Hey guys. I recently purchased a house built in 1982. I ripped up the carpets and there is unfinished hardwood floors. I rented a "medium floor sander" from Home Depot and used 26 grit, then 40 grit. I think I need to rent the more aggressive drum sander. I can still see the paint from 1982. I need to get this up. Any other thoughts? Thanks.

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Interesting-Dish8894 t1_j10q543 wrote on December 20, 2022 at 8:42 PM

I’ve seen professionals on YouTube sanding floors and their critiques of diy videos and the common theme is the floors mostly look like crap when people try it diy. I would recommend a professional

downheartedbaby t1_j10sdx3 wrote on December 20, 2022 at 8:57 PM

I agree. Hardwood floors should always be done by a professional. DIY for this is always obvious.

ToolMeister t1_j113i5m wrote on December 20, 2022 at 10:11 PM

1982 is very unlikely that this is unfinished hardwood. No one in the 80s would have spent money on hardwood just to carpet it. Unlike the 1920s, plywood subfloors were already a thing in the 80s and would be what you find under carpet from that time.

More likely than not this is finished hardwood, just worn.

tdipi t1_j11pfnn wrote on December 21, 2022 at 12:48 AM

Drum sanders are not forgiving, if you rent one, I will guarantee you will have drum marks in your finished floor.

Rent the heaviest orbital sander they have, then when you think you're done, keep going, then when you run out of sand paper, go back to Home Depot and buy some more and keep going. The orbital sander will take a lot of time, but is the best option for DIY.

[deleted] t1_j1296dg wrote on December 21, 2022 at 3:21 AM

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gespenst2017 t1_j12rm9a wrote on December 21, 2022 at 6:16 AM

Drum sander, do 40, 80 grit, edger same. Use bright light and mark the floor after each pass. Go with the grain, unless you need to go deep, but never more than 45 degrees against the grain, unless you are shooting for industrial look. If you've never done this before, get someone who has.

TicketOk1755 t1_j13e1np wrote on December 21, 2022 at 11:14 AM

Hold on real quick, wait, hear me out.

All that needs to be sanded away is the protective floor coating for you to proceed. In my experience, it's a kind of shiny polyurethane coating. You will know you're at the base/raw wood's level when there is no more shine and it "feels" like wood again rather than it would be the usual physical feeling of a wood floor, like it feels glossy. I hope that can make sense.

That's all you really need to sand away. I wouldn't worry about the paint. Once you have that protective coating off and the raw wood is unearthed and it feels smooth you can go ahead and stain it. The stain will take away all those paint stains etc.

In any case, staining the floor with wood stainer is probably something I'd imagine you'd planned to proceed with anyways ? If you are unsure you can do a little test area to see if the wood takes the stain. No harm if it doesn't because you can just wipe it away.

Source: My uncle is a wood floor guy and we did some floors together at one point.

OverratedPineapple t1_j14pnzo wrote on December 21, 2022 at 5:29 PM

Credentials: bought a house and refinished the oak floor in 6 rooms and a 2 hallway and it looks good. I had a similar experience. I wanted to play it safe and started with the orbital. After 8+ hours and having barely done 100sq.ft, I became frustrated and worried I wouldn't get done in a reasonable time. Drum sander is the way. Did 5 rooms faster and better looking than it took the orbital to do 1. Belt sander the edges. Always go with the grain! Wear a dust mask.

The best advice I can offer is gently lower the sander as you start moving and slowly lift as you approach the edge. Always go with the grain! You should be moving when it's engaged. I did 3 total passes with 60, 100, and 180. Anything within about 20 grit of those is fine. Belt sander the edges similarly. Start with a room or area that will get seen the least while you figure it out. I'm happy to answer questions.