# using a power planer to refinish hardwood floors



## agallant (Jul 1, 2010)

Does anyone have thoughts on refinishing hardwood floors with a hand held plainer like the one below? I have a few rooms left to do and the drum sander is too big to get much use out of it. I really don't want to use a palm and belt sander for the bulk of the work. I was thinking of using a hand held power plainer to do the bulk of the work then finishing with 100 grit belt and palm sander.

Thoughts?

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/8265156252799466625?lsf=seller:8740,store:17534325300182324244&q=hand+held+power+plainer&hl=en&mid=syrjdvt4k%7Cdc_mtid_8903tb925190_pcrid_50645156379_pkw__pmt__product_205509610_slid_&lsft=gclid:CjwKEAjw34i_BRDH9fbylbDJw1gSJAAvIFqUK1cwNOIK5zYFnnbmJz3PuplS4Og-j_4eHV0vngrybRoCRxfw_wcB&prds=oid:9263908494556296634&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiypdm0_aHPAhVJNSYKHc0cB9kQrRIIRg


----------



## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

If and when you hit a nail it'll give you less than desirable results.


----------



## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

Id rent a floor sander.


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

I've spent a lot of hours on a power plane and I would not recommend it. It would be very difficult to get a nice surface IMHO. They aren't a surfacing tool. I would use either a drum or disc sander specifically designed for floors.


----------



## TravisH (Feb 6, 2013)

Definitely not an expert on floor refinishing as only done a few over the years. No way I would ever think about doing multiple rooms (or even a room) with a hand held planer and palm/belt sander follow up. I just don't see it as a viable option.

Rooms in my house are small but still used a rental drum sander. Wasn't too big by any means and allowed me to get within inches of the walls to finish those areas with some hand held sanders. I spent more on those few inches around the wall than doing the entire floors, driving to get the sander, etc…


----------



## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

You'll tear that floor up.


----------



## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

Do what JW Malone told you.


----------



## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Sounds like a way to mess things up really quick.


----------



## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

If the drum sander is too big, just rent one of the edging sanders which look like a huge random orbital sander. That should be fine for a small room. Just be sure to keep it flat; don't tilt it or you'll get dips. As everyone else has said, don't use the planer.


----------



## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Thoughts….how about the Titanic? ;-)

My best advice to you is hire it out to the floor pros. After refinishing a couple floors, I will NEVER ever do it again.

BTW, if you've never used one, you can also do a lot of damage with a drum sander (how do I know that?).

Good luck.


----------



## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Totally agree with the others on not using a hand held power planer. A floor sander is the way to go-your back and the floors will thank you. Drum sanders take finish and wood off quickly, but you can damage the floor if not careful. I've used them, but have come to prefer the orbital floor sanders with large rectangular pads. They are a bit slower than the drum sanders, but are much easier to control, there is almost no risk of gouging the floor and they get much closer to the walls than a drum sander.

When using a drum sander, I had to follow up with an edger. With the orbital, I didn't have to edge because it got close enough to the wall that the baseboard covered the little bit the sander didn't get.










There's also a type that uses three circular orbiting discs. I've heard they are easy to use, as well, but don't have any experience with them.


----------



## Halc (Jan 5, 2014)

Like JayT, I used the vibrating sander on my floor and thought it worked well. I rented it from Home Depot. They do work slowly, so I would start with the coarsest grit you can get. With no experience sanding floors, this was a less scary option than the belt sander would have been for me.


----------



## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

I've sanded lots of floors as that's what I did for a living in my younger years. I would go with JayT's recommendation for someone who does not have experience with floor sanding. The orbital is much slower than a drum sander, but that makes it harder to make mistakes. The Trio head sander is slow also, but will not get as close to the wall as the orbital.

No matter what machine you use, you still have to pay particular attention to the edges of the floor and match the sanding scratches where you transition from the orbital, drum, or Trio, to whatever machine you use at the perimeter (I always used a Clarke Super 7 edger). Also remember to scrape and hand sand into the corners. Failing to do this may produce a halo effect at the perimeter.


----------



## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

Almost forgot, you should also use a 16"-17" buffer with open coat screens after final sanding. Then hand sand the perimeter (always with the grain). Screens should be used up to 100 grit for stain floors, and to 150 grit for natural floors.


----------



## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

> Totally agree with the others on not using a hand held power planer. A floor sander is the way to go-your back and the floors will thank you. Drum sanders take finish and wood off quickly, but you can damage the floor if not careful. I ve used them, but have come to prefer the orbital floor sanders with large rectangular pads. They are a bit slower than the drum sanders, but are much easier to control, there is almost no risk of gouging the floor and they get much closer to the walls than a drum sander.
> 
> When using a drum sander, I had to follow up with an edger. With the orbital, I didn t have to edge because it got close enough to the wall that the baseboard covered the little bit the sander didn t get.
> 
> ...


I've rented both the vibrating version and the random orbital version. The random orbital version (four 6" discs) cut much, much faster. I understand that they have reduced the weight of that version to make it more consumer friendly. The reduced weight might affect the sanding performance.

I rented mine from Home Depot. Buy way more discs than you imagine you will need and return the extras when you are done. Otherwise you will be making an extra trip while the rental clock is ticking.

You won't need an edge sander with the RAS or vibrating floor sander. It sands right up to the edges. You might have some hand sanding in the corners, but that is all.

Very, very easy to use. I tried the belt version and it requires a skill set that has to be acquired.

As for the hand planer or any hand belt sander, it will take forever to get done; you will be on your hands and knees the entire time, and I doubt you can maintain a flat floor with that.


----------



## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

I've used the large orbital sanders they are EXCRUCIATINGLY slow. Yes, you can't make a bad mistake, but how much is your time worth?

HIRE SOMEONE!!


----------



## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

> I ve used the large orbital sanders they are EXCRUCIATINGLY slow. Yes, you can t make a bad mistake, but how much is your time worth?
> 
> HIRE SOMEONE!!
> 
> - rwe2156


It took me two hours to sand a 10×10 room using the orbital sander. Yes, it is slow, but much faster than the vibratory version.

The one I had took four 6" diameter discs; and was much faster than the one that used a sheet of sandpaper.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lVlSyCqncjg/S9eRB08FhZI/AAAAAAAAAD4/VTxqJykL1aE/s1600/renovations+298.JPG


----------



## JayT (May 6, 2012)

The last room I did with the orbital sander only took about an hour longer than a similar sized room with the drum sander. Add back in the time saved from not having to edge and it was a wash, time wise. Now, that is on a floor in good condition where I was only removing the old finish and sanding through scarring and damage. Key is to start with a coarse enough grit to cut through the old finish quickly. Once the finish is gone, sanding the wood floor itself doesn't take that long.


----------



## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

> The last room I did with the orbital sander only took about an hour longer than a similar sized room with the drum sander. Add back in the time saved from not having to edge and it was a wash, time wise. Now, that is on a floor in good condition where I was only removing the old finish and sanding through scarring and damage. Key is to start with a coarse enough grit to cut through the old finish quickly. Once the finish is gone, sanding the wood floor itself doesn t take that long.
> 
> - JayT


For some reason the instructions for which I did not understand the reasoning but followed anyway, they said to do a light pass on the finish using a medium/fine grit and then use the coarse grit to remove the material. I did what the instructions said and I was pleased with the results, but I have no idea why they said to do it. As I recall the coarse grit was a 30 or 40 grit paper.

I have a floor polisher that uses two rotating brushes or Scotchbrite pads, and for that light between coats sanding I used the polisher with the Scotchbrite pads.

But my livingroom and dining room will need to be refinished after my dog passes (he's 12 now), and that is about 900 square feet and that will take quite a while to sand.


----------

