Who doesn’t want to furnish their house with their own hands?
But the real challenge is when you have to sand your old rugged floor. A hand belt sander is a perfect tool to sand your floor, but wait a minute!
Do you know how to use it?
Worry not. This article will provide some effortless techniques to sand the floor with a hand belt sander.
Can I Use Handheld Belt Sander on Hardwood Floors?
Yes, you can use a handheld sander on hardwood floors.
A handheld orbital sander with gear-driven is the optimum setting to harness the maximum output. Starting with 40grit, you have to raise the power to 100grit for a more refined floor finish. You may need to use your elbow power a bit harder than usual.
A normal belt sander is a fantastic choice for smaller floor areas. It has a cyclic loop of sandpaper. Just move this tool around the floor, and your hardwood floor will have finesse in no time.
Yeah, that’s the beauty of handheld belt sander.
How to Sand Floor with Hand Belt Sander?
The first and foremost task to do any job properly is to arrange all the right equipment. So, to sand your floor, you would have to collect:
- A powerful hand belt sander, preferably 240V.
- Vacuum Cleaner to clean wood chips and dust
- Oil-Based finish to fine-tune your floor
Have you collected all the weapons? Okay, then dive into the sanding procedure.
The process is simple.
- First remove the old finish
- Clean the floor
- Then start sanding the floor
- clean the surface after sanding
- Finish applying oil base solution on sanded floor
Lets discuss the whole process briefly
1. Removing the old finish
Before applying your lethal weapon, you first have to make your battleground ready. And in this respect, removing your old, turned, rugged floor finish is the primary job.
This step is very tedious, but without proper preparation of your floor, your final result won’t be the same as you wished it to be.
- Take the belt sander and set it at 30-36grit.
- Work on the small surfaces to know how much sanding your floor needs to remove old rugs.
Don’t expect too much if you are sanding for the first time. And don’t get upset if you sand too much. You can always cover that up with the final finish.
Are you done with removing the old finish? Let’s move on to the next step.
2. Clean the Floor
Okay, you have removed your old floor finish. Now it is time to clean your floor to start sanding properly. Take the vacuum cleaner and clean the whole floor area.
Note :Make Necessary Preparation
So, you have cleaned the old finish. Before starting the sanding process, you ought to do something, or you will regret it afterward. Remove all the curtains, mats, and chairs from the room. If there are items like a piano or sofa, cover them. Seal the room so that your sanding doesn’t affect other rooms. Try to wear a face mask and goggles for safety. Keep the windows open.
3.Sand the Floor
You are all set to sand your floor; if you have done the above steps correctly, you can sand your floor. But before sanding, you have to determine whether your floor needs longitudinal or diagonal sanding.
If your floor is in a warped and sorry state, you would have to sand the floor diagonally and then finally longitudinally for a smooth finish.
But in case of a reasonably good floor state, you won’t need to sand the floor diagonally. Longitudinal sanding will do.
Sanding Diagonally
- Set the grade at 40-60 grit and start sanding from one corner of the room.
- Move the sander diagonally until you reach the opposite corner of you starting point.
- Tilt the sander once you reach the opposite end and lift the abrasive.
- Start the same process in a parallel line. Make sure every following sanding line overlaps the last line slightly.
- Sand the whole room in the same process.
Pro Tip:- Try to sand every line at the same angle. Do diagonal sanding twice.
Sanding Longitudinally
- Start sanding at 80 grit from the same corner where you started diagonal sanding.
- After reaching the opposite corner, tilt the sander and lift the abrasive—resume sanding in a parallel line from where you stopped. Make sure the new line of sanding overlaps the previous line.
- Carry out the whole process by moving the sander back and forth throughout the room. In the end, switch the gear to 120grit.
- Repeat the whole process once again. Double longitudinal sanding will ensure a satisfying finish.
4. Cleaning the Surface after Sanding
Retake the vacuum cleaner and remove all the wood chips and dust.
5. Finish with an Oil-Based Solution
Take a respirator and a broad brush to undergo this step. This is the final step of your brand new floor. So, apply the oil-based solution thoroughly and wait for the whole room to dry up.
Congratulations! You have a new floor, and all credit goes to you.
What Grit Sandpaper should I Use for Hardwood Floors?
36-grit sandpaper is well enough to use on hardwood floors. A recently sanded floor may not need sandpaper lower than 36-grit. But if you haven’t sanded your hardwood floors for long, a 24-grit or even 16-grit sandpaper should be an automatic choice.
Just remember, a well-maintained hardwood floor lasts for around 100 years. But to sustain that long, you need to continue sanding it whenever necessary.
FAQS
On average, a room floor generally takes one day to sand with a hand sander.
You would need 12 sheets of 24-grit sandpaper/ 8 sheets of 40-grit sandpaper/ 8 sheets of 80-grit sandpaper/ 5 sheets of 120-grit sandpaper to sand a floor.
You can sand your floors 7-10 times. But that number duly depends on the quality of the floor and your skill to sand.
Conclusion
Sanding a floor with a hand belt sander is pretty easy, right? Remove the old finish, clean the junks and the floor with a hand belt sander either diagonally or longitudinally upon your need, and then draw the finishing touch.
It is to some extend similar to deck sanding process. You just need a top-notch sander to complete the job.
I believe you won’t have a problem if you follow the above steps. Let me know in the comment section if you have any confusion.
Related Articles
I am Imtiaj Islam. I am a wood working enthusiast, having 6 years of experience in carpentry work. I have a BBA graduate degree from Chittagong College. I got vocational training on wood works from Korean Polytechnic out of the quest and zest he has for carpentry as well. I take several wood projects and keep testing different woodworking tools for comfortable and perfect work. I just love playing with woods and machines.