How small a room before drum sander is not worth it?

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So, as the title suggests. I am wondering if there is any rule of thumb of sized room before the big drum sanders you can hire become more of a hindrance than a help. When I have used these before, even in bigger rooms you have to start a good bit into the room because the handle and you are behind it, and you can't get too close to the wall on the other side, so you end up doing quite a lot of it with other sanders.

The room I am going to sand next is only 3m by 3.8, and the boards run along the 3m length, so feels like the drum sander will be starting nearly half way across the room, but my belt sander which I have used in smaller spaces like the hallway, might be a be a bit much. Wondering if maybe just hiring an edging sander on its own might be the sweet spot?
 
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OP,
Besides drum sanders there are other sanding machine options available, & although I've never tried it even a belt sander.
 
It depends on what finish you have now and what finish you're going to use after sanding.
If using the same kind of varnish, stain or paint, you don't need to remove all existing finish.
For example, if floor is varnished and you're varnishing again, a good sanding to take existing shine off is sufficient and recommended.
I would only remove all existing finish if going from water based to oil/solvent based finish.
Even then, I once was asked to pass a coat of solvent based paint over a lightly sanded windowsill finished with water based paint.
I visited the property a few years later and all was still perfectly fine.
In other words, you could do it by hand or with an orbital sander but I wouldn't use a belt sander, there's risk of digging in the wood.
 
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It depends on what finish you have now and what finish you're going to use after sanding.
If using the same kind of varnish, stain or paint, you don't need to remove all existing finish.
For example, if floor is varnished and you're varnishing again, a good sanding to take existing shine off is sufficient and recommended.
I would only remove all existing finish if going from water based to oil/solvent based finish.
Even then, I once was asked to pass a coat of solvent based paint over a lightly sanded windowsill finished with water based paint.
I visited the property a few years later and all was still perfectly fine.
In other words, you could do it by hand or with an orbital sander but I wouldn't use a belt sander, there's risk of digging in the wood.

Sorry, I should have been clearer about the details. These are solid wood boards which have been varnished. They are not original pine or oak boards, but rather semi modern t&g solid wood which I suspect were fitted around 30 years ago throughout the downstairs of the house. They are dark wood, possibly walnut or tropical, I have never been able to figure out the species but they are excellent quality and have stood up incredibly well, even in areas where there has been dampness.

I have lifted them and refitted, as I had to replace the joists underneath so as they are relaid on new joists and ply the floor is fairly flat. The main purpose in sanding is to remove the varnish. I have done this to the same wood in two other rooms in the house so far, then covered with a hard wax oil and they have come up really well. In the larger of the other two rooms I used an upright hired sander, in the other (the hall) it wasn't worth hiring as the hall was two small sections separated by steps and I would barely have moved a step forward before needing to turn around. I used a belt sander in the hall and I didn't have any gouges, but it was really hard work holding on to the thing and controlling it.

I can't see me being able to do it by hand, the varnish is really tough, while at the same time prone to scratching, which seems like a contradiction! :rolleyes:

Hire of the sander is about £100 and if I was strapped for cash I would just use my belt sander, but the cost isn't an issue if it would significantly reduce the time. I had just been thinking the room might be a bit small for the big push sanders. Maybe if I go diagonally or across the boards until the varnish starts to come off it would be less of an issue.
 
Poster #4,
I've never seen a floor the OP's size floor sanded with an Orbital sander - or imagined doing it that way.
Belt sanders are a compromise but they will never dig in as much as drum sander's can dig in.
 
Poster #4,
I've never seen a floor the OP's size floor sanded with an Orbital sander - or imagined doing it that way.
Belt sanders are a compromise but they will never dig in as much as drum sander's can dig in.
So what is it you would suggest then, or what would you do, for a room this size?
 
The last floor I sanded- the room was big enough to warrant a drum sander but it had been sanded a few times in the past. I only used the drum sander for the first couple of passes. I then used my 180mm Festool rotary sander. Additionally, I used that as the edging sander as well.

Hard work though, being on your hands and knees.

You can hire dedicated rotary floor sanders which are designed for hardwood floors.

 
Poster #4,
I've never seen a floor the OP's size floor sanded with an Orbital sander - or imagined doing it that way.
Belt sanders are a compromise but they will never dig in as much as drum sander's can dig in.
An orbital sander is the easiest tool to use to create a key for new finishing coats to grip.
As said, taking off all of the existing finish is a different matter and of course it would need a different approach.
 
I have done a similar sized room quite successfully with a DIY planer attach a hover to it instead you will be forever empting the planer onboard bag
Obvs bang the nails down first.
And use ear defenders
 
Poster #9,
Once again, I've never seen an Orbital sander used in any capacity for floor sanding - as for creating a key for finish coats, you simply change the paper - as you should have been doing as work progressed.
Can you imagine doing a large room or a gym or a school hall using an orbital sander for any kind of floor sanding purpose?
 
By orbital sanders do you mean DIY ones because I have used the proper orbital floor sanders (edge finishers) and they are monsters about half the diameter of a henry
 
Poster #9,
Once again, I've never seen an Orbital sander used in any capacity for floor sanding - as for creating a key for finish coats, you simply change the paper - as you should have been doing as work progressed.
Can you imagine doing a large room or a gym or a school hall using an orbital sander for any kind of floor sanding purpose?
40+ year carpenter here, so not new to this kind of jobs.
The op's room is not a sports hall, read the first post.
What do you mean with "as for creating a key for finish coats, you simply change the paper"?
Of course you change the sandpaper sheet if it starts clogging up.
Do you know what "making a key" in painting and decorating means?
Said this, the op is moving from varnish to hardwax, so he doesn't need a key, he needs to remove all the varnish and of course an orbital sander would not be suitable.
 
OP,
I had already acknowledged the size of the OP's room in my post #6. Perhaps you missed reading it?
You made general reference to using an Orbital sander so I then generalised to sports halls etc.
"creating a key" are your words.
You dont seem to understand that as work proceeds the papers are changed from coarse to fine - not just because of clogging up but because its necessary.
I'm well aware that fine sandpaper provides the best surface before coating, & sometimes between coats.
 
OP,
I had already acknowledged the size of the OP's room in my post #6. Perhaps you missed reading it?
You made general reference to using an Orbital sander so I then generalised to sports halls etc.
"creating a key" are your words.
You dont seem to understand that as work proceeds the papers are changed from coarse to fine - not just because of clogging up but because its necessary.
I'm well aware that fine sandpaper provides the best surface before coating, & sometimes between coats.
Op, disregard all of this because you need to remove all of the varnish from your floor.

For future reference, if you have any wood that needs recoating with the same kind of finish (varnish, paint, hardwax, etc.) you would only need to provide a key to the existing finish rather than go back to bare wood.
A key means that you use the appropriate grade sandpaper (in general 120 grit is ok) to sand the existing finish and remove the superficial shine, so that the new coating grips the "scratched" surface.
This is a very quick process that even on a floor can be easily achieved with an orbital sander and some user's skills to avoid swirls.
@ree is confusing matters with totally irrelevant facts.
 

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