I was thinking about handing sanding it myself.... Like doing a square foot at a time.. even if I spend 6 months on it. One reason... I'm an older woman - my lungs can't take the dust and I can clean as I go.
Can people out there with experience tell me whether this is an absurd idea or if it will work and what will be the pitfalls?
Thanks!
2007-09-26 08:29:33 · 6 answers · asked by Bentley 7 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The idea sounds pretty awful to me. There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea I'd have a hard time covering them all.
If you're concerned about dust, consider that even hand sanding will make and raise some dust. If you are serious, I would recommend an orbital sander as someone else said. I use an orbital sander (Ryobi?) to make wood floor samples which uses the sticky sandpaper (NOT the Velcro type paper) and has a round outlet matching my shop vacuum. It's much more effective than hand sanding but some dust still escapes. Make sure to poke holes in the sandpaper to facilitate the dust pickup. Doing a larger area will try your patience and your hands will feel funny after long stints. Even 60 grit paper is often not aggressive enough to take off all the old finish and take out the scratches, indentations and highs and lows in an old floor. You'd also have to sand the areas repeatedly until you get to a fine (100grit) paper which will leave the floor smooth enough for finishing.
Also consider that finish is meant to be applied to freshly sanded wood. When you sand an area, you can't just leave it raw and it's not practical to apply finish as you go. The results will not be uniform.
You'd be better off spending your time delivering pizzas or collecting scrap aluminum until you've earned enough to pay a professional to do the work. Find someone with decent dust pickup equipment or hire a house cleaner to help with the aftermath. The end result will be much more satisfactory.
2007-09-26 09:58:24 · answer #1 · answered by Rise Above 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well first of all you have to think about your furniture. One square foot at a time isn't a bad idea as long as you don't mind your house being in disaray for a while. Make sure you invest in a good random orbital sander, around $65 or so. This will make your job a little easier. They also come with little bags that will help with the dust. Depending on how thick the polyurathane is will depend on how much effort will be required. The more down to bare wood you get the better the final product. Sanding is the MOST important step.
If you can't handle the idea of your house being a work zone for a few months you might consider hiring it out. It'll cost a few dollars to do this, but it'll be done in a week or so. If you do this get at least 3 estimates. Some contractors though will charge you a little more if you start the project and then have them finish it.
Good Luck.
2007-09-26 08:59:36 · answer #2 · answered by Chad H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your idea would only work if the sections you sand are from wall to wall following the wood grain and do not overlap the next section(even if one section is only the width of the sander). If you sand any spots more than others or stop sanding in the middle of a plank, the finished floor won't look very good as the sand marks will stand out a lot at the start and stop points of your sections.
2007-09-26 09:01:03 · answer #3 · answered by yonitan 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well Marcie .you would be better letting me do it.Ive been in construction for 17 yrs and let me say that the sanders are very quick.heavy and cucumber some.it is very very tricky to get them even not having grooves where you will feel them with your feet .it is very dusty even with a mask.why are you doing it any way?a new color?any way it is hard on the knees hard to get close to the base boards.it is possible though nut a great chore.if you want some finer points write.things as what grit of sand paper a few choices of stain and applications do not go by the easy does homebooks out there go to a proffessional hard woodflooring man. let me know if i can help.
2007-09-26 14:53:27 · answer #4 · answered by jayhawker 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a big job to do it this way. I'm a retired contractor and could help with a sander. It would take a day. My wife could help, we're in our seventies too.
By hand, don't do it. If you have a family why don't you ask one of the guys to give you a hand for one week-end. If you belong to a church group ask them if they could help. We do that all the time for our members that need help. It's a lot of work to do this like that.
2007-09-26 23:25:05 · answer #5 · answered by cowboydoc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dust may have lead.
2007-09-26 08:37:40 · answer #6 · answered by enord 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋