Going to take up the carpet, and then sand and buff the floor boards this weekend, any pit falls.......?

Question

I should avoid, and how difficult a task is this?

Answer 1

I have sanded floors before, check out the floor for nails if the gaps are too big uplift the floor and relay cramping the boards as you go. Hire a Clarke's sander begin by sanding at diagonal to the grain (you will need to be quite strong to handle this kit it is very powerful) do not stand still keep moving when you get to the end of a run you need to lift the drum clear of the floor until it stops finish with fine paper with the way of the grain. Setting aside a week end is very optimistic. In my opinion I prefer an oil based wax as it is easier to repair and looks nicer, and yes there is a lot of dust.

The downside is it is colder there will be draughts and it is not an easy job. On the plus side there are professional floor sanders who should make a good job and do it quickly saving the cost of hiring the machine.

Answer 2

The dust is not a problem.  You can rent a "zero dust" floor sander at Home Depot, Lowes, or most small tool rental companies.  The new vacuum systems work extremely well.  If possible find one with a vortex vacuum.  I used one on my floors a few weeks ago.  I put up plastic to block off the other rooms in the house, turned off the AC and opened windows to keep the dust from spreading to other rooms in the house, but I think this was unecessary, but I like to overdo everything.

The major tip that I have for you is to not allow anyone (or pets) to walk across the raw floor (once sanded) with bare feet because the oils from your feet transfer into the raw wood and it will show footprints once you apply stain or polyurethane.  We know have 4 paw prints from our basset hound who started acress the floor before I could stop him.

Good luck and don't be intimidated.  This is really not that hard of a job.

Answer 3

Watch out for dodgy nails and make sure there are none sticking out. Also, look for dry rot in the boards. When we did ours the problem we had was that a few boards had to be replaced. As the house is old, we had  to replace imperial boards with metric ones which meant we had to get them resized. Big pain. Also, older boards may have warped a little and so won't give you a flat surface to sand down.

Answer 4

All the dust thing (it gets everywhere). But is quite straightforward if you remember to keep the machine moving when it's running (unless you want big gouges in the floor) and wear a mask.

You should also be aware that the room will be noisier afterwards - this may not matter, but could be a problem if there is a room below (eg. in a flat) or an upstairs room.

Answer 5

It's more than a weekend job!  I've done several of these.  

Get knee pads, you'll need them.

Remove carpet, remove a gazillion staples that were holding in the pad, pry up the wood strip aorund the edge of the room.

STOP there and vacuum thoroughly.

Crawl over the whole floor, checking for staples, nails, and crud spots.  If you try to sand with staples or crud on the floor it just shreds the sandpaper.

If you have crud stuck to the floor, scrape it off with a putty knive or a drywall knife. You can also use steel wool and mineral spirits, or a damp rag ... depending on what the crud is.

STOP HERE and take a good look at the floor. Many of them only need a coat of a penetrating oil finish and a well-buffed wax job to look good.  They will look "used", but just call it vintage or "patina" and it sounds better.

If you decide to sand: DO NOT RENT A DRUM SANDER!!! They are a ***** to use and can dig a hole in your floor.

Rent one of the square "vibrating" sanders that only takes off a tiny bit of the floor. With this method, you will also use a "wiping finish" that just mops on and wipes off. It's far easier than varnish, has no brushmark problem. You can even slightly change the color with your choice of finish - a shade or two only.

TIPS: A satin finish is easier to handle.

Don't go too dark if you change the color, because it shows every dust speck.

Beware of "Red Mahogany", because it's too red for almost anything.

Answer 6

Make sure there are no protruding nails in the boards. They are not good for the sander.

Also, before you start, look at the boards. Are they paint-splashed? If so, don't bother. I sanded paint off boards once till they looked lovely. Then I varnished them and the solvent in the varnish brought unseen paint out of the wood grain so after about a month you could see paint marks again.

Answer 7

Very dusty job...make sure you buff with the grain not against and use the correct sizes of sand paper. And do wear a face mask as your sinuses will be bunged up for weeks after and wear overalls as well.

One thing to consider maybe the gaps between each of the bpards. If they are quite wide you may wish to fill them will sawdust and varnish as it can be very draughty and cold if the gaps are quite big in between. I used the sawdust method after I had sanded down and it worked very well and you cannot notice it once the vanish mellows. Do a test piece in the corner of the room if you're a bit dubious about using sawdust....you'll have plenty left from sanding down.  

Good luck...you'll need it but it will look great once again it's done. Don't put a high gloss varnish on it will look gross.

Answer 8

dust dust and more dust. You won't get it done in one weekend, though.  if they're not in bad shape, you might be able to rent a floor buffer and apply and cleaning wax.

Answer 9

Agree with previous answers.... unless you have really fantastic floorboards, this just isn't worth it.  You'll be cleaning up dust from every corner of the house for weeks after and be blinking cold in winter when the draft comes up through the gaps. A good laminate (or even solid wood) 'floating floor' is a much better option in my humble opinion.

Never known anyone who did this and then hadn't wished they'd never started !

Good luck whatever you do

Answer 10

Yep!

Loads of dust

Floor may not be good enough

Nails rip your knees to pieces

It's colder

Take up carpet - use special foam underlay and lay Laminate flooring - quicker and probably cheaper in the long run