Hardwood floor sanders

rsippel | Posted in Finishing on July 20, 2005 12:07pm

I am a general contractor who has recently installed a new red oak hardwood floor and am shopping for a floor sander rental. Most of the rental outlets offer the Essex Silverline drum sander. It is a lightweight sander that is notorious for leaving chatter marks. Is there anyone who knows where I can find a larger professional machine, for rent, in the S. Florida area? Where do the pros get their machines and are any available for rental.

Replies

RickL | Jul 20, 2005 12:23am | #1
Post over in breaktime as it's oriented toward houses. Probably a few threads with info in the archives you can find previous answers to the same question.
Rich14 | Jul 20, 2005 02:07am | #2
Rick,

I recently went searching for the same equipment, but wound up using prefinished flooring.

In my search I came across several references to using readily-available large Random Orbit Sanders screwed into a shop-made wood base. The design called for 3 such sanders at the corners of a triangular wood frame. Sand bags were used as additional weight.

The device was said to glide absolutely level on the surface and to leave a perfectly sanded result without chatter. It used commercially avaialble Porter Cable ROS machines. The same machines were used individually in corners and edges of the floor.

I don't have the links, but they came up in a Google search.

Rich
jackplane | Jul 20, 2005 05:58pm | #3
The best sanders are the newer four disc ROS sanders that can leave wood almost as smooth as glass. I'd check with a hardwood flooring distributor for info.
IanDG | Jul 20, 2005 06:32pm | #4
A commercial belt machine like a Hummel costs several thousand dollars and can be ruined in less than half an hour in unskilled hands so it's very unlikely that you'll find one for rent.

The rental drum sander compensates for lack of weight by higher drum rotation speed -- which means when it's allowed to sand while stationary it will carve out a divot in no time. Nevertheless, it is still possible to achieve a decent job using one of those and finishing off with the orbital pad sander.

Some 4 years ago, Splinter and I collaborated on a thread here on DIY floor sanding, which you may find useful.

To practise with the drum sander, put on a fine grit and start in the center of a room -- working with the grain. Go backwards and forwards, keeping well away from the walls and practise lifting and lowering the drum while still travelling because that's the only tricky part. Post any queries you may have and I'm sure someone will help.

IanDG