Sorry, this is long…
I have hardwoods on the main level of my house (living room, dining room, 3 bedrooms and hallway), and they are in rough shape. We don’t have a lot (read:none) of extra cash to get this done, so I’d like to take a crack at it myself.
They were not only not-maintained by the previous owners, but they left a large urine stain in the master bedroom (seniors with some bladder problems).
I have a sealer that is water based, so there is very little smell and it dries quickly, but I would like to know how hard it is to sand and sceen the floor down, without obvious error.
I am 5.5 months pregnant, so if it’s too hard, I guess I have to wait, or pay someone.
Guess it depends on how rough shape the floors are in. If it’s a complete resanding job, it’s hard work.
The sander itself is a very heavy, powerful machine, probably uses 220V, and, if inexpertly used, will quickly gouge the floor. (Practise on a room no one goes into often.) You’ll probably go through at least three grades of sandpaper, so that’s at least three passes with the sander. The edges of the rooms will have to be done with an edger. What takes a pro a morning to do will probably take you a couple of days.
From a pregnancy standpoint, there’s a lot of heavy lifting and bending (to replace sandpaper, putty cracks, and so on). You’ll definitely want to wear a dust mask.
for a quick overview of the process - I have no idea how to deal with stains (which can penetrate the entire thickness of the wood, and therefor NOT be removable by sanding).
Short form - no way for a 5.5 mo preggy to attempt this - throw down some rugs, and worry about refinishing when the kid is in school.
(heathen, who has carpet over the hardwood, and will remove it when hell freezes over)
I don’t think you should try this in your condition. It’s very physical work.
If you do decide to try, remember this; movement is essential for large powerful sanders of this type.
Keep that thing moving!
More than you think is reasonable. It must not linger!
(1)The power of the sander allows it to sand the floor. (well, duh)
(2)If it remains in one place, it will gouge that place due to said power.
Perhaps it is a groundless concern, but I would think that any electromechanical sander would put out a significant amount of vibration, which may be A Bad Thing.
