Hi folks,

I have a smallish room I want to sand the floor in, but in areas the floor
is quite thin. I don't want to level the floor, besides lugging a heavy drum
sander up our 130's staircase (i.e. steep with small steps) isn't something
I look forward to. Therefore I'd like to do it with some less industrial
tools, basically to clean up the boards rather than level them.

We used a drum sander in the lounge which took a lot off the boards to level
the floor, and seemed to result in a whiter look in heavily sanded areas,
whereas a small area I had to do with a palm sander retained a preferable
reddish look (I think as I didn't take as much wood off).

Thing is, I'm unsure about what is the best tool to use? Options include a
belt sander, orbital, or random orbital, though there may be alternatives
I've not thought of, and am unsure what extra finishing would be required
with a belt or random orbital (i.e. hand sanding with the grain with the
standard orbital). Cost is a factor, so would probably go for a cheaper shed
tool which I can replace if it breaks afterwards (or get them to replace if
it breaks on the job). Any recommendations

Many thanks,

Leigh