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Sanding Hardwood floors....

You sure they really need sanding? Usually only new installations require sanding. If you're just trying to repair an old floor, try products similar to furniture refinisher. You can buy similar stuff for about $15.00 per gallon, along with several packs of steel wool, and knock out a room in a couple hours. Ventilate well!
 
While I have never done it it does require skill to achieve a professional looking job.

Always move the sander with the grain of the wood
Keep the sander moving or it will make groves
start with a lower grit paper and move to higher grit

Around here you can get them sanded and refinished for about $3 sq ft. Probably worth it considering the above.
 
I've seen it done on home improvement shows. It definately is something that looks like it takes practice to do without destroying your floors. You need to do a lot of research before you try it on your own.
 
If you sand off the finish/stain it's going to be awfully hard find the right stain to match the surrounding wood. You can get close, but there will be a scar visible.
 
I've done it twice before.

Often sanding to bare wood is necessary if the floor is really bad or if you want to goto a lighter color finish. Best advice is to be prepared for a TON of dust. I've used both a large buffer type (think floor polisher) and one that had an orbital pad (like a handheld palm sander). The orbital is suppose to be more fool proof though it took a lot longer than the other type.

Just know it definitely takes some time and patience....mainly the cleanup to prepare for the application of finish. Of course you'll likely have to sand lightly after your first coat or two of finish as the grain will stand a bit.

Feel free to ask me any questions.
 
I did it when we moved into our house. Built in 1929, it has seen many renos, and several different carpeting schemes. The result was part hardwood, part carpets that we ripped up. We had to remove all the glue, and tons of a wax-like substance that had been used to polish the floors.

I used a rotary sander (drum sander is another name). It was difficult to do well, and if you stopped in one place for long, the floor was ground down too far. We also used an orbital type for the finishing sanding layers. It took quite a long time to do our house (5 rooms, about 1000 sq feet), but it was worth it. You can tell the job wasn't professional if you really look, but if I do say so myself, it is pretty nice. And for about $600 in materials and rentals it was worth it.

Whoever warned about dust ... spot on. It is crazy how much gets EVERYWHERE. Seal off other rooms/move sensitive items out of areas that might be exposed. Good luck if you do it!
 
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