Anyone ever rent one of these? My wife wants me to sand the floors, but we
are concerned about dust. Is there a way to hook up a shop vac to these to
minimize the dust? I see that they come with a dust bag, but if they're
like my ROS, they're only marginally effective.

On May 6, 3:33 pm, "Buck Turgidson" wrote:
Anyone ever rent one of these? My wife wants me to sand the floors, but we
are concerned about dust. Is there a way to hook up a shop vac to these to
minimize the dust? I see that they come with a dust bag, but if they're
like my ROS, they're only marginally effective.

Sanding a hardwood floor (like oak) down to bare wood to stain /
refinish is dusty, messy business.

The usual tool is a pretty massive drum sander, you're removing
wood ....you need some horsepower.

followed by a ~16" diameter floor sander.for sanding / screening
before & between finish.

I suggest masking off the uninvolved areas of the house but be
prepared for dust & the need to vacuum walls & baseboards.

cheers
Bob

BobK207 wrote:
On May 6, 3:33 pm, "Buck Turgidson" wrote:
Anyone ever rent one of these? My wife wants me to sand the floors, but we
are concerned about dust. Is there a way to hook up a shop vac to these to
minimize the dust? I see that they come with a dust bag, but if they're
like my ROS, they're only marginally effective.

Sanding a hardwood floor (like oak) down to bare wood to stain /
refinish is dusty, messy business.

The usual tool is a pretty massive drum sander, you're removing
wood ....you need some horsepower.

followed by a ~16" diameter floor sander.for sanding / screening
before & between finish.

I suggest masking off the uninvolved areas of the house but be
prepared for dust & the need to vacuum walls & baseboards.

And find a place to practice that isn't very obvious initially --
running one of these things ain't rocket science, but it does take
some getting used to to. You can make a big hole in a hurry w/ one of
them w/ 40 or 60 grit paper!

It's a doable project if one is relatively comfortable w/ tools, but
definitel a few steps above "mere novice"...

"Buck Turgidson" wrote in message
...
Anyone ever rent one of these? My wife wants me to sand the floors, but
we are concerned about dust. Is there a way to hook up a shop vac to
these to minimize the dust? I see that they come with a dust bag, but if
they're like my ROS, they're only marginally effective.
I don't know, but let me know how it turns out - I'm pondering the same task
for my totally wiped out hardwood floors.

Buck Turgidson wrote:
Anyone ever rent one of these? My wife wants me to sand the floors,
but we are concerned about dust. Is there a way to hook up a shop
vac to these to minimize the dust? I see that they come with a dust
bag, but if they're like my ROS, they're only marginally effective.

If you are thinking of doing a floor using a hand held orbital sander, I
suggest you plan or renting it for a year or so. You want a real floor
sander. Today they make them that have dust collection and do a good job.
They are available for rent and they will give you some tips on using it
(the details are different for different models) when you rent it.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

No, I was referring to the orbital sanders especially made for floors, that
are safer to use than the drum sanders.

Buck Turgidson wrote:
No, I was referring to the orbital sanders especially made for
floors, that are safer to use than the drum sanders.

My brother has refinished hardwood floors in four rooms in his home. The first
two with the drum and the second two with a large orbital. He said the orbital
was hands down easier to use and did just as good a job. Might need to change
the sheets more often was the only "con".

Big plus was the orbital gets much closer to the perimiter of the room. Way
less edge work.

Buck Turgidson wrote:
No, I was referring to the orbital sanders especially made for
floors, that are safer to use than the drum sanders.

That makes me feel better. :-)

I believe some if not all have dust abatement.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

I have seen four different types of floor sanders:

Drum sanders of varying sizes, sanders that are floor buffers that really
aren't for removing a finish but for sanding between coats, a sander that
Hechinger's used to rent that used one large sheet of paper and a sander
that I've used from Home Depot that has four 8" or so random orbit heads
arranged in a rectangle.

The last is what I think you are looking for and it does have a dust bag. I
think you could use it to remove an old finish, but it may take awhile.

I think HD has a smaller drum sander also that is designed for the home
owner. My Sister and In-laws both had their floors refinished
professionally. The drum sander was definitely not for the amateur, It ran
off of 220 and was attached directly to the fuse box.



"Buck Turgidson" wrote in message
...
Anyone ever rent one of these? My wife wants me to sand the floors, but
we are concerned about dust. Is there a way to hook up a shop vac to
these to minimize the dust? I see that they come with a dust bag, but if
they're like my ROS, they're only marginally effective.

"Cliff Hartle" wrote

I think HD has a smaller drum sander also that is designed for the home
owner. My Sister and In-laws both had their floors refinished
professionally. The drum sander was definitely not for the amateur, It
ran off of 220 and was attached directly to the fuse box.

We once rented one of those drum sanders after my sister-in-law
told us You'd be surprised what a great job you can do on your
own. Well. Despite following directions, it didn't really work out
that well and we did some (not too much) damage to the floor.

I know this is the wrong newsgroup to say We called a professional,
they came in and did this whole room (maybe 20 by 12) for $180,
finished and sealed, and they even made an oak sill for the transition to
the
new kitchen floor. And cleaned up. I don't remember what renting the
machine cost, but it was worth whatever extra just to have the pros come in.

Obviously I can't speak for this Orbital sander. If that's much easier,
great, still, I learned that dealing with those chemicals to finish the
floor
isn't something I want to do, either. Just being in the house was bad
enough. I actually know someone who dropped the floor refinishing
side of his business so he wouldn't have to deal with the chemicals any
more.

Just my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth.

nancy

"Nancy Young" wrote in message
. ..

"Cliff Hartle" wrote

I think HD has a smaller drum sander also that is designed for the home
owner. My Sister and In-laws both had their floors refinished
professionally. The drum sander was definitely not for the amateur, It
ran off of 220 and was attached directly to the fuse box.

We once rented one of those drum sanders after my sister-in-law
told us You'd be surprised what a great job you can do on your
own. Well. Despite following directions, it didn't really work out
that well and we did some (not too much) damage to the floor.

I know this is the wrong newsgroup to say We called a professional,
they came in and did this whole room (maybe 20 by 12) for $180,
finished and sealed, and they even made an oak sill for the transition to
the
new kitchen floor. And cleaned up. I don't remember what renting the
machine cost, but it was worth whatever extra just to have the pros come
in.


That was an excellent price. Most won't do so well.

Bob

Buck Turgidson wrote:
Anyone ever rent one of these?

Yes
______________

My wife wants me to sand the
floors, but we are concerned about dust. Is there a way to hook up
a shop vac to these to minimize the dust? I see that they come
with a dust bag, but if they're like my ROS, they're only
marginally effective.

I had no problem with dust. Yes, it made dust but most was captured -
the air wasn't filled with it - and a simple brushing of the room's
walls afterward was all that was needed. If you work one room at a
time and simply hang plastic at the doorway you should have no
problem.

PS - Don't let anybody talk you into renting a drum sander instead of
the orbital. The drum is faster but takes experience to use; without
that experience you can ruin the floor in a heartbeat.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On May 6, 6:33 pm, "Buck Turgidson" wrote:
Anyone ever rent one of these? My wife wants me to sand the floors, but we
are concerned about dust. Is there a way to hook up a shop vac to these to
minimize the dust? I see that they come with a dust bag, but if they're
like my ROS, they're only marginally effective.

Coincidentally I just finished my sanding the other day. It was my
first time doing it, and speaking with friends who had, I went with an
orbital sander. I did about 1000 sq feet of oak in one weekend. It
was tough, but worth it. Regarding the dust, it all really stayed
down on the floor. I had to stop the sander and vacuum periodically,
but it wasn't too hard.

I'd recommend (with my limited experience) going with an orbital
sander, using 40 grit paper ( I think I had 36 grit). Make sure you
get some lighter stuff too, 80 / 120 to finish it off nicely. Mind
you, the stain directions say use 220, but I just used 120 I think.

Good luck in your sanding!

Mark

We used one several years ago to do our floors. It is a little messy but
works well. Particularly if you're uncertain about using a drum sander.
Check with the rental company about the unit and it's compatibility with a
dust removal system. Otherwise you can just have wifey tag along behind with
the shop vac and keep it swept up.

If you tape sheets over doorways and the like you can help minimize the
amount of dust that travels through your home but I think it unlikely that
you will manage it "Dust Free"

Kate
O|||||||O

"Buck Turgidson" wrote in message
...
Anyone ever rent one of these? My wife wants me to sand the floors, but we
are concerned about dust. Is there a way to hook up a shop vac to these to
minimize the dust? I see that they come with a dust bag, but if they're
like my ROS, they're only marginally effective.