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Select the Right Sander

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Hardwood Floors-Repair, Refinish, and Restore - DIY Home renovation

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What happens here

The first critical decision in refinishing hardwood floors is selecting the appropriate sander for your floor's condition. For general refinishing to remove an old finish and achieve a smooth surface, an orbital floor sander (like the Clarke American Sanders model shown in the video) is ideal, as it levels out any grooves and creates a gentle, even surface. For floors in very bad shape with deep gouges, a heavy, thick finish, or significant scratches, a more aggressive walk-behind belt sander (such as the Hummel model demonstrated) is recommended for initial material removal. The video also shows a hand-held orbital sander (Makita) which is suitable for smaller, stubborn spots or hard-to-reach areas.

Goal: Choose the most suitable sanding equipment for the floor's current condition.

Tools and materials

  • Belt Sander Hummel — Removing thick finishes, deep gouges, and significant scratches on severely damaged floors
  • Hand-held Orbital Sander Makita — Sanding edges, corners, and stubborn spots that larger machines cannot reach
  • Sanding Belts — Abrasive for belt sanders
  • Sanding Discs — Abrasive for orbital sanders

What they say

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watching the dirt monkey. step when you're refinishing a hardwood floor is to remove the old finish. This is where we got to pick up a sander. But which one is right for you? We get to play with power tools. Now, to complete your project, you are going to need an orbital sander. You can get it started with a belt sander, but this is the machine you need to finish the job. This levels out any grooves. A belt sander is great for taking off a thick, heavy finish and to remove deep gouges and scratches, but this creates a nice, gentle, even surface.

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