Hello all,
I have been searching and searching for the correct sandpaper grit sequence for pine floors. I don't believe they are yellow southern pine and am guessing they are eastern pine (5.25 " wide) and definitely not heart pine. lots of dark brown areas, knots and such. They are what they are but I can't afford to replace for another 2 or 3 years so I want to refinish them. I actually like the freshly sanded, non stained color in a test area I did and do not want to use an oil polyurethane which I believe is what is on there now as it is quite amber so I was thinking of using a Bona sealer and Bona traffic satin for the finish. My ideal color would be a medium gunstock brown but staining pine sounds troublesome so I'll live with just a clear finish. I just hate the yellow amber finish it is now

Total area is about 300 sq feet with the main area (LR) being 20' wide but only 10' deep which means other than 1 hallway my longest run with a drum sander would be 8 feet at best. While I have used a drum sander before on fir flooring it was a much bigger floor and I'm worried 8 feet is just too short of run for a novice to accomplish without mishaps. the rest of the floor is in a very small kitchen and I might get 2 or 3 passes into the kitchen thru a pass thru I'm not sure what sander to use?

The floor is flat, no cupping with minor gaps (1/16") in a few areas but it does have quite a few scratches, nicks and dents. I know I won't get all of them out and I'm okay with that. So I need to get the old finish off and down to bare wood so I can apply the finish. Would I be better of using the orbital deck and floor (square shake) sander? At HD they have available for that machine 36, 60, 80, 100 and 120. For the drum sander and edger they have 24, 36, 60, 80 &100. Is 36 to rough of starting grit for pine? Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Karen

Use a 60 grit belt sander. Have extra sandpaper ready. Use kerosene to keep from gumming up so soon in a spritzer. You don't want to introduce deep scratches that will need to be removed. Finish with a floor polisher and 60 or 80 grit screens.

Thanks Pete for taking the time to answer my questions. So I'm understanding you correctly:
1. You suggest a hand held belt sander with starting with 60 grit paper for the whole floor or just the small area in the kitchen?
2. Do not use a drum sander at all? Do not use the square deck orbital sander at all?
3. Use kerosene in a spray bottle to spray on the sandpaper? I understand the old oil finish is going to gum up the paper a lot but spraying kerosene in my house scares me a little especially since I have a a gas cook stove. Not that I would spray it near that but maybe I should just plan on a boatload of paper! Or I could change out the belts, spray them outside and swap them back in.
4. Finish up with a floor buffer using 60 grit screens and then 80? What color pad would I use with those screens? maroon, white?
5. I've read somewhere in my travels that brand new screens can still scratch a floor. Is there a method for wearing them down a bit? Or would I be better off the use a pole sander and always go with the grain?

In addition I was wondering:

6. After all sanding/screening is done do you at some point wash the floor? I've watched videos (from Petes Hardwood floors site) where they put a damp t shirt material on the bottom of a floor buffer and went over the floor but I couldn't see how damp it was. Could I do this without a piece of equipment? I assume this would raise the grain so would I need to re-sand before applying sealer?
7. Classic seal or Naturale seal? What grit screen to abrade after sealing?
8. I may just go with the Bona Mega. I know Pros on this site aren't fond of it but it will probably be just fine for me.

Thanks again for your much appreciated help!
Karen

To get to bare wood the best machine to use is a big machine. A drum sander, if that is what you have available at the rental yard will work the best to take the old finish off. Belt sanders are much easier to use for the novice. Practice installing the sandpaper before you leave the rental yard if you can only rent a drum sander. Kerosene spritzed onto the flooring will keep the sand paper from gumming up, if you can put up with the fumes. You don't want to use coarse sand paper making deep scratches that need to be sanded out. If you don't want to use kerosene, you will need to have lots of sand paper. Sand one half of the room then change directions and sand the other side. If you get a drum mark from hesitation or not stopping with the drum up you will need to sand the gouge diagonally to remove the spot, then straighten it out going with the grain.
Use a buffer with 60 or 80 grit screens with a purple pad for a driver under the block. Then you can use the purple pad between coats of finish.
After the sanding and edging is done and you have used the buffer to help blend in the edges and have scraped and hand sanded the corners vacuum the dust.
You will be ready to apply the finish of your choice. Follow the directions on the cans or bottles of finish that you will be using. At least one coat of seal and two coats of finish may make a smooth floor. A two part finish will last the longest if you use water based finish. The purple pad buffed between coats of finish should be all you need to smooth any grain raise, hand sanding with 150 grit on the edges.

Hi Pete,

I have decided to go with Bona Classic Seal (1 coat) and 2 coats of Mega Clear HD. Again this will be over bare pine floors and I will not be using any stain.

Because my kitchen is so small I could not even get a machine in there. I did my first 60 grit pass with a belt sander as you suggested and the finish came off well. I used a carbide scraper for under the toe kicks and had sanded those, tedious but I got it done.

So before I go any further I want to address the cracks between the boards, or rather not address them if possible. The cracks don't bother me, its just a fact of life and not that noticeable on a light colored floor. 60 to 70% of the boards are tight especially right now because of summer humidity but I know some more will open up as we head into winter and heaters are on and about 20 to 25% are very thin and most you could barely fit a end of a toothpick in and you would be hard pressed to fit a paper business card in them. Those I would like to leave as they are. I have maybe 7 or 8 areas where you could fit a credit card in and those I would like to fill with wood filler. I know that it too will eventually crack with expansion and contraction but my main reason for filling them is to avoid side bonding.

So my question is do I need to fill every crack before sealing and finishing or only the credit card size cracks? I know the classic seal says it helps prevent side bonding but don't know if it will fill the hairline cracks. How big of crack is to big?
I did a test area where I cleaned out the crack with a dental pick, vacuumed to and used plastic wood to fill one of the credit card size gaps and it looks fine to me. I'm sure there are better professional wood fillers out there but the flooring supply store is a 2 hour drive away and they only had 2 gallon buckets and I just don't need that much.

Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Many thanks, Karen

Zar wood patch in the Red Oak color will be easy to get into large or small gaps and is a good nail hole filler. It comes in a tube like toothpaste or quart buckets. It is water-based and dries quickly. You may find a place that sells it locally. If your flooring is fastened well to a good sub-floor it will stay in the gaps.