Familiarize yourself with the machine before you begin sanding your hardwood floor.
• Keep the sander moving to prevent damage to the floor.
• Wear knee pads to protect your knees while working with a hand-held sander.

Resources

• National Wood Flooring Association