When sanding floorboards, some people advise to sand diagonally first, then with the grain. Is this true? Why?

Answer 1

I usually go with the grain UNLESS... UNLESS the floor is noticeably uneven then I will go cross grain and then with the grain.. it depends muchly on the condition of the floor.. that is.. the unevenness of the floor...

Do not know if you are going to use an edge sander or a belt sander.. If a belt sander.... be very careful and try to use it as a plus or minus 45degree angle and be extra careful not to groove the floor.. that is one of the problems with a belt sander

Answer 2

Each successive sanding operation basically uses a finer grade of sanding material (eg aluminum oxide) to remove the fine grooves cut in the wood in the previous step.

The first sanding tries to remove all the deep scratches and the coat of varnish or polyurethane on the floor. It typically uses a coarse grit. Sanding diagonally will sand out any deep scratches that are with the grain, across the grain or anything in between.

But in the 2nd (and 3rd) sanding steps, you want a milder cut, so use a medium-fine (or very fine) grade of sandpaper. Sanding with the grain ensures that whatever residual sanding pattern remaining in the wood will run the same direction as the grain, and be less obvious after you finally coat the floor.

Along the walls, you use a rotating edge sander with a medium grade sandpaper to minimze swirl marks. A second sanding would use a finer grade of paper.

Answer 3

i can tell you years ago I did the ' on my hands & knees' thing with a belt sander - then a vibrating sander and this was a small room. Maybe four foot by six foot. It took about a week to sand and i still had to go back a few times to get it just right - it never was just right but at some point i had to just accept it for what it is - it wasn't going to get much better in the near future. It turned out really well considering what I went through. Today, i'd never go through all that. I'd use the floor sander and if i was unsure on using it I'd just hire someone to come in and do the sanding - then i'd take it from there. You see, being a DIY buff does not mean you "have to' do every detail yourself, don't be afraid to hire portions of a job out when needed. If you do this yourself though, you'll need the floor sander for the mass, and a smaller sander for the minor areas, and a hand scraper for the very minor areas that a sander did not get ( or you could sand them by hand).Just remember to get all that molding off so you can get as close to the walls as possible by machine. As a precaution you may want to have a small thing of wood putty handy too.

Answer 4

I recently re-sanded my hardwood floors and we did not have a specific pattern in which we sanded. But I also think it depends on the type of sander you use.

We used the square one where it simply rubs the floor with sand paper over and over again. I know the round shaped sander actually digs into the floor to remove the top level. So in that case I would say it would matter the direction of sanding if you use the round shaped sander.

We did follow the grain when we were cleaning up the dust becuase it made it easier to get into the cracks to remove the debris.

We also followed the grain when we mopped on the polyurethane high gloss.

Best wishes, it is LOTS of hard work and sweat but well worth it in the end.

Answer 5

Yes. Sanding perpendicular to the grain will help to remove the existing varnish and also helps to level the floorboards if its an old nail-down floor. And to get a smooth finish, going with the grain with a BELT-Sander.
Personally, if you want to make sure it's done good, I would have it done professionally as compared to taking on the project yourself. It would be worth it to have it done right the first time as compared to trying it yourself, screwing it up, and possibly sanding it too much resulting in it having to be completely replaced. I would look into the cost of having someone do it.

Answer 6

You never sand against the grain. If you do this you will create visable scratches in the finished look. Never a good idea. Always go with the grain, there isnt really any need to go against the grain so dont.

Answer 7

I have never heard of that when we sand we use an orbital sander then a block with the grain any cross cut you make will only take longer to sand out.

Answer 8

Sanding diagonally will help to flatten the floor. Might I suggest you rent an orbital sander rather than a drum sander, the direction of work is less important and you avoid the dreaded groove when starting and stopping a drum sander.

Answer 9

Gets the old varnish off better and the last direction you go in is the length of the boards so you don't have huge scratch marks going across them!

Answer 10

i own Properties you do not want to go against the Grain, reason being is,it's like a metel roof, the guides only go one way, you try to alter the lines its not gonna work, go with the grains. good luck