If you get the scratches out with an orbital sander, go ahead and do it. You can't really ruin a floor with one of those things. That said, they do take a long time on hardwood. A long time.
If it looks like you need a drum sander, all I can say is don't. Hire a pro. Really. Honestly. Google "should I refinish my own floors?" You will find stories from otherwise sane and reputable tradespeople who have contemplated jumping off bridges after attempting to do it.
This guy has some good advice:
But, here's the good part! You can finish them yourself. Just get a pro to do the sanding. Finishing is the fun part anyhow. And even pros, (read above) will concede that many people can apply finish to the own floors better than the pros, if only because they're willing to spend the extra hours to make the floor look like glass
Want it done before the wife gets home so you can take the credit add 15%
When I started doing hardwood I was able to take the drum sander and go. With very little supervision from my boss. But it takes finesse and a good eye. DIY with good results has been done before, Just make sure you keep about $3.00/sqft put aside for the pros. That said, if you've never touched a drumsander before and your looking for good results over speed, go with the multi-disk orbit sander depending what the floor looks like I would start heavy (60 grt) and work up to 100grt + for staining don't forget edges and corners. Good luck
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