My dad refinished floors for 50 years and he says that everything this guy says and does is absolutely correct. The man is a true craftsman and he takes pride in his work. Follow his plan exactly and you will have a gorgeous floor. Thank you for your time sir!
It's definitely a good method. But it is a dated method. There are a lot of "shortcuts" that can be taken to streamline the process with the same end results. But it is definitely a cool and respectable thing to watch this video. He's definitely a master of his craft.
That said, the recording quality doesn’t do your wonderfully thorough yet concise knowledge any justice. I’m glad I didn’t switch it off, this was top tier.
Love the guitar and thanks for empowering me to do a floor of 2,000 square ft historical building with a little damage from two hurricane storm surges.
Awesome video, good job communicating all the little nuances that go into hardwood sanding.I feel like I got three years experience just from watching this.
A true professional. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have been able to get my skill sets at the top of the quality charts from people like you. Thank you for helping me be the best I can be for myself and our clients.
Thank you for your help. I just refinished my living room floors for the first time, and everything you recommended worked out perfectly. I watched A LOT of how-to videos on this subject. I am lucky I followed yours. You are a true professional
I just watched this and I'm subscribed. My house is in the historical district. I'm gonna try to diy. I'll be watching this multiple times. Your angles are freaking awesome. Very unique and I love it!
Thanks for this very complete video and a great refresher course! I just completed the sanding process on 700 sq ft of red oak floors with many layers of stain, varnish, and dirt buildup. After using the drum sander with 32/60/80/100 grits, I discovered while using the edger, I was rapidly running through the sanding discs. I found that starting on the baseboards and moving out to the bare wood, the sanding discs were loading up from the center of the pad out. When I switched to working the edger from the outside toward the baseboard, the sanding discs lasted much longer and only loaded up on the outer inch or so of the disc. I then used the 4-1/2x 11 random orbital with the grain to feather the edges to the main floor. I will begin the last 120 grit screen with the large block machine tonight, then tomorrow begin the oil based staining, then the oil based urethane process the next few days. These prep steps should make for a beautiful result. Thanks again! This is my 2nd hardwood floor restoration project (the first was at age 60.) Now at 72 years young!), it is definitely a very labor intensive job, but is a doable DIY project if you have patience and a lot of time!
Excellent video I watched many videos on sanding hardwood floors. Your video I learned a lot of information that I didnt know. Thanks for the detailed explanations.
Very very informative and well explained. I will definitely watch more soon. Thank you. However, please get a tripod or something because some of the angles were hard to see.
Great video I been sanding floors and I love your steps you take well explained So let me get this straight 24/36 grit drum 60 drum 80 drum Then edge 36 then 60 grit Then scrape and palm sander to 36-100grit Then orbital 60 and 80 grit correct ? Do you edge in between coats or after you finish all drumming up to 80grit ?
You only need to 24 grit drum if 36 isn’t removing the surface finish. The type of wood and finish also are a factor in determining the starting grit. Your only job is to remove the surface finish while removing as little of the wood as possible. For edgering try starting with 60 if that’s working without needing to change the sheets too frequently then finish entire job with 60. You can 80, or 100 edger after that if you like, but you’ll need to orbital sand everything to 80. Drum sanding higher than 80 grit is not necessary. The final sanding process will be orbital sanding everything to 80 grit. Thanks for watching and good luck👍
Wow thanks you are awesome If using a water based sealer to ruff up surface use a square buffer 180grit , vacuum , and if the sealer is water based can I just use a wet rag to pick up residues instead of mineral spirits ?
Crazy how times have changed, you’re right in that you cannot sand with that buffer, but they created a new type of buffsander that works on higher voltage, sands, and buffs. It’s nuts. Did a 60 cut on the drum then came through with 100 cut on the hydra sander/buffer and it comes out beautiful
Yes, the machines are improving…would love someone to invent an electric, cordless drum sander, & edger. Certainly it’s doable, if you can make electric cars!
Thanks for providing this amazing tutorial. I've seen a lot of others making their first cut with the drum sander in a diagonal cut, then going with the grain for each pass thereafter. What are your thoughts on this?
Yes, 1 or 2 deg. cuts are fine for 1st pass roughing. Depending on the severity of plank warpage and unevenness of boards you may need to rough off on a 45 deg. angle. You'll want to sand plank parallel after to keep scratch pattern in line with planks, then progress to higher grits plank parallel.
Absolutely great video. I can see quality is important to you, which can be a lost concept. Wish you were local to me. I’m going to get my 75 year old oak floors redone this year. When getting quotes is it reasonable to ask to review recent jobs? You should put out a list of all the steps you do, so I/we can have when getting quotes. Keep up the quality!
So I want to give you my method in floors. I've been doing it for 8-9 years. Apprenticeship under a guy who's been doing it my whole lifespan. Still working with him. But okay, here we go. -36 on 12 inch drum sander -36 7 inch edger - water based filler whole floor -80 on 12 inch drum sander -80 on 6 inch edger -60 Screen on 18 inch buffer -scrap and palm sand (60 or 80) then 100 or 150 -Use blower on walls, windows, counters. and closets with fans in windows to pull air (Vacuum between all steps until now) -damp towel wet entire floor -stain with rags whip on and off -first coat with 9 inch pad on hands and knees - contextual screen 180 between or second coat -screen 180, vac and tac -final coat This whole process takes me about 4 to 5 days. Leaves no edger or drum marks and fills all cracks on solid floors. Just trying contrast our methods.
I never fill linear cracks wood expands and contracts that’s why installing you leave it a 1/4- 1/2 inch from the drywall if the base covers. The floor will move and pop your filler right out.
Hi Dave. Great video! What do you do in the case of a large dent in center of room, as a 25lb metal dumbbell dropped on it and dented it in 1/8" the area of a nickel. The whole room will be sanded and resealed. No stain will be used. Would you use filler or just poly urathane the gouge? Or an even better trick? Thank you Sir.
If you're able to source a similar wood you can cut out and replace the dented board, or use Lepage oil based stainable floor filler as it hardens more than latex filler.
great job . I have been an instructor and doing restoration and re-finishing for 55 years and this is the first time on the " I wanna be a movie star U Tube cinema" that some one actually knew what he is talking about. One question. Why didn't you use a Hummel sander instead of that Home Depot rental Easy 8 ?.
Glad you liked the video. We have 3 EZ8's...I agree with using the larger HP 220 machines, I learned the trade on a Galaxy 7.5 HP...now opting for lighter machines for transporting in and out of jobs when I'm alone..also hydro accessibility is often a problem with 220 machines, but I never have a problem with 110 machines.
LOVE your videos! When buffing after a drum sander with 36/60/80 on red oak, what grit do you use with the large buffer to smooth the floor prior to varnish? 100 or 120 sanding screen?
I normally finish sand with 80 on the OBS 18, but you can finish with 100 or 120 if you like. I screen sand 220 between coats to get a smooth as glass finish. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this very informative video! I have drum and edger sanded my oak floors with 60, 80, 100 and 120 grit sand papers and now want to use the square orbital finish sander as you suggest. I'm wondering if I made a mistake using 120 grit with the drum and edger. Should I use 120 with the finish sander now? Or 150? Is 150 too fine for staining oak? What grit should I use with the finish sander (to get around to my question). Thanks!
120 on orbital is fine...I only go to 80 so you're doing a lot more than I would but that's ok... Remember to stain parallel with planks never perpendicular..good luck
Hi, I love your videos they are very very helpful. I just stripped the floors following your steps, and I am now ready to stain. The hardwood is not standard rows, but instead the word goes in concentric squares that get smaller and smaller as you go to the center. Can I use the same technique you show to apply the stain and poly? or do I need to use a different technique? Chris
Yes, if gaps are large, and deep enough, and the boards are securely nailed to subfloor the filler should hold. If filler is appied only to surface gaps it will crack and wear off in time.
Yes fir is a softwood, so if its unfinished, or has little finish on it you may be able to start with 50 or 60 as lowest grit providing the finish is coming off reasonably easily. If not start with 36 or 40 grit and work up through your grits accordingly. Thanks for watching..Good luck
This is the most thorough floor refinishing video that ive come across here on youtube yet. The only downside is that the poor recording quality wears out my eyesight. What kind of cloth did you use to stain the floor again? And to wipe off the sanding between coats?
I used a Varathane synthetic applicator to stain floor. You can wipe between coats in two ways. 1. Use a cloth dampened with mineral spirits on an pole/applicator. or 2. Either tack cloth on a pole/applicator, or fine dust mop. Thanks for feedback, yes I recorded that video on an android cell phone.
Yes, hand pole sand after 1st, and 2nd coats. Most of the grain raise will be removed after the 1st sanding, so after 2nd coat it will be a much easier process to pole sand. If the floor is thoroughly orbital sanded prior to staining/finishing it will make the between coats pole sanding easier.
your explanations are great in this video. thank you! when you said you did some drum sanding in the small bathroom, did you have to go against the grain? it looked too small to do otherwise.
Whether or not you can skip the drum and just use the orbital sander depends on the condition of the wood. If you have cupped boards or finish is really bad, use drum first. Good floor and boards not too bad, you can skip it. Ive done a few houses with red oak. Did not use a drum at all and they came out beautiful. I dont stain red oak, its pretty enough with just a coat of poly.
Yes, the floor's condition will determine the grit you'd start with. Using the drum sander is much faster to remove surface finish and flatten floor. The customer decides if they want stain or not.
We have floors like this that we had to take-up because the installation pattern was off. we would like to re lay and reinstall them with a different pattern, but they are top nailed. Any tips for getting the old nails out? And also can you still sand the floor with the nails in it? thanks!
Hi Aubrey. Removing nails from oak is very difficult to do without splintering/destroying the hardwood. Best thing would be to countersink the nails then sand. We've refinished face nailed floors in the past - oak, and pine - but these were countersunk with 3/4" dowel caps placed over each hole.
Thanks for watching! We’ve done it both ways. If doing floors first allow 48 hours for urethane to cure before covering with Ram board or drop sheets. If doing wall’s first you’ll need to clean fine dust from walls after the floors are done. Some people prefer to prime walls only then have floors done before resuming painting afterwards. Cheers👍
Thank you so much for all of your knowledge, this is amazing! I have a few questions regarding your sanding process based on the list of materials. (1) do you skip from 60 to 100 grit with the edger, or do you also do an 80 grit? (2) With the buffer, do you usually go from 80 to 180, or do you use anything in between? (3) with the palm sander, what grit to do you use to clean up any marks? Again, thank you!
Thanks for watching my videos. You can skip from 60 to 100 on edger but not more than one grit skip. OBS 18 sand to 80 grit on paper. Screen sand 180 between 1st & 2nd coats. 220 grit between 2nd & 3rd coats. These can be adjusted depending on type of wood and grain raise, sometimes you may need to use a 60 or 120 grit screen, depends on job. For oak you can 36 - 60 grit palm sand. For maple no lower than 60 grit palm sand, then 100 grit palm sand. Cheers!!!
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 This is very helpful! I am working my way through the video's and each one job seems unique. Which brought another question to mind and I hope it is not too much trouble. I have a room that appears to have already been partially sanded (looks like a first pass with a 36/40 grit) with about half the edge left to do. I am not sure wha the previous person started with. Would you redo the entire room, or try and finish the edge and go to 60?
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Thank you. This worked our great and everything cleaned up in that room. My father and I are have made it through the drum sanding and are just wrapping up the edger, so we have a ways to go. The previous owner had let the floors go and there was some pet and water stains. A lot came out int he sanding so far, but I would love to know if you have any advise on how to remove deep black pet/water stains that we are left? We have some floor bleach, but wondered if I should try anything else before jumping straight to that?
@@ambantar bleach won’t work. You can try hydrogen peroxide but this will take many applications. It’s best to cut out the planks with urine/water damage and replace with new boards.
Dave, hope you’re well! Tackling a reds ding project this week and glad I have your thorough videos as a guide. I started with 36 grit on a drum sander and went over the floor twice to get rid of all the old finish. Then I went over it with 60 grit on the drum sander. I realized that there were some small gaps in the boards and some nail holes from when the carpet was there. I put in wood filler, should I now sand with 60 grit or 80 grit with the drum sander? Thank you!
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 great! Thank you for the quick reply. One more question if I may, I love the color of the natural oak and want to just seal it. I had trouble finding some of the water-based polyurethane you have used in some of your other videos, is there a nice one you recommend that I could find from Home Depot or similar with a satin to matte finish? Thank you!
@@eckopoppin Loba, Bona, Streetshoe are good. Contact a local hardwood contractor supplier in your area. I don’t recommend Home Depot or Lowes for finishing products.
Question - we are using a water based sealer after we stain. Do you still use mineral spirits to clean in between the sandings or would something else be better? Many thanks. Great video!!!
Great information. I will be doing a floor for the first time. One question how many sanding pads per grit are used? I know it depends on the square footage. The area I will be doing is around 1,000 Sq ft.
It depends on the type of finish on the floor. To sand 1000 sf could require 6 or more 36G drum belts to remove the existing surface finish. You might need to lower to 24G if the abrasive is breaking down too quickly or raise to 40G if finish is coming of easily. Test sand with various grits to find correct grit. Once the surface finish is removed progress to 60, then 80 grit. 4 belts of each should be fine for 1000 sf. Thanks for watching 👍
You aren't going to fill those cracks at the wall? But do you use a 6inch edger at all? I use one, the smaller disc size and the extended nose is great for getting under cabinets and what not but I can't find paper to save my life anymore.
If the surface is smooth you could, however a light sand with a 220 grit screen is recommended. Vacuum then wipe with swiffer or damp cloth before next coat. Always follow manufacturers directions on label. Thanks for watching!
This is a DIY situation. I am not a professional. I stained the floor and waited 48 hrs before I applied polyurethane. a small area of the stain along one board about 2feet was pulled up when applying polyurethane. Should I just sand down that small area and reapply the stain and then polyurethane? What is your advice? It doesn’t look terrible but it is noticeable. I am concerned I will have to sand down the whole floor? Again, any advice would be appreciated. Also, your videos have been so helpful.
Yes you can isolate and tape off the single board, gently hand scrape and sand off, reapply the stain, wait for it to dry, remove tape, then apply urethane to feather out into surrounding floor, thin coats. Hope this helps. I have these situations when somebody walks on my stained floor and puts footprints or paw prints on it.
Great video. I just sanded a bedroom 14 x 14. Started drum sanding and edging with 36 grit then 60 then 80 grit. I stoped edging at 60 grit to hand sand edge lines and swirls by hand. I have baseboard heat around perimeter majority of the room. I edged with a toe kick sander. I have 60 grit swirl edge lines. I started hand sanding at 80 grit under baseboards to include edger swirls to match 80 grit drum sander. Taking forever. Any suggestions to remove edger swirls when you have baseboard heaters?
Good evening Sir! I need your advice. Could you tell me what kind of roller should I use for minwax polyurethane. I have two brands - Nour foam smooth surfaces and 6 mm pile regular roller
Love your videos! I’ve been following your directions pretty faithfully, but I’m still having trouble removing the edger lines. We did 36 grit on each drum and edger, followed by 60 grit on each. I’ve been trying to remove the edger lines and it doesn’t seem possible. The scraper hasn’t removed anything (?) and going back to 36 grit on the Makita also didn’t remove them. What did we do wrong and can we fix it?
Hi Sarah Whenever possible try to start edgering with a higher grit, like 60. You may need to use more paper but it will be easier to remove those marks. Since you started with 36, then 60 you could do 100 grit next, realize the abrasive on 100 grit breaks down very quickly on hardwood and continued use with paper that has worn out abrasive will result in heating of the floor and the wood will turn purple or black once it heats up. You will need to spend a fairly long time using a palm sander to remove the edger lines but it will remove them. I am assuming it's red oak you're working with, if its a harder wood like maple you'll need to be patient and thorough when palm sanding to remove all the parks. Good luck.
I have pre-finished hardwood floors in my house which are roughly 25 years old. They are 3/4 inch solid red oak that is 3 inches wide, i would like to sand and refinish to a lighter colour, right now it is a burgundy/mahogany colour. My question is will this system of sanding and staining work on pre-finished hardwood floors? Also the fact that the wood is red oak, will it be hard to go to a lighter colour? and will the colour always be on the reddish side. Thanks for all your expertise knowledge !!
Yes it will work on pre-finished hardwood. Oil based urethane will produce an amber finish on red oak. Light exposure will bleach the wood and it will become lighter over time. Apply good quality water based finish, it will not yellow, and the wood will look the same as after you've sanded it. Good luck!
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 thanks for your reply!! not sure if i am understanding correctly are you suggesting i use a water based or oil based urethane? if i choose to, can i use water based urethane over oil based stain, or the other way around? Thanks for all your help !!!
my home uses the Clarke OBS 18 from start to end, and the floor looks bad, with lots of unfinished areas in between, what should i do? should i go back with the Clarke EZ8 drum sander, do everything from the beginning?
So if you apply two or three coats of stain you need to sand in between each coat? Then when you apply the polyurethane you need to sand in between each coat of that as well?
I never apply more than one coat of stain. Sample out the stain in a closet or on separate pieces of wood to determine the tint you like. I screen sand between coats of urethane only. I hope this helps!
Can I use an Oil Base on EBONY stain??? Or will it still yellow?? Scared tl use the waterbase now because of diifuculty of use and what i just read from tou that it my peel from the oil base stain!!?? Oh Lort...
Thanks for watching...since you're staining the floor ebony the oil finish won't appear yellow because the ebony is very dark. It will yellow but won't be as noticeable compared to applying over natural oak, or maple. Varathane Crystal Clear Floor Finish claims to be non-yellowing! However, most oil based floor finishes will yellow over time, as they contain linseed oil, synthetic resins, and plasticizers. Duraseal 550 VOC Polyurethane claims to be less yellowing. You can apply water based floor finish but realize the bond is not as strong over oil based stain, and could peel off in time. Just make sure the stain is totally dry before applying the water based finish. Good luck.
my florist just abandoned the floor after drum sanding and palm sanding the edges. it looks good but someone said its not properly levelled. If I just put stain on that and poly coat it 2 to 3 times, will it do the job or I should be doing anything else? There are no gaps to fill it with wood filler. Thanks, I do not have access to sanders.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 thank you so much I’m going to follow your advice and start Monday morning I’ve reserved sanders from rental place nothing to it but to do it now .
The final screen sand is 220 grit. Then the last coat of urethane is applied. No screen sanding after last coat unless you're planning on additional coats. Thank you for watching!
I’ve recently sanded my oak floors and noticed that most of the boards around the border and door trim have some kind of fastner similar to a nail, holding them to the subfloor. I’m wondering if you know of a way to drive them further or to cover them so there isnt glimmering specs of metal around the floor edges after urethane. Thanks!
Do oil based stains/finishes have a chemical odor after dry? water based seem to be taking over but I love the look of the oil based. Also when doing the last 2 coats, do you stain and seal? or just seal?
Yes oil, and lacquer based stains stink and require you to wear a VOC respirator or you will get high, and a severe headache. Also causes brain damage, so make sure children, and pets are not present. Last two coats you should just apply the urethane. With oil based stains its sometimes good to add a small amount of the stain to your tray of urethane 5% should be fine for your first coat. Final coat should only be 100% urethane. Thank you for watching!
Thank you. So can a screen process with a screen or Sandpaper on the buffer pad after all complete can prestain and stain dry into the floor or is that not possible
If it hasn't congealed it should still be useable. Better to thoroughly stir rather than shake can. Yes if you shake it you'll need to allow time for bubbles to dissipate.
@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 I saw you use the square sander machine which is a buffer correct? I didn't buff before staining will that cause any significant issue
After sanding with square buff i get pretty small pigtails. You have to look closely to see them. Is this acceptable since you dont seem them whike standing? Probably even after sanding, you wouldn't see them unless you look close. Thanks
When someone decides to refinish a wooden floor in a CoOp. they need to inform downstairs neighbors of the extreme noise that sanders create. If you don’t, get ready for some neighborly invective!
so i believe the Fabulon Urethane in your video is oil based correct? what are your thoughts on water based (latex) products, not only for urethane but also wood stain
I also use water based finish. Water based stain is difficult to work as it dries very quickly which can leave edge lines if left too long. It also tends to be very monotone. But at least you don't need to wear a respirator.
If it's only urethane on floor should be okay, but if the floor is stained it could go through to bare wood. If possible check in a small section or closet first. You may need to do it by pole sander.
I prefer water based because of non toxic properties. Sometimes the job requires oil based finish to achieve proper colour. Also the oil based urethane adheres better to oil based stain, as water based finish over oil based stain can flake or peel off. Two component water based finish is stronger in theory, but if you drop a hammer it will dent any floor finish on there. Same for dogs nails will scratch either one equally. Water based finish is more expensive.
Not something I generally do, but try to repair from underneath if possible. You’ll likely need to pre drill holes, drive nails or screws through surface and into joists, countersink the nails, or screws a bit then apply filler. Good luck thanks for watching!
I use 6 or 10 mil lint free rollers and never have air bubbles with oil based finishes. Make sure last coat is applied very thin! Ideally apply multiple thin coats if possible. Apply it slowly. Once applied don't go over it again after 3 minutes have elapsed as this could cause air bubbles or little bumps in finish and you'll need to screen sand out the following day. Room temperature could also effect this.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Thanks for the response. What determines if you use an actual floor buffer or sander between coats of urathane vs using a pole sander?
If the first coat is over a stained floor I opt to hand pole sand rather than machine orbital screen as it may leave little curly marks on floor. Also machine could be too aggressive and sand through 1st coat, through stain and down to bare wood. You can test with 220 grit screen in a closet. If its just urethane on floor machine screen sand is fine.
Is it true that if you wipe a wet sponge on the wood and it turns yucky orangy color then that's a good indication that's what you'll end up with when any water poly is applied. Think I'll avoid that yucky orange and do a whitewash instead. Product feast and Watson in Australia. Some bad reviews like anything, but I'll give it a try. I've run out of options. Wish I just started laying the click together stuff. For First timer diyer sanding, varnishing floors is not worth the trouble imo. ** EDIT** The water poly has gone on clear as compared to a wet mop which strangely shows the wood up as orange. Doing 3 coats of clear and keeping light original color of wood. But yeah. Next time I'm doing the much nicer click together overlay.
Water base street shoe they have a bleaching matte that gives it the white wash look or bleaching the floors wouldn’t recommend either if you have never finished floors. Love your channel man. At first I was like great he’s telling our secrets. But at the end of the day it’s an art form and people will eventually call us
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 what do you do with some of the boards that the drum sander or edger just can't get the shellac off. Can I use some kind of wax remover?
@@davidgaston3246 I can't see an edger not being able to remove the finish as its extremely aggressive. I've used it to remove 1/4" thick paint/adhesive from 150 year old pine floors/stairs with 16 grit sheets - went through like butter. You'll obviously need to increase the grits to remove the aggressive scratch lines. I'm assuming you don't have access to these machines. If you're doing by hand first try it with a 1 1/2" hand scraper for hardwood floors. If that doesn't work try applying Heirloom paint/varnish stripper first, wait for it to bubble, then scrape off..wear rubber gloves.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 I'm assuming if it's still shiny and smooth on some of the boards the shellac is still on it. I've ran the drum sander over the entire floor 3 to 4 times with 20 grit sand paper going very slow. That didn't cut it on some boards so I used 20 grit on the edger and it worked better but some of the boards the shellac has soaked pretty far in. I can send you some pictures via email if you'd like to see what I'm dealing with.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Thank you for your reply- one more question please- I also have red oak hardwood floors that I am having refinished soon. I would like the end result to be a medium neutral brown tone. My floor guy only likes to use oil based poly. I know that has an amber tone to it. What stain would you suggest so I don’t end up with too red or too honey/orangey tone as an end result?
@@lisagrieb8836 Its best to work with your floor guy to pick the stain. Check Lowes, or Home Depot stain samples of either Minwax or Varathane stains then sample out the ones you like on pieces of oak. You may need to contact a local paint/stain supplier near you if you have a custom tint in mind. Most retailers that provide custom tints will have some pre-made samples on oak already. You'll also want to apply 3 coats of your preferred urethane to the samples after the stain has dried as the urethane will sharpen the grain pattern and slightly alter the tone. Hope this helps.
You only need to remove the surface finish, marks, and scratches. Depending on the condition of the floor (age, wear, water, oil, pet urine) these may not totally be removed through sanding if penetrated too deep. If the floor has been sanded multiple times it may not have enough wood remaining. Thanks for watching. Good luck
It depends on many factors. Pricing ranges from $3 to $10 per square foot. Check out my video on "How to quote jobs" th-cam.com/video/aecuhsiNYTI/w-d-xo.html
Hi there, after having refinished in excess of 2000 homes/businesses I came to the realization that every floor will be different. Attempt to start the drum sanding with 60 grit, if you're able to remove the surface imperfections with relative ease for at least 150 square feet then its safe to do the entire floor with 60 grit belts. However if it's taking too long to strip the surface finish drop the grit to 40, 36, or 24 if necessary, you'll then need to progress to 60 grit on the drum sander....if you're thorough with the OBS 18 then 60 grit on that machine will suffice for most staining/finishing jobs, after having edgered, scraped the corners, and palm sanded the edger lines, corners, around casings etc. Realize when you move up a grit you have to completely sand the entire job at that next higher grit. Once you are on the OBS 18, you can sand everything to 80 grit if you like...anything higher than 80 grit is a waste of your valuable time..happy sanding & refinishing!
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Thank You!! If I have to bleach out some old pet stains....with that area still take on the new stain like rest of wood??? Or will it be lighter??? Thank You!! Staining a Dark Ebony...
My dad refinished floors for 50 years and he says that everything this guy says and does is absolutely correct. The man is a true craftsman and he takes pride in his work. Follow his plan exactly and you will have a gorgeous floor. Thank you for your time sir!
It's definitely a good method. But it is a dated method. There are a lot of "shortcuts" that can be taken to streamline the process with the same end results. But it is definitely a cool and respectable thing to watch this video.
He's definitely a master of his craft.
@@hardwoodstudio5833
@@Fanumtax0 👋
Yea it’s funny my boss who’s been in it for over 30 years taught me the same exact way and uses pretty much the same products
That said, the recording quality doesn’t do your wonderfully thorough yet concise knowledge any justice. I’m glad I didn’t switch it off, this was top tier.
Love the guitar and thanks for empowering me to do a floor of 2,000 square ft historical building with a little damage from two hurricane storm surges.
Thanks for watching, good luck on the project!
Awesome video, good job communicating all the little nuances that go into hardwood sanding.I feel like I got three years experience just from watching this.
Thank you 😊
Such a sweet and knowledgeable human being. Thank you for your knowledge and the manner in which it is presented. Cheers.
A true professional. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have been able to get my skill sets at the top of the quality charts from people like you. Thank you for helping me be the best I can be for myself and our clients.
Thanks for watching..glad my videos were helpful!
Thank you for your help. I just refinished my living room floors for the first time, and everything you recommended worked out perfectly. I watched A LOT of how-to videos on this subject. I am lucky I followed yours. You are a true professional
He kind of has a feel and sound of my dad. Thanks for your videos!
Glad you like them!
Thank-you. This really helped me sand and refinish my oak floor.
Glad it helped!
I just watched this and I'm subscribed. My house is in the historical district. I'm gonna try to diy. I'll be watching this multiple times. Your angles are freaking awesome. Very unique and I love it!
I’m glad you like it…hope it helps!
Thanks for this very complete video and a great refresher course! I just completed the sanding process on 700 sq ft of red oak floors with many layers of stain, varnish, and dirt buildup. After using the drum sander with 32/60/80/100 grits, I discovered while using the edger, I was rapidly running through the sanding discs. I found that starting on the baseboards and moving out to the bare wood, the sanding discs were loading up from the center of the pad out. When I switched to working the edger from the outside toward the baseboard, the sanding discs lasted much longer and only loaded up on the outer inch or so of the disc. I then used the 4-1/2x 11 random orbital with the grain to feather the edges to the main floor. I will begin the last 120 grit screen with the large block machine tonight, then tomorrow begin the oil based staining, then the oil based urethane process the next few days. These prep steps should make for a beautiful result. Thanks again! This is my 2nd hardwood floor restoration project (the first was at age 60.) Now at 72 years young!), it is definitely a very labor intensive job, but is a doable DIY project if you have patience and a lot of time!
That sounds great, I'm sure it'll look amazing!!!
Great video brother! Too many DIYers want to hurry the process. Your attention to detail is spot on.
Thanks 👍
Excellent video I watched many videos on sanding hardwood floors. Your video I learned a lot of information that I didnt know. Thanks for the detailed explanations.
Glad it was helpful!
Very detailed and professional results
A very thorough and professional video. That was great. Thanks.
Glad you liked it👍
Very very informative and well explained. I will definitely watch more soon. Thank you. However, please get a tripod or something because some of the angles were hard to see.
Thanks for the tip!
Thank you so much. This video is incredibly informative and while daunting, gives me hope I can save $4K and do the refinishing myself!
Enjoyed your guitar playing.
Great techniques with sanding too.
Thanks
thanks, this is the best, most comprehensive and easily understood video ive watched. thanks and well done.
Glad you liked it.
Thanks for watching!
Very good! Thanks. Time, effort, sweat and work!
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is super helpful! You are the man!
Best video out there, answered all my questions. I will start this weekend 👍
Glad it helped!
Awesome job, I'm going to copy exact same thing you did. Thank you
Thanks for watching!
Great video I been sanding floors and I love your steps you take well explained
So let me get this straight
24/36 grit drum
60 drum
80 drum
Then edge
36 then 60 grit
Then scrape and palm sander to 36-100grit
Then orbital 60 and 80 grit correct ?
Do you edge in between coats or after you finish all drumming up to 80grit ?
You only need to 24 grit drum if 36 isn’t removing the surface finish. The type of wood and finish also are a factor in determining the starting grit.
Your only job is to remove the surface finish while removing as little of the wood as possible.
For edgering try starting with 60 if that’s working without needing to change the sheets too frequently then finish entire job with 60. You can 80, or 100 edger after that if you like, but you’ll need to orbital sand everything to 80. Drum sanding higher than 80 grit is not necessary.
The final sanding process will be orbital sanding everything to 80 grit.
Thanks for watching and good luck👍
Wow thanks you are awesome
If using a water based sealer to ruff up surface use a square buffer 180grit , vacuum , and if the sealer is water based can I just use a wet rag to pick up residues instead of mineral spirits ?
Beautiful job! Wow 🤩
Thank you! Cheers!
Crazy how times have changed, you’re right in that you cannot sand with that buffer, but they created a new type of buffsander that works on higher voltage, sands, and buffs. It’s nuts. Did a 60 cut on the drum then came through with 100 cut on the hydra sander/buffer and it comes out beautiful
Yes, the machines are improving…would love someone to invent an electric, cordless drum sander, & edger. Certainly it’s doable, if you can make electric cars!
What's the name/brand of the machine?
Thanks for providing this amazing tutorial. I've seen a lot of others making their first cut with the drum sander in a diagonal cut, then going with the grain for each pass thereafter. What are your thoughts on this?
Yes, 1 or 2 deg. cuts are fine for 1st pass roughing. Depending on the severity of plank warpage and unevenness of boards you may need to rough off on a 45 deg. angle. You'll want to sand plank parallel after to keep scratch pattern in line with planks, then progress to higher grits plank parallel.
Absolutely great video. I can see quality is important to you, which can be a lost concept. Wish you were local to me. I’m going to get my 75 year old oak floors redone this year. When getting quotes is it reasonable to ask to review recent jobs? You should put out a list of all the steps you do, so I/we can have when getting quotes. Keep up the quality!
Here's a video covering quotes. Good luck..th-cam.com/video/aecuhsiNYTI/w-d-xo.html
So I want to give you my method in floors. I've been doing it for 8-9 years. Apprenticeship under a guy who's been doing it my whole lifespan. Still working with him. But okay, here we go.
-36 on 12 inch drum sander
-36 7 inch edger
- water based filler whole floor
-80 on 12 inch drum sander
-80 on 6 inch edger
-60 Screen on 18 inch buffer
-scrap and palm sand (60 or 80) then 100 or 150
-Use blower on walls, windows, counters. and closets with fans in windows to pull air
(Vacuum between all steps until now)
-damp towel wet entire floor
-stain with rags whip on and off
-first coat with 9 inch pad on hands and knees
- contextual screen 180 between or second coat
-screen 180, vac and tac
-final coat
This whole process takes me about 4 to 5 days. Leaves no edger or drum marks and fills all cracks on solid floors. Just trying contrast our methods.
I never fill linear cracks wood expands and contracts that’s why installing you leave it a 1/4- 1/2 inch from the drywall if the base covers. The floor will move and pop your filler right out.
Hi Dave. Great video! What do you do in the case of a large dent in center of room, as a 25lb metal dumbbell dropped on it and dented it in 1/8" the area of a nickel. The whole room will be sanded and resealed. No stain will be used. Would you use filler or just poly urathane the gouge? Or an even better trick? Thank you Sir.
If you're able to source a similar wood you can cut out and replace the dented board, or use Lepage oil based stainable floor filler as it hardens more than latex filler.
Thank you for the tutorial! Good guitar playing too
Glad you like it!
great job . I have been an instructor and doing restoration and re-finishing for 55 years and this is the first time on the " I wanna be a movie star U Tube cinema" that some one actually knew what he is talking about. One question. Why didn't you use a Hummel sander instead of that Home Depot rental Easy 8 ?.
Glad you liked the video.
We have 3 EZ8's...I agree with using the larger HP 220 machines, I learned the trade on a Galaxy 7.5 HP...now opting for lighter machines for transporting in and out of jobs when I'm alone..also hydro accessibility is often a problem with 220 machines, but I never have a problem with 110 machines.
LOVE your videos! When buffing after a drum sander with 36/60/80 on red oak, what grit do you use with the large buffer to smooth the floor prior to varnish? 100 or 120 sanding screen?
I normally finish sand with 80 on the OBS 18, but you can finish with 100 or 120 if you like. I screen sand 220 between coats to get a smooth as glass finish. Thanks for watching!
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Do you use a 120 sandpaper pad or a 120 screen? Thanks!
Thank you for this very informative video! I have drum and edger sanded my oak floors with 60, 80, 100 and 120 grit sand papers and now want to use the square orbital finish sander as you suggest. I'm wondering if I made a mistake using 120 grit with the drum and edger. Should I use 120 with the finish sander now? Or 150? Is 150 too fine for staining oak? What grit should I use with the finish sander (to get around to my question). Thanks!
120 on orbital is fine...I only go to 80 so you're doing a lot more than I would but that's ok...
Remember to stain parallel with planks never perpendicular..good luck
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Thank you!
Hey! My preferred filler! I don't know what area you live in but most of my floors I need to trowel. I'm enjoying this video so far.
Yeah, my edger switch is currently broken and it burns out my cords too now because of it.
Change your brushes there are 4 in the edger and blow it out with a compressor
@@jeremyb7659 oh I do.
Good job
Hi, I love your videos they are very very helpful. I just stripped the floors following your steps, and I am now ready to stain. The hardwood is not standard rows, but instead the word goes in concentric squares that get smaller and smaller as you go to the center. Can I use the same technique you show to apply the stain and poly? or do I need to use a different technique? Chris
If its parquet, or herringbone pattern floor you'd need to rag on the stain..you can apply the poly normally...
Very thorough info and very professional job. What about crack and board separated area can you use a wood filler
Yes, if gaps are large, and deep enough, and the boards are securely nailed to subfloor the filler should hold. If filler is appied only to surface gaps it will crack and wear off in time.
Hi Dave! Are there any additional details we should know when sanding and refinishing tight grain fir floors, instead of oak?
Yes fir is a softwood, so if its unfinished, or has little finish on it you may be able to start with 50 or 60 as lowest grit providing the finish is coming off reasonably easily. If not start with 36 or 40 grit and work up through your grits accordingly. Thanks for watching..Good luck
Good video. Great guitar.
Thanks!
This is the most thorough floor refinishing video that ive come across here on youtube yet. The only downside is that the poor recording quality wears out my eyesight.
What kind of cloth did you use to stain the floor again? And to wipe off the sanding between coats?
I used a Varathane synthetic applicator to stain floor. You can wipe between coats in two ways. 1. Use a cloth dampened with mineral spirits on an pole/applicator. or 2. Either tack cloth on a pole/applicator, or fine dust mop. Thanks for feedback, yes I recorded that video on an android cell phone.
Question: Did you hand pole sand after 1st AND 2nd coat of polyurethane or just the 1st?
Also, thanks for this great video, super helpful!
Yes, hand pole sand after 1st, and 2nd coats. Most of the grain raise will be removed after the 1st sanding, so after 2nd coat it will be a much easier process to pole sand. If the floor is thoroughly orbital sanded prior to staining/finishing it will make the between coats pole sanding easier.
your explanations are great in this video. thank you! when you said you did some drum sanding in the small bathroom, did you have to go against the grain? it looked too small to do otherwise.
Yes it was very small pass of around one foot with drum sander. I had to stand beside machine with arms extended to do it.
Thanks for watching 👍
Whether or not you can skip the drum and just use the orbital sander depends on the condition of the wood. If you have cupped boards or finish is really bad, use drum first. Good floor and boards not too bad, you can skip it. Ive done a few houses with red oak. Did not use a drum at all and they came out beautiful. I dont stain red oak, its pretty enough with just a coat of poly.
Yes, the floor's condition will determine the grit you'd start with. Using the drum sander is much faster to remove surface finish and flatten floor. The customer decides if they want stain or not.
We have floors like this that we had to take-up because the installation pattern was off. we would like to re lay and reinstall them with a different pattern, but they are top nailed. Any tips for getting the old nails out? And also can you still sand the floor with the nails in it? thanks!
Hi Aubrey. Removing nails from oak is very difficult to do without splintering/destroying the hardwood.
Best thing would be to countersink the nails then sand. We've refinished face nailed floors in the past - oak, and pine - but these were countersunk with 3/4" dowel caps placed over each hole.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 thank you so much!!
I'm super new to all of this so please forgive me. Would you recommend that we paint the walls first and then do the floors or vice versa? Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
We’ve done it both ways. If doing floors first allow 48 hours for urethane to cure before covering with Ram board or drop sheets.
If doing wall’s first you’ll need to clean fine dust from walls after the floors are done.
Some people prefer to prime walls only then have floors done before resuming painting afterwards.
Cheers👍
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 thank you
Thank you so much for all of your knowledge, this is amazing! I have a few questions regarding your sanding process based on the list of materials. (1) do you skip from 60 to 100 grit with the edger, or do you also do an 80 grit? (2) With the buffer, do you usually go from 80 to 180, or do you use anything in between? (3) with the palm sander, what grit to do you use to clean up any marks? Again, thank you!
Thanks for watching my videos.
You can skip from 60 to 100 on edger but not more than one grit skip.
OBS 18 sand to 80 grit on paper. Screen sand 180 between 1st & 2nd coats. 220 grit between 2nd & 3rd coats. These can be adjusted depending on type of wood and grain raise, sometimes you may need to use a 60 or 120 grit screen, depends on job. For oak you can 36 - 60 grit palm sand. For maple no lower than 60 grit palm sand, then 100 grit palm sand. Cheers!!!
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 This is very helpful! I am working my way through the video's and each one job seems unique. Which brought another question to mind and I hope it is not too much trouble. I have a room that appears to have already been partially sanded (looks like a first pass with a 36/40 grit) with about half the edge left to do. I am not sure wha the previous person started with. Would you redo the entire room, or try and finish the edge and go to 60?
@@ambantar Try 60 grit first if it’s sanding out marks that should work. If not drop to 40 and redo it.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Thank you. This worked our great and everything cleaned up in that room. My father and I are have made it through the drum sanding and are just wrapping up the edger, so we have a ways to go. The previous owner had let the floors go and there was some pet and water stains. A lot came out int he sanding so far, but I would love to know if you have any advise on how to remove deep black pet/water stains that we are left? We have some floor bleach, but wondered if I should try anything else before jumping straight to that?
@@ambantar bleach won’t work. You can try hydrogen peroxide but this will take many applications. It’s best to cut out the planks with urine/water damage and replace with new boards.
Dave, hope you’re well! Tackling a reds ding project this week and glad I have your thorough videos as a guide. I started with 36 grit on a drum sander and went over the floor twice to get rid of all the old finish. Then I went over it with 60 grit on the drum sander. I realized that there were some small gaps in the boards and some nail holes from when the carpet was there. I put in wood filler, should I now sand with 60 grit or 80 grit with the drum sander? Thank you!
60 grit is good.
Thanks for watching!
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 great! Thank you for the quick reply. One more question if I may, I love the color of the natural oak and want to just seal it. I had trouble finding some of the water-based polyurethane you have used in some of your other videos, is there a nice one you recommend that I could find from Home Depot or similar with a satin to matte finish? Thank you!
@@eckopoppin Loba, Bona, Streetshoe are good. Contact a local hardwood contractor supplier in your area. I don’t recommend Home Depot or Lowes for finishing products.
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Question - we are using a water based sealer after we stain. Do you still use mineral spirits to clean in between the sandings or would something else be better? Many thanks. Great video!!!
Never use mineral spirits to clean between sandings of water based finish. Use a water dampened cloth.
Great information. I will be doing a floor for the first time. One question how many sanding pads per grit are used? I know it depends on the square footage. The area I will be doing is around 1,000 Sq ft.
It depends on the type of finish on the floor. To sand 1000 sf could require 6 or more 36G drum belts to remove the existing surface finish. You might need to lower to 24G if the abrasive is breaking down too quickly or raise to 40G if finish is coming of easily. Test sand with various grits to find correct grit. Once the surface finish is removed progress to 60, then 80 grit. 4 belts of each should be fine for 1000 sf. Thanks for watching 👍
You aren't going to fill those cracks at the wall? But do you use a 6inch edger at all? I use one, the smaller disc size and the extended nose is great for getting under cabinets and what not but I can't find paper to save my life anymore.
Do you sand with 220 after last coat and then use paint thinner?
No, after last coat applied its done.
Very educational
When varnishing my red oak floors (keeping it natural with no stain) and using Bona Traffic HD, can I skip the sanding between the 2 coats?
If the surface is smooth you could, however a light sand with a 220 grit screen is recommended. Vacuum then wipe with swiffer or damp cloth before next coat. Always follow manufacturers directions on label. Thanks for watching!
This is a DIY situation. I am not a professional. I stained the floor and waited 48 hrs before I applied polyurethane. a small area of the stain along one board about 2feet was pulled up when applying polyurethane. Should I just sand down that small area and reapply the stain and then polyurethane? What is your advice? It doesn’t look terrible but it is noticeable. I am concerned I will have to sand down the whole floor? Again, any advice would be appreciated. Also, your videos have been so helpful.
Yes you can isolate and tape off the single board, gently hand scrape and sand off, reapply the stain, wait for it to dry, remove tape, then apply urethane to feather out into surrounding floor, thin coats. Hope this helps.
I have these situations when somebody walks on my stained floor and puts footprints or paw prints on it.
Great video. I just sanded a bedroom 14 x 14. Started drum sanding and edging with 36 grit then 60 then 80 grit. I stoped edging at 60 grit to hand sand edge lines and swirls by hand. I have baseboard heat around perimeter majority of the room. I edged with a toe kick sander. I have 60 grit swirl edge lines. I started hand sanding at 80 grit under baseboards to include edger swirls to match 80 grit drum sander. Taking forever. Any suggestions to remove edger swirls when you have baseboard heaters?
Scraper, and hand sand under baseboard heaters.
Wow brother nice work and hard worker
Instead of using that rectangular sander for the final sanding, would you recommend the random orbital sander with the 3 sanding discs instead?
You could use any orbital sander.
Good evening Sir! I need your advice. Could you tell me what kind of roller should I use for minwax polyurethane. I have two brands - Nour foam smooth surfaces and 6 mm pile regular roller
6 mil, lint free, microfibre roller
@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 thank you so much!!!!
What was the SQ ft of sanding needed in that house?
How many days did it take?
Thanks for posting this video.
That house was approximately 750 sq ft of oak hardwood. 2 days sanding, 1 day stain, 3 days for urethane.
Thanks for watching!
Great video. When doing a dark matte stain, what type of sealer do you apply?
No sealer, stain directly on floor. Thanks for watching!
Do you put any type of top coat on after the stain?
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101
Love your videos! I’ve been following your directions pretty faithfully, but I’m still having trouble removing the edger lines. We did 36 grit on each drum and edger, followed by 60 grit on each. I’ve been trying to remove the edger lines and it doesn’t seem possible. The scraper hasn’t removed anything (?) and going back to 36 grit on the Makita also didn’t remove them. What did we do wrong and can we fix it?
Hi Sarah
Whenever possible try to start edgering with a higher grit, like 60. You may need to use more paper but it will be easier to remove those marks. Since you started with 36, then 60 you could do 100 grit next, realize the abrasive on 100 grit breaks down very quickly on hardwood and continued use with paper that has worn out abrasive will result in heating of the floor and the wood will turn purple or black once it heats up. You will need to spend a fairly long time using a palm sander to remove the edger lines but it will remove them. I am assuming it's red oak you're working with, if its a harder wood like maple you'll need to be patient and thorough when palm sanding to remove all the parks. Good luck.
I have pre-finished hardwood floors in my house which are roughly 25 years old. They are 3/4 inch solid red oak that is 3 inches wide, i would like to sand and refinish to a lighter colour, right now it is a burgundy/mahogany colour. My question is will this system of sanding and staining work on pre-finished hardwood floors? Also the fact that the wood is red oak, will it be hard to go to a lighter colour? and will the colour always be on the reddish side. Thanks for all your expertise knowledge !!
Yes it will work on pre-finished hardwood.
Oil based urethane will produce an amber finish on red oak. Light exposure will bleach the wood and it will become lighter over time.
Apply good quality water based finish, it will not yellow, and the wood will look the same as after you've sanded it. Good luck!
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 thanks for your reply!! not sure if i am understanding correctly are you suggesting i use a water based or oil based urethane? if i choose to, can i use water based urethane over oil based stain, or the other way around? Thanks for all your help !!!
@@tjtrigiani2547 either will work.
If using water finish make sure the stain is totally dry before application.
I never use water based stain.
my home uses the Clarke OBS 18 from start to end, and the floor looks bad, with lots of unfinished areas in between, what should i do?
should i go back with the Clarke EZ8 drum sander, do everything from the beginning?
Yes use drum sander 1st
Hi Dave. Sand screening between urethane coats with the pole sander- is it technically drywall sanding screen?
Yes
Thanks! I’ve learned so much from your videos!
Video is loaded with great and helpful info but brah, camera motion and shaking is a killer. Makes one dizzy after three minutes. 👍
Will do
So if you apply two or three coats of stain you need to sand in between each coat? Then when you apply the polyurethane you need to sand in between each coat of that as well?
I never apply more than one coat of stain. Sample out the stain in a closet or on separate pieces of wood to determine the tint you like. I screen sand between coats of urethane only. I hope this helps!
If you already applied one coat of stain don't sand it. Wait until floor is dry then apply urethane. Best of luck.
Can I use an Oil Base on EBONY stain??? Or will it still yellow?? Scared tl use the waterbase now because of diifuculty of use and what i just read from tou that it my peel from the oil base stain!!?? Oh Lort...
Thanks for watching...since you're staining the floor ebony the oil finish won't appear yellow because the ebony is very dark. It will yellow but won't be as noticeable compared to applying over natural oak, or maple. Varathane Crystal Clear Floor Finish claims to be non-yellowing! However, most oil based floor finishes will yellow over time, as they contain linseed oil, synthetic resins, and plasticizers. Duraseal 550 VOC Polyurethane claims to be less yellowing. You can apply water based floor finish but realize the bond is not as strong over oil based stain, and could peel off in time. Just make sure the stain is totally dry before applying the water based finish. Good luck.
my florist just abandoned the floor after drum sanding and palm sanding the edges. it looks good but someone said its not properly levelled. If I just put stain on that and poly coat it 2 to 3 times, will it do the job or I should be doing anything else? There are no gaps to fill it with wood filler. Thanks, I do not have access to sanders.
I can't answer that as I have no idea what grits were used, but it sounds like it needs more sanding.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Gone ahead with staining last night. Yet to put poly. doesn't look bad. Not perfect either. No visible scratches
What grit would you generally start with on a newly installed unfinished oak floor ? There’s ton of refinish videos not much on new floors .
60 grit should be good to start
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 thank you so much I’m going to follow your advice and start Monday morning I’ve reserved sanders from rental place nothing to it but to do it now .
Was that Edgar Cruz's version you were playing on guitar?
Yes
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 good job. I bought his dvd set many years ago. Bohemian rhapsody was beyond me though.
42:45 you stated 220 surface finish. That meant you sanded with 220 after final coat of polyurethane had dried? Correct?
The final screen sand is 220 grit. Then the last coat of urethane is applied. No screen sanding after last coat unless you're planning on additional coats. Thank you for watching!
I’ve recently sanded my oak floors and noticed that most of the boards around the border and door trim have some kind of fastner similar to a nail, holding them to the subfloor. I’m wondering if you know of a way to drive them further or to cover them so there isnt glimmering specs of metal around the floor edges after urethane. Thanks!
Nail set
Lol
Impressive. Outstanding. The perfect how to do it right.👍
Thank you, glad it was helpful.
Do oil based stains/finishes have a chemical odor after dry? water based seem to be taking over but I love the look of the oil based. Also when doing the last 2 coats, do you stain and seal? or just seal?
Yes oil, and lacquer based stains stink and require you to wear a VOC respirator or you will get high, and a severe headache. Also causes brain damage, so make sure children, and pets are not present. Last two coats you should just apply the urethane. With oil based stains its sometimes good to add a small amount of the stain to your tray of urethane 5% should be fine for your first coat. Final coat should only be 100% urethane. Thank you for watching!
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Okay, but once its dried/cured there will be no odor? Thanks for the reply
@@mpreiss7780 Yes once it’s fully cured
Thank you. So can a screen process with a screen or Sandpaper on the buffer pad after all complete can prestain and stain dry into the floor or is that not possible
I don't understand the question? Staining is done after sanding is complete. Wait for stain to be totally dry before applying floor finish. Good luck.
Ive had a can of polyurethane sitting for a year or so. Can I shake it well then let it sit to get rid of bubbles or just stir stir stir? TIA
If it hasn't congealed it should still be useable.
Better to thoroughly stir rather than shake can.
Yes if you shake it you'll need to allow time for bubbles to dissipate.
Hello couldn't you start with 36 grit instead or 24. Floor didn't seem too bad to warrant 36 at start ?
Yes, if 36, or 40 grit removes the scratches, gouges and marks you can start with those grits.
Do i absolutely have to buff the floor after the final sand?
Final sand is 80 grit orbital, then stain, or finish.
@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 I saw you use the square sander machine which is a buffer correct? I didn't buff before staining will that cause any significant issue
My last sanding with the drum sander was 100 grit. Should I have buffed after or was the 100 grit enough of a substitute for a buff
After sanding with square buff i get pretty small pigtails. You have to look closely to see them. Is this acceptable since you dont seem them whike standing? Probably even after sanding, you wouldn't see them unless you look close. Thanks
Yes this can occur, especially on maple, or birch. These shouldn't be visible if just applying poly.
When someone decides to refinish a wooden floor in a CoOp. they need to inform downstairs neighbors of the extreme noise that sanders create. If you don’t, get ready for some neighborly invective!
It's LOUD!!!
what if you use a water based satin finish do you use paint thinner still?
No you use water.
so i believe the Fabulon Urethane in your video is oil based correct? what are your thoughts on water based (latex) products, not only for urethane but also wood stain
I also use water based finish.
Water based stain is difficult to work as it dries very quickly which can leave edge lines if left too long. It also tends to be very monotone. But at least you don't need to wear a respirator.
36 then 80 then round buff 💪
Can you use 150 grit with the machine after the 2nd coat of polyurethane?
If it's only urethane on floor should be okay, but if the floor is stained it could go through to bare wood. If possible check in a small section or closet first. You may need to do it by pole sander.
What do you prefer water based or oil based polyurethane? Which one last the longest?
I prefer water based because of non toxic properties. Sometimes the job requires oil based finish to achieve proper colour. Also the oil based urethane adheres better to oil based stain, as water based finish over oil based stain can flake or peel off.
Two component water based finish is stronger in theory, but if you drop a hammer it will dent any floor finish on there. Same for dogs nails will scratch either one equally.
Water based finish is more expensive.
I'm about to let myself into this adventure, before that, couple of squeaky spots. How to fix that issue? After or before sanding, and how?
Not something I generally do, but try to repair from underneath if possible. You’ll likely need to pre drill holes, drive nails or screws through surface and into joists, countersink the nails, or screws a bit then apply filler. Good luck thanks for watching!
Well friend now it's time to do a guitar video.
th-cam.com/video/dbOo_CVNoxQ/w-d-xo.html
So how many sanders did you use
4
Where is your home base you work from.
Clarington, Ontario
Do you remove thw baseboard or is it already removed for you?
Depends on customer
How do you avoid air bubbles when applying the urathane with a roller?
I use 6 or 10 mil lint free rollers and never have air bubbles with oil based finishes. Make sure last coat is applied very thin! Ideally apply multiple thin coats if possible. Apply it slowly. Once applied don't go over it again after 3 minutes have elapsed as this could cause air bubbles or little bumps in finish and you'll need to screen sand out the following day. Room temperature could also effect this.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Thanks for the response. What determines if you use an actual floor buffer or sander between coats of urathane vs using a pole sander?
If the first coat is over a stained floor I opt to hand pole sand rather than machine orbital screen as it may leave little curly marks on floor. Also machine could be too aggressive and sand through 1st coat, through stain and down to bare wood. You can test with 220 grit screen in a closet. If its just urethane on floor machine screen sand is fine.
Is it true that if you wipe a wet sponge on the wood and it turns yucky orangy color then that's a good indication that's what you'll end up with when any water poly is applied. Think I'll avoid that yucky orange and do a whitewash instead. Product feast and Watson in Australia. Some bad reviews like anything, but I'll give it a try. I've run out of options. Wish I just started laying the click together stuff. For First timer diyer sanding, varnishing floors is not worth the trouble imo.
** EDIT** The water poly has gone on clear as compared to a wet mop which strangely shows the wood up as orange. Doing 3 coats of clear and keeping light original color of wood. But yeah. Next time I'm doing the much nicer click together overlay.
If its an oil based finish it will turn amber (orange) over time.
Water base street shoe they have a bleaching matte that gives it the white wash look or bleaching the floors wouldn’t recommend either if you have never finished floors. Love your channel man. At first I was like great he’s telling our secrets. But at the end of the day it’s an art form and people will eventually call us
Do you have a video on how to remove shellac from oak floors?
Will be same as sanding a prefinished, or previously sanded floor. Your starting grit will be either 24, 36, or 40 grit.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 what do you do with some of the boards that the drum sander or edger just can't get the shellac off. Can I use some kind of wax remover?
@@davidgaston3246 I can't see an edger not being able to remove the finish as its extremely aggressive. I've used it to remove 1/4" thick paint/adhesive from 150 year old pine floors/stairs with 16 grit sheets - went through like butter. You'll obviously need to increase the grits to remove the aggressive scratch lines. I'm assuming you don't have access to these machines. If you're doing by hand first try it with a 1 1/2" hand scraper for hardwood floors.
If that doesn't work try applying Heirloom paint/varnish stripper first, wait for it to bubble, then scrape off..wear rubber gloves.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 I'm assuming if it's still shiny and smooth on some of the boards the shellac is still on it. I've ran the drum sander over the entire floor 3 to 4 times with 20 grit sand paper going very slow. That didn't cut it on some boards so I used 20 grit on the edger and it worked better but some of the boards the shellac has soaked pretty far in. I can send you some pictures via email if you'd like to see what I'm dealing with.
@@davidgaston3246 Not necessary..are you sure its not the natural wood color? If you've removed 1/8" or more you'd likely already be to bare wood.
Did I miss it? What is the color of the stain please!
Minwax Early American
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Thank you for your reply- one more question please- I also have red oak hardwood floors that I am having refinished soon. I would like the end result to be a medium neutral brown tone. My floor guy only likes to use oil based poly. I know that has an amber tone to it. What stain would you suggest so I don’t end up with too red or too honey/orangey tone as an end result?
@@lisagrieb8836 Its best to work with your floor guy to pick the stain. Check Lowes, or Home Depot stain samples of either Minwax or Varathane stains then sample out the ones you like on pieces of oak.
You may need to contact a local paint/stain supplier near you if you have a custom tint in mind. Most retailers that provide custom tints will have some pre-made samples on oak already.
You'll also want to apply 3 coats of your preferred urethane to the samples after the stain has dried as the urethane will sharpen the grain pattern and slightly alter the tone.
Hope this helps.
How many passes should i be doing? Feels like its taking forever . Im still on 36 grit after almost 3 hours.
You only need to remove the surface finish, marks, and scratches. Depending on the condition of the floor (age, wear, water, oil, pet urine) these may not totally be removed through sanding if penetrated too deep. If the floor has been sanded multiple times it may not have enough wood remaining.
Thanks for watching. Good luck
How much do you charge per sq ft ?
It depends on many factors. Pricing ranges from $3 to $10 per square foot. Check out my video on "How to quote jobs" th-cam.com/video/aecuhsiNYTI/w-d-xo.html
I’m a bit confused. You said you finish with 80 grit for the drum sander but you only went up to 60 with the drum and did 80 with the orbital.
Hi there, after having refinished in excess of 2000 homes/businesses I came to the realization that every floor will be different. Attempt to start the drum sanding with 60 grit, if you're able to remove the surface imperfections with relative ease for at least 150 square feet then its safe to do the entire floor with 60 grit belts. However if it's taking too long to strip the surface finish drop the grit to 40, 36, or 24 if necessary, you'll then need to progress to 60 grit on the drum sander....if you're thorough with the OBS 18 then 60 grit on that machine will suffice for most staining/finishing jobs, after having edgered, scraped the corners, and palm sanded the edger lines, corners, around casings etc. Realize when you move up a grit you have to completely sand the entire job at that next higher grit. Once you are on the OBS 18, you can sand everything to 80 grit if you like...anything higher than 80 grit is a waste of your valuable time..happy sanding & refinishing!
what should i charge to do this service
Ballpark price between $4 to $6 per square foot, or more. Depends on many factors.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 I’m Wisconsin people are very cheap they don’t want to pay more then 2.50 sqf
@@elcentenario286give the customer options to choose from..sand only, apply stain, with two coats, optional additional coats etc.
I'm Wis. also, new to the state. Are people cheap or just broke/poor/financially insecure? @@elcentenario286
Im starting my floors tomorrow.....and I'm scared to death....
Take your time and you'll do fine.
@@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101 Thank You!! If I have to bleach out some old pet stains....with that area still take on the new stain like rest of wood??? Or will it be lighter??? Thank You!! Staining a Dark Ebony...
@@JTRUTH2025 you’ll need to test it with stain, and might need to adjust the tint. Good luck
Will ...