"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
. net...
2. Don't bother with an edging sander, use a belt sander instead to do
the edges. Worked for us.

The edging sander is much better when you have Victorian black gunk.
Whilst
a belt sander would quickly get coated in gunk, the edging sander can be
used in a flicking manoevure, which blasts off the gunk without
contaminating the sanding surface.


One point about edging sanders is watch out for disk marks!!! Go through
the grades methodically... the (circular) marks are near invisible when
you're in the process of sanding the floor, or admiring your work
pre-finishing, but once the finish goes anywhere near them they stick out
like a sore thumb....

5. For sanding between coats of varnish, gaffa sandpaper onto an old
sponge mop-onna-stick.

Alternatively, 150+ grade grit on a standard orbital sander is excellent
for
rubbing down. You can do a large room in about 3 minutes, leaving the
surface lovely and smooth for the next coat.


another (manual) alternative - one of those decorator's poles with the
sanding attachment.


For finishing, I applied finish (danish oil/stain mixture, then a poly) with
a paint pad. Knackered the pad (dissolved the plastic attachment mechanism
eventually) but then they're cheap, & the application was quick & easy, and
finish was excellent.


--
Richard Sampson

email me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk