Sanding Old Wood Floors With Nails

Whether you ve been admiring your old wood floor for years or you just discovered it hidden under some old carpeting refinishing it can be a feast for.

Sanding old wood floors with nails. This coarse sanding should remove the old seal and level out uneven parts of the floor. To detect nails drag a metal snow shovel across the floor upside down. How to refinish a 100 year old wood floor. Most hardwood floors are installed with invisible nails and those that aren t are either old or intended to look old.

After removing most of the old layers of varnish stain and grime you can move on the less coarse paper. Seal air vent covers to prevent dust from sanding from getting in your ductwork. Buffing or abrading the existing coat before refinishing or alternatively applying a chemical etching kit. Some pros refer to this as sandless refinishing but that can also refer to a different method that substitutes a chemical etcher for the buffer.

Hammer down protruding nails. Check for squeaks and secure loose floorboards with finishing nails. Do not stay in one place or the sander may eat through deeper than you intended. When you re sanding nail heads will rip the sanding belt which costs you money or gouge the sanding drum which costs you more money.

The best way to refinish wood floors without sanding is to use a technique called screen and recoat. Sand the whole area at the same angle. Start at a brisk walking pace. Do it yourself or hire and pay someone else to do it for you.

If i ve removed all of the dirt and grime with the coarse paper why do i have to bother sanding it again with finer paper. So countersink all nails by at least 1 8 in. Find protruding nails by sliding the blade of a putty knife across the floor. If your hardwood floor is only lightly worn damaged or scratched you may be able to refinish it without sanding.

Move constantly as you sand. If your hardwood floors are in need of refinishing you have two main choices. When it hits a nail you ll hear it. There are two basic methods.

Start sanding the floor with some really coarse sandpaper we started with 24 grit paper. Nail down any loose boards with finish nails. By sanding your floors yourself you could potentially save hundreds or even thousands of dollars so long as you do it right. Top nailing became unnecessary when manufacturers began mass producing tongue.