[VinylHanger]

This is for my own place, so perfect isn't needed.

We are refinishing an original hardwood floor from 1930. Most of it is oak, but the dining room is fir. The oak sanded down well enough, but the fir is either cupped, or was screwed up sometime in the past.

We used a vibrating square sander because I didn't want to mess it up more. We tried 36 grit and it took the high spots of poly off, so we switched to 20 grit to get the rest of it. Needless to say, it only started to do more damage to the high points and nothing to the low points, so we stopped.

What are my options. I have my RO 150, which with 120 grit seems to work, but I need to run it into the cup which makes it worse, but I could live with it if needed. Using the 20 grit by hand breaks it off, but takes forever and cuts the wood pretty harshly.

We are just going to put a clear satin over it.

I am in no way a floor guy, so I'll admit total ignorance in this situation. Unfortunately, I don't know a local floor guy to even ask, so here I am.

 

[Metro M & L]

You need to use a drum sander to make the floor flat. Sanding series 36 60 fill wood grain 80 screen 100 or 120.

My first couple floors I did with an obs 18. Also started at 36, possible twenty four. You're not sanding sheet rock you need some paper with rocks stuck to it.

If the floor is particularly cupped (which the one you have does not look too bad, just weak sanders and perhaps starting at too high a grit) you can sand at a bias to the grain. Really bad floors I used to cross hatch with the ez 8 at 36, step down to 24 to take out the 36 grit scratch (important on the fir because of the soft wood) and then continue through your sanding series.

 

[pinwheel]

Yep, gonna have to pop your cherry on a drum machine. EZ8 from a rental yard has a feathering handle & is fairly forgiving to a newbie to drum machines. IMO, there's no need to go courser than 36 grit on that floor. You're also gonna have to learn to run an edger.

My best advise, let the paper do the hard work. Start with a finer grit & see what results you're getting. If you're clogging paper or your not getting much mileage, switch to a courser grit, but only after you've trashed a finer piece first. It'll save you time down the road & make for a better job than starting with the coursest first.

The edger is gonna beat you down & make you sore, take it in short bursts rather than trying to hog out the whole room. Your muscles aren't conditioned to what that things gonna do to you, so take it easy.

 

[VinylHanger]

Heck, you guys make it sound like a whole lotta fun. :laughing:

We got down and close up on the rest of the floor and we are most likely going to just resand the whole house again. We have some finish remaining on the oak in the other parts of the house. It is still holding well, but the vibrating sander took most of it off, but left small areas in the grain and such. Might as well go all out if I got to get the sander anyway.

My next question is, since we are now going to properly take all the finish off, can we use a mono coat type product? I am not sure if poly would hold up to dogs, cats, gravel, me, etc. I found this on the net, is it a good idea? I also haven't found any pricing, what kind of cost are we looking at for this stuff? Or a better alternative? We are on a tight budget, money and time wise, but if I don't have to do multiple coats it may be worth it.

http://www.monocoat.us/

 

[VinylHanger]

My next question is if I need to worry about the nails in the fir? As I got down and dirty with my RO 150, I got a closer look at the surface. IN some areas, I am running into this. Are these normal face nails, with a staple to hold the tongue down? The original builder of this place worked in a fir mill and used wood from the mill. Maybe not T&G on the fir?

Do I have to do anything different because of this? The oak doesn't seem to have this problem.

 

[jamestrd]

My next question is if I need to worry about the nails in the fir? As I got down and dirty with my RO 150, I got a closer look at the surface. IN some areas, I am running into this. Are these normal face nails, with a staple to hold the tongue down? The original builder of this place worked in a fir mill and used wood from the mill. Maybe not T&G on the fir?

Do I have to do anything different because of this? The oak doesn't seem to have this problem.

the boards were probably moving or squeaking..my guess directly over joists so someone put finish nails to stop movement.

Rubio Monocoat is just that..1 coat..available in multiple colorings.

any application like this would be best for dogs/etc.

this is because there is no surface build.only the penetrated oil/stain which hardens within the wood to protect.

the only exposure for the dog nails will be directly to wood fiber so generally speaking will not cause a scratch.


However they will still be able to cause compressions..

these techniques are old world European processes..oil waxes etc

 

[jamestrd]

oh and you are going to need a buffer to do this..

don't think you will have the proper skill set to work this right out of the gate..and it wont be cheap

 

[VinylHanger]

oh and you are going to need a buffer to do this..

don't think you will have the proper skill set to work this right out of the gate..and it wont be cheap

What if I stay at the Holiday Inn Express the night before I try it? And watch a lot of HGTV?

 

[Calidecks]

What if I stay at the Holiday Inn Express the night before I try it? And watch a lot of HGTV?

You will not only come out a flooring genius, you will be able to shut down a nuclear plant on the verge of exploding.

 

[VinylHanger]

:laughing:

 

[CarpenterSFO]

...

Rubio Monocoat is just that..1 coat..available in multiple colorings.

any application like this would be best for dogs/etc.
...

James, do you specifically recommend Rubio Monocoat for that situation?

 

[jamestrd]

James, do you specifically recommend Rubio Monocoat for that situation?

Yes I do recommend it during these discussions but once I tell them there is no shine some get turned off to it..

some get sold.
Bona has a product as well..
Bona Indoor Wood Oil

these applications are similar to a tung oil in the sense they are user friendly.
they can easily be touched up.
Another product is Woca Oil.
available in many colorings as well and all can be mixed to achieve custom coloring.

they are expensive products ranging from 90-110 liter. but you get a lot of coverage from them.

if you like a very natural looking floor,these are the products to use.
they can be be cleaned with the same maintenance,offer no shine or surface build.