Tried sanding hardwood floors by hand instead of renting a machine... big mistake

Last weekend I decided to refinish the floors in my 1910 bungalow and thought I could save $80 by skipping the drum sander rental. After 6 hours with a palm sander on one 10x12 room, my arms were dead and the scratches were still everywhere. Ended up renting the machine anyway on Sunday and finished the whole house in 4 hours. Anyone else try the cheap route first and regret it?

2 comments

2 Comments

keithbennett5d ago

My buddy tried the same thing on his 50s ranch house and gave up after one room too. His palms were blistered and the wood looked worse than when he started so he called a pro to fix it. He says it cost him triple what the rental would have been plus the embarrassment of having to admit defeat.

the_holly5d ago

I rented the orbital floor sander from Home Depot for my 1940s craftsman house and it was still a beast to handle. Even with the machine you have to be careful not to gouge the wood if you stop moving. I did one pass with 36 grit then 60 and 80 grit and it came out smooth but my back hurt for two days. The dust was insane even with the vacuum attachment, I would wear a respirator next time. You absolutely made the right call getting the drum sander, palm sanders are just not made for that kind of work.