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How To Finish Wood Floors

STEP 2. — Sanding

Before the floors are sanded, the following steps should be observed:

1. Wear clean, soft-soled shoes.
2. Remove all furniture, pictures, shades, etc., from the room.
3.Fasten loose boards, replace broken or badly split boards, and
counter-sink all protruding nail heads.
4.Remove base shoe moldings (optional). This facilitates
sanding close to the wall, but requires careful handling to prevent breaking of the molding.
5.Open all windows, and close doors of adjoining rooms.

Next, follow the three basic sanding steps:

CHART OF SANDING OPERATIONS — OLD FLOORS
FLOOR	OPERATION	TYPE OF PAPER
Covered with Varnish, Shellac,Paint,etc.	First Cut	Coarse	31/2 (20)
	Second Cut	Medium	11/2 (40)
	Finish Sanding	Fine	2/0 (100)

FIRST SANDING: The purpose of this initial sanding operation is to remove the old finish down to the bare wood. Using 31/2 (20 grit — open-coat) sandpaper in the machine, pass the drum sander slowly over the floor lengthwise with the floor boards* starting at one wall and moving straight to the opposite wall. Then pass the sander back along the same path. This return pass enables the machine to pick up the dust created by the first pass. Be sure to follow this procedure throughout the entire sanding schedule.

Each complete pass (from wall to wall and return) should overlap previous pass by 2 to 3 inches.

Important: Never stop the forward motion of the sanding machine while the sanding drum is in contact with the floor. This is particularly important when sanding soft woods such as pine with coarse open-coat paper in the sanding machine. If the machine is allowed to rest heavily in one spot, deep cuts, scratches or gouges in the wood will result. If severe, such indentations are impossible to level with the remaining floor area in the subsequent sanding operations.