Sanding a wood floor yourself involves preparing the room, using a rented drum sander with progressively finer grits (e.g., 40, 60, 100) moving with the wood grain to remove the old finish, an edger for walls, and a detail sander for corners, followed by thorough vacuuming and applying a new finish for a smooth, beautiful result. Always start with coarse grit to flatten and strip, then move finer, keeping the machine moving to avoid gouging, and wear protective gear.
Use a belt sander or floor sander with coarse-grit sandpaper, around 36 to 60 grit, to eliminate old surface coatings and existing flaws. Start sanding in the direction of the wood grain, moving steadily and evenly across the surface. Avoid lingering in one area, as this can cause uneven sanding.
If you're looking to save a bit of money and enjoy tackling DIY projects, it might be worth giving it a go – but only if you've got the time, patience, and willingness to learn from the inevitable mistakes. You'll need the right tools and a methodical approach to avoid turning your floors into a DIY disaster zone.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Orbital Sanding for Floors
Orbital Sanders
For intricate patterns or delicate floors, hand sanding may be the safer option to avoid damage. Conversely, for large, flat areas or when working with harder wood types, machine sanding is generally more effective.
The 5 most common mistakes with a random orbital sander are pressing too hard, not sanding progressively, lifting the sander while it's running, skipping grits, and not cleaning the dust. These mistakes cause swirl marks, uneven surfaces, and reduce the tool's effectiveness and sanding quality.
The Golden Rule of Sanding means not skipping more than one grit through each step of sanding a surface. This is a basic rule anyone should follow whether they are working with metal, wood, or any other surface. Every scratch you make must be removed by the next finer grit.
The "Rule of 3" in flooring is a design guideline suggesting you use no more than three different flooring materials (like hardwood, tile, carpet) or three variations (tones, textures) throughout your home for a cohesive, less cluttered look. It promotes visual harmony by pairing functional needs (tile in bathrooms, carpet in bedrooms, wood in living areas) with a limited palette, creating intentional transitions rather than a "patchwork" effect, and can also refer to sales strategies offering three price points or styles.
The sanding process
Sanding is an important aspect to great wood floors since they can help repair, restore or refinish hardwood floors. Wood sanders range in power and finesse depending on their need. Three sanders that are typical in any wood working environment are belt sanders, orbital sanders and random orbital sanders.
Hand sanding is more than just a labour-intensive process - it's an art form. By using smaller, more manoeuvrable tools, you gain unparalleled control over the sanding process, ensuring every inch of your floor is perfectly smooth.
Now, let's talk about each step individually.
Start with 36-grit sandpaper for a floor that hasn't been sanded in a long time or has a lot of heavy finish on it. Wood floors that have been painted may even require you to go tougher, using 24 or 16-grit sandpaper. Maple floors are so hard that they often require 36-grit sandpaper.
It suggests using three colors in a space, with 60% of the room in a dominant color, 30% in a secondary color, and 10% in an accent color. This rule can be applied to flooring as well as other elements in a room such as walls, furniture, and accessories.
The Australian Standards AS1684 and Building Code of Australia dictate the minimum requirements for your subfloor. Adequate drainage is important to avoid fluctuating moisture levels, as are unobstructed air vents and making sure there isn't any debris that could contain moisture below the dwelling.
Satin floor finish
The satin sheen is the most popular finish for hardwood floors. This hardwood floor sheen has about 40% luster and is easy to keep clean.
Not Sanding Diagonally
Many floors have subtle high and low spots, and sanding in a straight line can miss these areas or exaggerate the unevenness. Diagonal sanding ensures a more even surface because the sander passes across the grain at an angle, allowing it to smooth out any irregularities more efficiently.
This isn't good for your sander, sandpaper, or workpiece — and it'll tire you out quickly. Pushing too hard with random orbital sanders can even slow down the rotation of the pad. Hold the sander down with enough pressure to keep it flat, but let the sandpaper do the work.
A palm sander (or 1/4-sheet sander) uses a tight, vibrating circular motion, ideal for lighter finish work and corners, but can leave visible swirl marks. An orbital sander (specifically a random orbital sander) spins and orbits randomly, making it faster and more powerful for large areas, while its randomized action prevents noticeable swirl marks for a smoother finish. Choose a palm sander for detail and corners, and a random orbital for big, flat surfaces needing a professional finish.
The best way to know when you're done sanding is to scribble a light pencil line across your wood before you start. Once the line is gone, move up to the next grit. Repeat up to the highest grit sandpaper, then wet your wood with mineral spirits to confirm there are no remaining marks.