Sander(s) for new and old floorboards / other finishing

[Iancd]

I'm renovating an old Mill House and will be sorting floors in the next few months. That includes fitting 11inch wide new oak boards in one room and cleaning up 200 year old pine boards in another.

I'm not sure I'd want to take a floor sander to either, and a smaller belt sander might create dips, so I've been wondering about getting a Makita 9046 for the job. I've just read a couple threads from quite a while back, one of which mentioned a Metabo Duo which gives a choice of orbits for fine finish or rough work, but I'm not sure whether that would be better for such large areas (about 30m2 total).

I'm also wondering what I need to replace a really old Bosch 1/3 DIY orbital sander (PSS 230), which is on its last legs: motor very noisy and whole machine vibrates badly. I have a Makita 9404 (100mm) belt sander for initial finishing worktops, table tops, etc. but will need to replace the Bosch for final finishing.

Many thanks
Ian

 

[Mike.S]

I've recently re-finished a maple floor (but only 12m2) using my Metabo SXE450 Duo, alongside my 100mm belt sander and pad sander for the corners/edges. In short, it was bloody hard work (time and effort) and I'd be reluctant to do it again, never mind the 30m2 of newly laid floorboards that you envisage.

I went this route after experience of having originally laid the floor - using an industrial floor and edging sanders, sealing it with 3 coats of varnish. Therefore, in my mind I was only having to remove the varnish and any scratches/dings in the floor. OK, by using a carbide scraper (to remove some of the varnish) and a mix of 40/60g discs on the ROS I was able to get through the varnish. This scuffed the grain, so then used the belt sander (with 120 and 180g belts) in line with the grain to get a good finish, ready for sealing. Latter revealed the dips left, especially near the edges, by the original floor sander!

Overall, unless you're naive (like me) and/or tightfisted (like me) I'd hire a floor and edge sander - it'll be quicker, less dusty and give an equally good finish. I found that floor sanders are now available that incorporate a platter (i.e. flat - like a belt sander) rather than the original round drum; so less likely to sand dips etc.

I don't think using a 1/2 sheet sander like the Makita 9046 will work effectively - the low pressure (weight spread over large area) and limited orbit will make it very slow work.

 

[niagra]

Go to a hire shop that does Bona sanders. They are belt sanders and won't leave nasty dips at the start of each pass.

 

[Jacob]

Makita 9046 nowhere near powerful enough.
I've been doing floors with a Bosch http://www.bosch-professional.com/gb/en ... 825-ocs-p/ plus sanding frame to keep it from digging in. Start with 60 grit, work through a few and finish with a ROS. Not a quick as an industrial machine but quite practical. Also more or less essential is a dust extractor in line, unless you have someone following close behind with a vacuum cleaner.

 

[PAC1]

Hire one. I used my Bosch Belt Sander several years ago to do a floor. It did the job but it has never been the same since.

 

[jaffajim01]

Depends on the state of the boards. I had a floor to take back to bare wood that had been coated with some kind of stain around the edges with a rug covering the rest. I hired a floor and edging sander but the stain just clogged up the sheets and discs in next to no time and where the boards were cupped it was near impossible to take enough off. I also found the edging sander really hard to control as it had a mind of it's own and I was knackered after wrestling with it for 2 days. I had to persevere and I have to say that without those sanders I would have struggled even more but I did a lot of it with a Bosch GEX 125-150 AVE random orbit sander which coped really well with what was really too much to ask of it. I ruined a 150 pad but that's easy to replace. The motor never missed a beat so I was really impressed with it. If I had to do the same job again I think I would go with the same combination as none of them would have managed on their own but I certainly wouldn't expect too much of the floor sanders.

 

[Iancd]

Thanks folks.
Looks like I'll be hiring a floor sander, then - certainly giving the 9046 a miss.
Just ordered a Makita DBO180 cordless sander to clean up the purlins and A frame where those timbers will show in a high sloping ceiling, and for other places where a corded sander will be a pain.