I've got wide pine flooring that needs to be refinished. The problem is the
planks are nailed with rosehead nails. These are forged nails that have
kind of blunt pyramids for heads. We love the rustic look, but it presents
some potential sanding problems.

The few I can think of a
1) I don't want the sanding to wreck the look of the nails.
2) These nails stand proud of the flooring. Will they rip up the sanding
pads?
3) Will the pads miss the area around the heads, leaving a "halo"?

I would greatly appreciate any ideas on how to do a good job sanding.

Thanks.


--
--Marc

Marc wrote:

I've got wide pine flooring that needs to be refinished. The problem is the
planks are nailed with rosehead nails. These are forged nails that have
kind of blunt pyramids for heads. We love the rustic look, but it presents
some potential sanding problems.

The few I can think of a
1) I don't want the sanding to wreck the look of the nails.
2) These nails stand proud of the flooring. Will they rip up the sanding
pads?
3) Will the pads miss the area around the heads, leaving a "halo"?

I would greatly appreciate any ideas on how to do a good job sanding.

Thanks.


Unless floor sanding has changed, protruding nails would tear up the
sandpaper. If you have a tool the same size and shape as the nail head,
you can probably countersink them without marring them. If there is a
spare nail that can be pulled from an inconspicuous place, it might work
as a countersink, up side down. Or grind down a large nail head and
round off edges.

Norminn wrote:

Marc wrote:

I've got wide pine flooring that needs to be refinished. The problem is
the planks are nailed with rosehead nails.

Unless floor sanding has changed, protruding nails would tear up the
sandpaper. If you have a tool the same size and shape as the nail head,
you can probably countersink them without marring them. If there is a
spare nail that can be pulled from an inconspicuous place, it might work
as a countersink, up side down. Or grind down a large nail head and
round off edges.

Thanks, Norminn, but I'm looking to see if there's some other type of
sanding medium. The nail heads are supposed to stick up slightly. The edges
of the nail heads are down at or below the surface. But their shape lets
the blunt center stick up. These are cut nails with a forged head. Not the
same as standard cut nails. It really is a nice look, and all my moulding
has the same nails.

It still may rip the paper, but not as bad as the edges of a normal nail
would. I was wondering if there was some medium such as Scotch-brite, or
maybe even some wire wheel. The flooring is pine, so it doesn't need to be
super aggressive.

--
--Marc

Thanks, Norminn, but I'm looking to see if there's some other type of
sanding medium. The nail heads are supposed to stick up slightly. The edges
of the nail heads are down at or below the surface. But their shape lets
the blunt center stick up. These are cut nails with a forged head. Not the
same as standard cut nails. It really is a nice look, and all my moulding
has the same nails.
It still may rip the paper, but not as bad as the edges of a normal nail
would. I was wondering if there was some medium such as Scotch-brite, or
maybe even some wire wheel. The flooring is pine, so it doesn't need to be
super aggressive.
Bottom line is that you're removing 1/16" or so of floor, and the
nails should be sunk that much lower. As for sanding, there's nothing
new out there that won't shred on the nail heads. Sounds like you're
going to have to sand the floor with a hand unit instead of a drum
sander.

Call your professional for the best advice.

Abe wrote:

Bottom line is that you're removing 1/16" or so of floor, and the
nails should be sunk that much lower. As for sanding, there's nothing
new out there that won't shred on the nail heads. Sounds like you're
going to have to sand the floor with a hand unit instead of a drum
sander.

Call your professional for the best advice.

Thanks, Abe. I was afraid of that. I guess I'll see what the pros have to
say.


--
--Marc

"Marc" wrote in message
...
Abe wrote:

Bottom line is that you're removing 1/16" or so of floor, and the
nails should be sunk that much lower. As for sanding, there's nothing
new out there that won't shred on the nail heads. Sounds like you're
going to have to sand the floor with a hand unit instead of a drum
sander.

Call your professional for the best advice.

Thanks, Abe. I was afraid of that. I guess I'll see what the pros have to
say.
--Marc


Wood floors can be refinished without sanding......a floor buffer and screen
disks can often prep a floor suitably for refinishing......it abrades the
finish and removes some of it but is not so aggressive to remove the wood or
in your case rounded nail heads. Obviously if the floor is deeply stained,
cupped etc. it doesn't remove that either. It is commonly used for gyms and
handball courts.....if you wanted step by step instructions feel free to ask
away....Rod