Floor Sanding- Drum Alternative?

[Bob Winkler]

I need to sand and refinish a worn, red oak HW floor, mainly to blend a new section that I patched in (it was tiled). Last time I did battle with the drum sander monster, I remember it was not a happy experience.

Has anyone used the newer ROS machines like U-Sand? My goal is to remove the poly finish off the floor and try to lighten the stain somewhat. I don't know if the ROS sanders are aggressive enough.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Bob

[Al Willits]

Been there done that, with the drum sander, tricky little puppy to use.

We're about to refinish the dining room floor and giving some thought to a belt sander, if the room isn't to big maybe that might work for ya?

Al

[Bruce Volden]

Bob,


6-7 years ago I bought a new Bosch 3170? ROS, 6", variable speed....that would certainly be powerful / aggressive enough to use in your application. The only problem "I" would have is that I don't think I could handle it anymore, it is cumbersome and wears me out!! I let my younger brother use it for a while to do his edge work when he re-surfaced his floors~notice I said "younger" brother (as in big and stupid):D :D he liked it!


Bruce

[Joe Pelonio]

ROS or Belt both sound way too hard on the knees for my taste, if it's a big area. For that kind of touch up though I'd go with the ROS or even a good palm sander. It'll be agressive enough if you start out with a coarse grit.

[Chris Padilla]

Ask This Old House had a segment that dealt with this and the disc one was hands down, according to the host Kevin O'Connor, the easiest one to use and handle.

[Bob Winkler]

Maybe it wasn't clear from my post, but the newer ROS floor sander is actually a machine with 4 discs that do the sanding. It's a gentler alternative to the big drum sanders many of us know and hate.

Although I have considered using my Bosch 5" ROS and 4" belt, I agree that this would be brutal work and I'm leaning towards the machine rental at the Borg.

Thanks for the comments.

Bob

[Ben Grunow]

Bob- I am a bulder and I have never seen a pro using that tool on the job. THis might be because they are newer and very expensive and slower as I understand.

That said, I did see someone use that 4 disc tool on tv and it looked like it was doing the job only at about 1/2 the speed that I'm used to seeing floor sanders for (traditional large belt units). I think it edges too which is great because you only have to rent one tool and don't have to edge on your knees. There's still the corners and stairs to scrape though. I dont know how much you have to sand but I would try it- it probably only $50 a day or something.

IIRC, that tool can be run in any direction, not front to back like a belt sander. Good luck.

[Jason Roehl]

After having used some of the nicest (hmmm...maybe biggest? Ours is old...) equipment on the market for re-doing floors (read: 12" Super Hummel Belt Sander, at times with 24-grit paper), EVERYTHING else is slow. And, I don't care what you spend on an ROS, it doesn't cut the mustard if you're using it to make money. That is, you don't want to remove large areas of finish with it. They're great for taking out stray marks and such, but I've done closets and other small areas with a Festool Rotex 150, and it's just painfully slow (even with 24-grit). But, for the non-floor-finisher-homeowner, I've heard those 3- or 4-head ROS machines are great.

[Joe Tonich]

I rented one of these to do my wood floor.

http://www.americansanders.com/Products.php?Brand=Sanders&Pro=85

Uses 4 (8"?) disks and doesn't dig in like a drum sander. Had to make a few passes to get the finish off, but it did come off, and the sander doesn't beat ya up. It gets in close to the walls too, under an inch away I think. (Been a few years since I did this....:o )The dust collection on it was pretty good also. You still need a mask, but I think it was 1/2 of what the drum sander puts out if I can remember right.

[Chris Padilla]

Maybe it wasn't clear from my post, but the newer ROS floor sander is actually a machine with 4 discs that do the sanding. It's a gentler alternative to the big drum sanders many of us know and hate.

Although I have considered using my Bosch 5" ROS and 4" belt, I agree that this would be brutal work and I'm leaning towards the machine rental at the Borg.

Thanks for the comments.

Bob

Bob, that is what they used on ATOH...the 4-disc floor sander. Looked real nice...it will be my choice as the LOML is looking into doing the downstairs in bamboo flooring! :eek:

[Michael Stafford]

I have used the big orbital sander that Joe had the link to in his response. Yes, it is somewhat slow but at least I did not damage the floor. In the areas I could not get to with the big orbital sander I used my small ones and did a fine job albeit slow job......