which finishing sander???

[johnegrey]

I'm getting geared up to finish the oak flooring that I put down a few months back (T&G 180mm wide board, secret nailed to battens). The boards came sanded but with a few marks (which I've added to!), and I've also done some filling which need sanding flat. I decided against the traditional drum sander as I was concerned that it would take off too much, and also leave more marks than I had to start with. I'm therefore looking at two finishing sanders from HSS, one is an orbital, single disc (12"approx) machine that looks like the old floor buffers that you see in schools etc. The other is a heavier machine that has a rectangular front which presumably holds two or three heads. The catalogue basically says they do the same thing, does anyone have experience of these machines? or know the pros and cons of each?

Cheers,

j

 

[RKB]

When I put my oak floor down, I was lucky to be given a name of a finisher who does work for English Heritage and the National Trust - and he lived locally.
He came round to check the finish and lock the colour for me. He (and his mate) came in and used, I think they're called random orbital jobees, hand held and just went over the pegs and some of the joins to flatten and take off some surface marking. Interestingly, he did say that the finished look shouldn't look like laminate, and should show the shakes and none perfect joins.
He then used a very weak solution of thinner and just a hint of colour applied with a paint brush. He said this was to ensure the oak colour was protected from the sunlight. He finished with two coats of wax, buffed up with one of those industrial buffer things.
Result - stunning - even he said so
Cost £90

Hope that helps ...

 

[johnegrey]

Thanks RKB,

I checked with the hire shop and I reckon I'll go for the rectangular orbital sander, they reckoned that this woul give a better finish and not leave any swirls. I'll use my Bosch orbital sander for the edges.

Cheers,

j

 

[Jasonb]

Hired one of the rectangular ones for a job earlier this year, very slow and the paper wears out quickly, ended up doing it with my 6" random orbit. Guy at HSS insisted on calling it a RE-FINISHING sander ie for sanding the surface of a previoously finished floor before recoating.

Here's the floor

Jason

 

[chappers]

last year I hired a similar sander to the rectangular orbital one except it really was like one of those floor polishing machines it was the business ripped through the wood took all the peaks out of an old floor brilliantly,definitely the best I've used would never go back to the drum things again. Finished the floor in half the time it would have taken using the drum, but would agrre with Jason about the rectangular ones they are a bit slow but they do give a good finish.

 

[matz]

The random orbital sanders are supposed to have superseded rectangular ones to a large extent. The fear that you'll end up with swirl marks when using a random seems unfounded. Furniture makers swear by the random orbitals. Rectangular sanders are ok for dead flat and fine surfaces.

 

[johnegrey]

Thanks all.

Jason, the flooring I've laid is new oak and is pretty well finished already apart from small amounts of filler here and there. I have, however, got a large area to do (60m2+), so resorting to using my hand sander is not an option. Would you avoid the HSS rectangular jobby and go for the old 'floor polisher' type? (if you were doing it again?

Cheers,

John

 

[Jasonb]

That floor was also new oak, 7",9" & 11" random lengths. There were 700 oak plug heads and some planer marks that had to be removed.

I would not go for the rectangular pad type again but would try the orbital floor polisher type. As you said the drum sander seemed over the top for the anount that needed removing.

Jason