# Any tips for removing finish on hardwood flooring?



## Kimchi4u (Dec 7, 2012)

I recently acquired some free boxes of hard wood flooring from a supplier that the construction company I work for deals with. The boxes are odds and ends of product that is discontinued. I figured that I can use some of the hard wood to make some picture frames and a few other small projects. So far, I've got plenty of white oak pieces of various lengths and 20 or so full 10 foot lengths of jatoba. There is also a box or two of ash waiting for me to pick up.

The issue that I'm having with turning the flooring into wood I can use is removing the finish from the surface. The finish contains aluminum oxide (I believe) for durability and it is super difficult to remove. I've tried sanding it out with a random orbital sander with 60 grit sandpaper, but the finish gums up the sanding disks, making them worthless after a short board or two. Running them through the table saw has also produced less than stellar results. Same problem. The finish gums up the saw blade.

I'm looking for some tips that might help in removing the finish from these boards. The few boards that I did get "clean" have really nice grain running through them and it would be a shame if I had to remove a lot of material from the boards just to get rid of the finish (and hard wood flooring isn't that thick to begin with). I don't have access to a planer or a jointer, and to be honest, I think I would wind up ruining the blades on that equipment too.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

The only quick and practical way I have found is a drum sander with 50 grit paper. This works great, is quick, and easy IF you have or have access to a drum sander. If not, buy one! I have 2 and they get used on every project. Pricey but CL sometimes has some worth the $.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Jointer or planner but I think gfadvm's idea is best.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

Try using a pull-type paint scraper.










A sharp blade will take the finish off. When the blade goes dull, a few swipes with a mill file and you're back in business.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

a1Jim- I tried my planer. Killed the blades almost instantly! That aluminum oxide finish is tough! Ted- My paint scraper just slid across the top of that finish and didn't even mark it!


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

Free is so rarely free.

I would use a chemical stripper.


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

gfad…I tried the planer also…not a good idea. so I use mine for shelfing, bench/counter-tops or where the finished side will be upside down (I can plane the raw back side if it looks ok which is about 1/2 of the boards).

it occurs to me though…check the manufacturer's web-site to see what chemicals will void the warranty (might be a clue as to what can cut it).


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

I gave up, something I'm not accustomed to doing. Same experience. The wood was acacia, I was curious, the price was free.

Sanding no (even 80x), scrapers of any kind skated faster than Nancy Kerrigan before Tanya, table saw impractical.

I did not try chemical strippers, thinking that the thickness of the finish would require multiple coats, meaning multiple minutes and multiple cans of the chemically antagonistic stuff. I can't imagine an acceptable ROI with that technique, but I could easily be wrong.

Kindly,

Lee


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## TenDigitHands (Jul 9, 2012)

I have done this before. Pre-finished flooring will overheat and dull planer blades after a couple of boards, an expensive lesson. The drum sander is the most cost effective option, even a belt sander with heavy grit is cheaper and faster than buying blades and changing them. Start around 24 to 30 grit, it takes something that looks like rake finished concrete to get through Al O2 coatings.

Chemical strippers also proved to be cost prohibitive, more labor than sanding and generically inneffective.

Some of the cabinet shops in my area will run boards for customers through their drum sanders.


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## Kimchi4u (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks for the tips everyone. I think I'll give the belt sander a try before committing to buying any new tools. The reason I even took the hardwood is money is limited and time is plentiful.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Heres what your gonna need to do:

lay all the board flat on the garage floor and lay a cleat over the back of them.
Secure that cleat to all your boards.
Install an eye hook onto said cleat.
Attach rope to said eye hook.
Attach rope to bumper.
3 laps around the neighborhood oughta do it.


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## crashn (Aug 26, 2011)

resaw the finished face off at the bandsaw


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

I agree with crashn and resaw, I also agree with teejk and using the back side. I would like to see the three laps around the neighborhood.


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

I have gravel roads here…that dragging thing might work but then again gas is still above $3.20/gal.

I thought about resaw also but then thought about the effort on what I think are 2 3/4" wide pieces…my stuff is cheap red oak (I had an idea that didn't pan out so I have about 150 sq feet of the stuff).

I figure it is pre-finished (and the point of this topic is how hard the finish is)...I'm always looking for shelving/benchtop material. The stuff is usually pretty straight and the T&G helps keep it that way.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

I have some unused, finished flooring and I did a resaw test on my BS.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

I was given about 100 bd' of Cypress flooring with the AluOx coating. 
I tried sanding, planing, sawing, scraping, etc. I finally settled on a router sled and a whole bunch of cheap router bits.

It worked like a charm, I went through 4 bits but they are still good for jointing from the side, just not the bottom.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Anyone close enough is welcome to bring their flooring and I'll be happy to drum sand the finish off for a small share of the wood.


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## crashn (Aug 26, 2011)

DIY, that looks great!, lumber ready to plane without worry of gumming up the cutters.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

@ crashn,

That was the very FIRST resaw test on my new Rikon 10-325, actually, it was the first time I have ever tried to resaw anything!!! That was done with the stock blade. I can't wait to put a good or even a great blade on there!!!


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## crashn (Aug 26, 2011)

congrats on the new saw! I have to get a nice resaw blade for my BS. I just finished my kitchen floor redo, and have some nice hard maple flooring that could be re-purposed.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

Could't you just remove a mm with the bench saw then they would be great .I am surprised the thicknesser jointer doesnt work. Alistair


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## Lumbersexual (Sep 24, 2018)

This is old, but I use a lot flooring. I get those cl specials. Yea you either rip the surface with a band saw or table saw. 
I work second shift and get off at midnight. My neighbors wouldnt appreciate me using power tools at 1am when I get home. So I use a chisel. I get my widest chisel and get it super sharp. Then I aim to be slightly below surface of the gloss and just chisel away the whole thing. Takes maybe 15 to 30mins a board. Then I hit with a smoothing plane. Thats that. I actually find myself hating to plane the groves off on the back side.
I am building a work bench now. All unfinished but beveled. Its 2 1/2 wide. I am in debate about planing to the bevele. If I should also just leave the groves on the back too. The bevele on the face will disappear when I plane the top and bottom. 
I dont care if you can see gaps from the groves on the side. My concern is the strength of the table top. Would it make a difference. I dont believe there will be more the 300lbs on it at a time. Shot over 100lbs would be rare. Dimensions is 38in tall 4ft long and 28in depth. I am 6ft so 38in is a must. 28in is more because my garage is tiny. It might change because of my vise which has purple heart.
What are your thoughts on this? Beside cosmetics what benifit is there to remove the groves for the bench top?


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## HansZeusApollo (Sep 22, 2020)

The VERY best way to remove it is to use a diamond cup grinder. Depending on if the floor is solid hand scraped or engineered you will need to discover which cup to use but this is the only tool that will successfully remove the finish. Keep in mind the angle grinder will be turning between 7,000 and 11,000 rpm so be careful to hit the surface level and gently to avoid deep gouges. As soon as the grinder gets to work, let the grinder do the work. No need to apply pressure. It will take the finish off and the cup grinder won't break a sweat. After the AO finish is gone you can use traditional methods to resurface the flooring. If you try to use a planer on the AO finish directly it will eat planer blades faster than you eating potato chips.


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## stevejack (Apr 5, 2020)

PLANNER!


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## PCDub (Sep 24, 2017)

Eight year old thread!!


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