How To: Refinish wood floors with a drum sander

Hardwood floors in older homes can be hidden treasures. You may not realize it, but under the dark finish, scuffs and scratches is probably a beautiful hardwood floor just waiting to shine through. Sanding off the old finish gives you a chance to get down to the bare wood and erase many of the scratches and dents. Then you can choose a stain that is more to your liking, or just put a clearcoat on the floor for a pleasant, warm appearance.

A drum sander is very aggressive machine. If you need to sand off old adhesive or paint, or if the floorboards are slightly cupped or warped, a drum sander enables you to sand much deeper than other types of sanders. Be careful though - a drum sander is very powerful and it can leave grooves in the floor if it is not used correctly. If you only need to remove an old floor finish and the floor is not badly scratched or dented, you should consider using an orbital sander. Check out our tutorial on refinishing hardwood floors – oscillating sander.

With the right equipment, restoring the hardwood floor in a room can be done in a weekend. Plan ahead and have some helpers lined up to move out the furniture in the room. The finished floor will need to cure for a week, so find an out of the way place for the furniture. You will also need to rent sanding equipment, so make sure it is available on the days you plan to tackle this project.