Our house has a very old fir floor. I has old paint on it and is bare in a lot of places. I’ve been told that the big drum sanders would cause too many ‘ripples’ for an inexperience person, such as myself.
It is very soft wood. Just rolling the frig makes a slight indentation.
I’m going to try the square to rectangular floor sander – looks like a big floor buffer used by janitorial staff.
Can someone recommend a ‘grit’ to start with to remove the old paint and help smooth the floor?
Replies
Last time I looked at this area there were some very nice Japanese sanders (Hitachi?...can't remember) They were basically an array of random orbit sanders on wheels. I've heard good things about them; they work well and allow a wide selection of grit...right down to finishing grade.
However, the rental shop will be quite wary about nail projections, or other hazards which can tear the pads (IIRC). So be careful.
PS.... I'd appreciate some pics of that Fir floor when you're done. We're thinking about Fir in some areas of our house.
Your rental place should be able to advise.
The pad sander takes much less off than a drum. Therefore a more coarse grit will be necessary to start the job. However, it might also take longer with the smoother grits to remove the coarse grit marks. Most places will give you as many sheets as you like, you only pay for what was used when you take it back. Experiment and enjoy.
Thanks. I've asked two rental places in my area. Both are like the 'big box" stores where the employees are mostly re stockers as opposed to someone knowledgeable.
Your call might have been answered by the guy
that washes the tools after they're returned.
Go in and talk to the owner (if not a chain)
Best of luck.
Just did my front porch
Just this summer I sanded my front porch deck. Also fir, also very old, and also lots of paint with a lot of bare spots. I rented a four-head random orbit floor sander from Home Depot. They had 3 different grits that I used; 40, 60 and 80 if I recall correctly. I was a little concerned about such an aggresive grit, but it did a great job, and the old paint came off no problem. The final finish was good too, and I clear finished it. I would imagine with an interior floor you might want to start on the higher end and finish sand with something even higher. It took 8" sanding disks; hook and loop.
I can recall years ago that we tried sanding some painted wood flooring -- probably 4-5 coats of oil paint -- using a drum sander. The open grit sanding sheets clogged up hopelessly within seconds.
Thanks. Was there a 'big' dust issue?
re: just did my fr porch
Thanks. What did you use for a 'final' finsih?
Drywall Sander
I did the Doug Fir floor at my sister's place with a Porter-Cable drywall sander. The secret is to keep the disc moving.
re: drywall sander
youtube has a video of a PC 7800D. Pretty amazing. What did you finish it with?
Rent an orbital floor sander, not a drum. Drum sanders can dig a hole real quickly if not operated carefully, and they tend to clog sooner. The newer orbitals have integral vacuum systems for dust reduction. Most stain and paint finishes are effectively removed with 36-grit. Then progress to 50 and 80 to even out cupped edges and high spots. After this, you can fill voids with a trowel-consistency wood filler, being sure to skim off the excess. Let it set completely then continue sanding through 100 and 120 grit papers. A handheld random orbital will do nicely for detail areas, keep its paper matched to the same grade as you're on with the big unit. Dust won't be a big problem until you get to 100/120 grit. Below that the particles are large enough that they fall quickly. When you get to the finer grades, make sure the room is sealed off if dust infiltration into the rest of the home is an issue.
re: rent orbital
Thanks for the post. Your info is really helpful especially what grit to use. The H D has a 4 head orbital reasonalble priced
Can you give me an idea of trowel-consistency wood filler brand names? I google that phrase and not much came up.