How to Sand Hardwood Floors by Hand
Refinishing a hardwood floor requires that it be stripped of its old finish and sanded down to bare wood. Hardwood floors are normally sanded with a drum sander---a large machine that works under the same principle as a belt sander, except you walk it across the room. Even the largest rooms, however, will still require some hand-sanding, because drum sanders are too big to effectively get at edges and corners of the floor. The solution is a standard hand-held belt sander, used in conjunction with the drum sander. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- Nail set
- Drum sander with varied grades of sandpaper (36-grit, 60-grit, 80-grit, 120-grit)
- Hand-held belt sander with the same varied grits of sandpaper
- Vacuum cleaner
Instructions
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1
Go over the whole floor with your hammer and nail set, checking board by board for any raised nail heads that will tear up your sandpaper. Hammer down any that you find.
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2
Load your drum sander with the roughest level of grit paper that you have (36-grit). Run the sander at a 45-degree angle to the direction of the floorboards, taking off the top layer of gloss and roughing up the surface. Don't attempt to run the sander up against the walls, as it could damage them. Vacuum up the dust.
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3
Load your hand-held belt sander with the same level of sandpaper (36-grit). Use the belt sander to sand the edges of the floor, where the drum sander couldn't reach. Run the belt sander back and forth until the surface looks the same as the part that you sanded with the drum sander. Vacuum up the dust.
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4
Reload your drum sander with the next-roughest level of grit paper (60-grit). Sand as before, except go in the opposite 45-degree direction to the floorboards, taking off the last of the gloss and digging down into the wood. Vacuum up the dust.
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Load your hand-held belt sander with 60-grit paper and sand the parts the drum sander couldn't reach. Vacuum up the dust.
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6
Run the drum sander with 80-grit paper in the direction of the floorboards, getting up the last of the stain. Follow up at the edges of the room with the belt sander. Run each machine one more time, with 120-grit paper, getting the whole floor smooth, flat and ready for refinishing. Vacuum up all the dust.
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Tips & Warnings
For closets and other areas that are too small to effectively use the drum sander, the belt sander can be used on the entire floor. In those cases, run the belt sander diagonally over the middle of the area with the roughest levels of paper, as you normally would with a drum sander.
Wear a dust mask and goggles when sanding, and ventilate the room.
