Re-sanding an old pine floor - tips on process and finish

[Baytree]

Hi,

We have recently moved into a small-ish victorian terrace and are thinking of re-sanding and finishing the pine floors in the hall, dining room, living room and one bedroom.

I have never done this before and will really appreciate any tips and advice from those who have been there before.... I have looked up the process and watched a couple of Youtube videos and am fairly certain it's within my capabilities. However I have had responses from friends and family ranging from 'I did it and would NEVER do it myself again' to 'It's a piece of cake, you'll have it done in no time'. I'd love to hear of other people's experiences to help me make up my mind.

The floorboards seem to be in good condition (smooth and even with no big gaps and no nails sticking out). They have just become very scuffed in high use areas and are a quite deep orange colour, which I would like to change before we move our furniture in.

If I do go ahead, the plan would be to hire an 8" drum sander and edging sander this weekend to remove the old finish and then re-finish with a product that will keep them a lighter colour. We are using eco paints throughout the house so would VERY much prefer a natural/low VOC product.

Any ideas/experience/advice gratefully received!

Cheers!

 

[dann09]

Its heavy, dusty work sanding and moving the machine.

Drive down all nails. T&G will only sustain a couple(?) of sandings.

The machines can be dangerous - do nothing to them or the s/paper without unplugging them.

Dust debris can spontaneously ignite - learn how to dispose of it.

One slip can equal one gouge, and you have a big problem.

All dust from all surfaces must be removed before applications of stain or finish.

Practice on the bed room floor until confident.

Orbit sander and scraper for difficult spots.

 

[dormermike]

It did a parquet block floor in our dining room - pine blocks I believe. Used Fiddes hard wax oil afterwards. First one i'd ever done. Possibly the last too.

I hired a drum sander to do mine, big mistake - needed a proper floor one (belt) but thats all HSS had at the time. I had to go over mine a lot to get the finish nice with the drum sander and the a smaller hand sander for local spots and finally by hand with a block and 80/120 grit paper. Was a lot of hard work, sweaty and noisy.

Very happy with the result though.

I would say go for it, live and learn.

Only thing I would do differently this time is save all the sanding and spend more time filling gaps before waxing.