Sanding flooboards question

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Sanding flooboards question

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Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 3:14 pm Post subject: Sanding flooboards question
What sort of sander should I go for, and how many belts/pads can I expect to go through in the course of onw normal size room. The flooboards are brand new, unvarnished. Cheers Jon

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 3:21 pm Post subject:
Are you looking to hire one of the big b*gger sanders? I know a few years ago we hired two sanders from a local company, one huge thing that nearly ripped my arms out and a smaller one to do the edges. In our deal we got a load of the sandpaper belts with them. Sorry I am not being very helpful on technical stuff, but Lundy normally sees to that side of things

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 3:23 pm Post subject:
If they're brand new you should be able to get away with a high value grit (extra-fine). If the boards are down already then get (hire) a floor sander. You should be able to return any unused papers. Don't bother with an edge sander, just use a hand one.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 3:24 pm Post subject:
You need two, a big belt sander (aka the devil's vacuum cleaner) and an edger. The hire place should be able to give you a good idea as to how many sheets, and they'll usually refund you for unused ones. Make sure you punch all the nails down before you start, otherwise you will go through a lot of sandpaper.

twoscoops

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 3:31 pm Post subject:
I've got a better idea - pay someone to do it. Not very helpful of me, I know, but after hiring one, ripping half a board out and getting angry at the guy in the hire shop it was money well spent. You'll be cursin' if you do it yourself.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 3:32 pm Post subject:
Ta, got decorative nails so they should be out of the way. Is it worthwhile buying a cheap sander? As they are new they just need a light going over I guess. How much is it to hire one?

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 3:34 pm Post subject:
Hiring one is suprisingly cheep (<�100) IIRC. I helped do my sister's a few years back and it was a piece of preverbial - even she could handle the machine. If you're likly to use a hand-sander again then it wouldn't work out to be much more expensive.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 3:36 pm Post subject:

Jonnyboy wrote:

Ta, got decorative nails so they should be out of the way.

Is it worthwhile buying a cheap sander? As they are new they just need a light going over I guess.

How much is it to hire one?

About �30 or 40 for a weekend IIRC. Don't buy a cheap sander, the advantage of using a big hired one is that it's working on a largish area of floor at any time which makes it easier to get a really even finish.
I'd go for waxing the floors afterwards. It's more work than varnish, but if it gets scratched it's easy to touch-up.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 4:04 pm Post subject:

I've hired a biggie.
The trick to not getting taken around by it is to press *down* on the handle, which reduces the pressure on the belt and hence the amount of 'traction' it gets...
Only real mistake was not taking really fanatical care with gap sealing, using the sander's collected dust + varnish/wax. You need to really carefully fill all the cracks, slightly proud of the boards. Then after it has 'set', sand it off level to finish.
Gaps in a suspended floor make for draughts...

BTW, Lidls happen to have a (smallish) belt sander today at �25. And cheap belts for it too.

High Green Farm

Joined: 30 Nov 2004
Posts: 349
Location: Mid-Suffolk

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 5:11 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

The trick to not getting taken around by it is to press *down* on the handle, which reduces the pressure on the belt and hence the amount of 'traction' it gets...

I found them most efficient when dragged backwards rather than pushed forwards.

Hired edge sanders are very aggressive and have a tendency to score or leave circular patterns, so would advise using a random orbital to do the edges.

tawny owl

Joined: 29 Apr 2005
Posts: 563
Location: Hampshire

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 6:09 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't recommend a belt sander at all, particularly if the boards are a soft wood such as pine. It takes a lot of practice to get an even movement across the wood and it's very easy to gouge deeper hollows in it which are very obvious to the soles of your feet! Better by far to get an orbital sander (sort of like those floor polishers but with sandpaper); however, you might have to ring round a lot of places, because they're not easy to get hold of.

RoryD

Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Posts: 692
Location: West Yorkshire

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 6:20 pm Post subject:

With new boards I'd buy a cheapish orbital sander, and not bother hiring a big mother of a belt sander at all, you just won't need it and stand as much chance of gouging out a big chunk as getting it right. Go over with medium grain, then fine. Invest the monies you've saved in some really good knee pads.

When you've got a good finish if you are varnishing hand sand lightly inbetween each coat. Its always the bits of hair that catch you out. And don't skimp on the varnish. Its the good stuff that'll last.

Its one of those things where you get a direct correlation betwen the amount of effort you put in and the finished result.

Really good tip about the gaps, though I don't suppose you've got many with new boards. Use PVA to mix with the wood dust to make filler for them if you do- its worth it in the end.

Best of luck. And think of us when you blow your nose after the first hour.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Mon Oct 03, 05 9:25 am Post subject:
Cheers and thanks for the advice! As they are brand new boards i don't have any gaps, they've been left in the house to equalise temp and cramped up really well. I know it won't last though.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 4:53 pm Post subject:

bit late but if you did have gaps the first pass dust mixed to a paste with animal glue /size makes a cheap filler which sands a treat when dry and goes hard when varnished , pva and dust clogs the abrasive belts really quickly and costs a fortune in sanding . for a permanant finish use 2 part acid catalysed resin that stuff stinks but lasts extremly well once it sets it makes the surface very hard , water and stainproof , this is good with softwood as it is prone to puncture and water damage . hard wood should be treated either with the above or oiled . beware the sliding rug .

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