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.

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.

Christian.

Just finished a very hard weekend of floor sanding, here's a few tips
from our experience:

1. Remove the skirting boards if you can. Otherwise whatever you do
there will be a thin bit of unsanded edge.
2. Don't bother with an edging sander, use a belt sander instead to do
the edges. Worked for us.
3. The drum sander has spiky bits that will happily puncture the dust
bag if it doesn't hang in exactly the right place. Holes in the bag
are unpatchable even with the magic of Gaffa tape, and spray sawdust
everywhere. So...next time I'll get more bags.
4. The belt sanders come apart to get in the car (thanks Si!).
5. For sanding between coats of varnish, gaffa sandpaper onto an old
sponge mop-onna-stick.
6. After varnishing don't use a sackbarrow to move a storage heater
over the new floor, it will leave a track in your lovely new floor.
Argh. Fixed now though.
7. Food tastes a little odd with added sawdust.

Charlie

"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

For finishing, I applied finish (danish oil/stain mixture, then a poly)
with
a paint pad.

I was a Diamond Hard varnish person myself. Comes from having extremely
messy kids.

Christian.

I was a Diamond Hard varnish person myself. Comes from having extremely
messy kids.

I did two floors, the first in Bonakemi Spectra....the second in Diamond
Hard. The Bonakemi floor is beautiful, the Diamond Hard is kid/dog proof!
:O)

Oh, and seconded about the edge sander for black gunk floors...a necessity.
That and 24grit discs was what worked for me. I rubbed down with a palm
sander on 120grit.

Glen