Upscale wrote:
| "Morris Dovey" wrote in message
||
|| Did that a long time ago with oak/cherry floors in my first house.
|| Used 80 grit on a five-inch hand-held belt sander to remove the old
|| finish and the worst of the soiling. Then worked down to 220 grit
|| before the first coat of clear urethane varnish; and used
|| progressively finer grits on each coat. Used 600 grit on the 6th
|| coat; and didn't bother to sand the seventh.
|
| Does "a long time ago" translate into presently using a floor
| machine to eliminate wear and tear on your back or would was it
| easy enough then that you'd use the same method again?

I actually did rent and try two machines: a big floor sander and a
smaller critter billed as an "edge sander" for sanding right up to
baseboards and stair risers. Both machines were excessively agressive
and were returned posthaste, after which I went to Sears and bought
the small(er) belt sander. The wear on my back wasn't all that bad;
but my knees would have benefitted greatly from strap-on pads.

If I were to do the job again (and if I intended to make the house as
beautiful as that first - not a given) I would use the same approach,
except that I'd use my 1/4 sheet SpeedBlock (instead of a felt-wrapped
sanding block) after the initial sanding; and I'd probably brush on
only the first coat of varnish and wipe on the subsequent coats.

| I was thinking one forgo the cost and transportation of a floor
| machine and go the same route with a broom handle or something
| similar firmly attached to the handle of a belt sander so one can
| do it standing up.

Geezerhood does change one's perspectives, doesn't it? :-)

Still, I think I'd do it the same old way - only with knee pads and
much more frequent stretch breaks. I wouldn't make that kind of effort
(then or now) except as a labor of love. YMMV

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto

Morris Dovey wrote:

I actually did rent and try two machines: a big floor sander and a
smaller critter billed as an "edge sander" for sanding right up to
baseboards and stair risers. Both machines were excessively agressive
and were returned posthaste,

My favorite amateur-proof floor sander is a rented 12x18 orbital.

It works great with no gouging and eliminates the need for an edger.
The orbital is far less aggressive than a belt or drum sander. As long
as I didn't skimp at the 24 and 36 grit levels, I don't think it took me
all that much more time than a drum would have on new flooring. The
same unit would be a dream for refinishing.