Can you go backwards with a floor sander?

Therefore, there is no need to sand following the direction of the wood grain, as opposed to using a drum and belt sander. You can sand in any direction, letting the machine do all the work.

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What should you not do when sanding floors?

  1. Using The Wrong Grit Sandpaper. The by far biggest mistake I see is not using the right grit paper. ...
  2. Not Sanding Enough. There's really no getting around it – sanding your floors is hard work and physically tiring. ...
  3. Not Sanding Diagonally. ...
  4. Sanding The Edges. ...
  5. Not Changing The Sandpaper Often Enough.

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Do you push or pull a floor sander?

Turning the Floor sander on and off is done by pushing the buttons on the front of the handle, left is on and right is off. Make sure you have a good grip of the floor sander before you turn it on, as it will try and pull away from you.

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Can you be in the house when floors are being sanded?

Do not live in the home during refinishing. The sanding will cause harmful lung damaging particulate matter to stay in the air for days. Children, pregnant women and the elderly will be most impacted by floor finishing.

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Are floor refinishing fumes harmful?

The solvents in varnish are extremely pungent, and the fumes can cause drowsiness, headaches, skin irritation and dizziness. At high concentrations, a person may become unconscious, suffer respiratory distress and may even develop pulmonary edema.

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Everyone is sanding floors THE WRONG WAY

21 related questions found

Can I sleep in my house after refinishing hardwood floors?

It's best to stay out of the house until the polyurethane is dry and the fumes have dissipated. Once it has dried, it is considered to be relatively safe and non-toxic. However, while it is still wet, it can release fumes that can be harmful to breathe.

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What are the biggest sanding mistakes to avoid with a sanding machine?

Avoid sanding too fast, or too slowly.

It's a bit of a “Goldilocks” issue – going too fast can lead to poor results, with sections not sanded enough or missed entirely, and going too slowly can lead to over-sanding or cut-through in some areas.

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What is the golden rule of sanding?

The Golden Rule of Sanding

The golden rule for choosing your sequence is to never skip more than 1 grit. For example, if you start with P80, and need to finish at P240, rather than using every grit from P80 – P220, you can do P80 – P120 – P180 – P240. This sequence cuts out P100, P150 and P220.

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How long does it take to sand a floor with a floor sander?

If you're using both the electric sander and the edger in 140 square-foot floor space, it will take you roughly 5 hours to do three sanding passes. Another thing you must take into account is how old your house is. If yours is 50 years old or more, you'll need extra time to complete it.

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Does sanding direction matter?

Always sand in the direction of the wood grain to minimize visible scratches showing through a stain or finish.

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Why is the floor sander leaving lines?

They are traditionally caused by some sort of failure in the big machine. Bad sandpaper alignment, uneven wheels, incorrect drum pressure, imbalanced drums, loose V-Belts, failed bearings, or even poor subfloor construction are all common issues that could produce chatter marks on the floor.

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What are the rules for a sander?

Safety Rules

Dust mask advised. Don't wear loose clothing or gloves, keep long hair tied back. Never adjust Sander or setup while Sander is running. Never remove guard unless authorized by Technician or WRL Manager • Setups requiring anything other than the standard sander equipment must be approved by supervisor.

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Can you sand a floor in a day?

An average-sized room (bedroom, lounge or hallway for instance) should take a day to sand and a further day to hand finish and varnish/wax or oil. However unforeseen circumstances such as repairs to the main body of the floor or the replacement of some boards may mean the job will take longer.

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Can you sand a floor too much?

This is recommended when the surface imperfections penetrate the finish and affect the bare wood underneath. Once you sand the surface of the floor too many times, you will reach out to the point when the floor is beyond sanding and it is already too thin. Continuing to sand the floor at this point is not recommended.

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How many times can you sand a floor?

Hardwood flooring can be re-sanded up to 10 times, depending on how bad the floor is and how skilled the person doing the sanding is. It costs about $2.50 per square foot to refinish a floor, plus $50 an hour for patching and thresholds.

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What are the 3 most important sander Safety Rules?

Powered Hand Tools - Belt Sanders
  • Wear safety glasses or goggles, or a face shield (with safety glasses or goggles).
  • Wear a dust respirator for dusty operations.
  • Make sure the sander is switched "OFF" before connecting the power supply.

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Should you push down when sanding?

Pressing down on a sander is a common mistake. Don't do it. The weight of the sander, plus your hand and arm, is enough pressure. Pushing down does remove wood faster, but it's counterproductive.

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How do I know if I sanded too much?

When the pencil marks in the divot begin to disappear, it's time to stop sanding. You should only need to use a moderate amount of pressure to get the job done—if you're pressing down too hard, you're not doing it right. Also, avoid attempting to force the hand block into the divots in the over-sanded area.

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Should you use water when sanding?

Without the liquid, the sandpaper can build up with material, causing scratches that ruin the finish. In general, the best liquid to use for most materials is water with a little bit of detergent in it.

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What grit to use for sanding floors?

Your floor needs to be sanded in stages with progressively finer abrasives for the best finish. Starting with grit 40, then grit 60 and finally grit 100 is tipically a good procedure for most wood floors. The goal with the first coarse abrasive is to remove the old surface coating and to flatten the surface.

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Can you walk on floors after sanding?

You want to give the new finish time to harden and cure. We recommend waiting a minimum of 24 hours before you walk on your floors– and 48 hours is even better. Start with socks only and keep pets off the floors for a few days.

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What happens if you sand hardwood floors too much?

Unfortunately, floorboards are only so thick. Too much sanding can wear them down until they're too thin. When you refinish hardwood too many times, it becomes less structurally sound and more likely to crack. After a few refinishes, it's probably time to get a full replacement.

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Is there a lot of dust when refinishing floors?

There will always be a small amount of dust created and released into the air during any hardwood floor finishing process. However, a proper dust control system will take care of the vast majority of the dust created during the sanding process.

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