We are finally done!
After the major sanding on Saturday and Sunday, we were left with final prep work on Monday, before applying the finish.
We picked up where we left off on Sunday: scraping corners and little details around doorways, vents, the hearth, and the few places on the floor where the sandpaper hadn't quite removed 90 years of old finish. In the corners, our goals were twofold: to remove the old finish the edger couldn't touch and to blend the unsanded wood into the sanded area.
After scraping the corners and other fine details, it was time to grab the multi-tool to sand the corners. I bought this thing on a silly lark four years ago. It's proven itself as a trusted ally in home improvement, renovation, and woodworking. In nearly every project we've done since then, I've found at least one use. (Examples include: removing caulk, cutting pipes, cutting door trim, among others). Also, sorry for the terrible picture!
Ms. K joined me in scraping until she had to leave for work. I finished the sanding then trundled out to get wood filler to patch the nail holes in the floor. Two strips of wood, running across the living room, both had nails driven through the face of the boards. We didn't really recognize they were there until we sanded everything down (hidden by the rugs, buried in 90 years of dirt and other detritus). A quick trip to Woodcraft for Timber Mate and we were back in business. Quick drying and blended easily. Very pleased with these results!
Filling done, it was time to make yet another trip to the Home Depot rental center, this time for a floor buffer. The temperature and humidity were both rising by this point in the afternoon. I knew I wanted to get the screen sanding done AND sawdust removed before Ms. K returned from work, that way we could get started on the finish application and be to bed at a "reasonable" time.
I brought the machine into the house and then put a white pad on for a buffer reacquaintance session. It was kind of like riding a bike, except it wanted rip your hands off your wrists if you didn't know what you were doing. I practiced until I was comfortable with the basics of buffer operation (lift up to go left, push down to go right), a little unprepared for what the machine would do with the sanding screen.
With a pad alone on the machine, it was easily managed. Once I put the sanding screen on, things changed. The machine dug into the wood (which makes sense) while at the same time required me to put more effort into holding the controls and keeping the machine going in the direction I intended. Nevertheless, I got the hang of things pretty quickly. A fast 30 minutes later, the whole floor was screened.
THE DUST! There was so much dust. The 16" sanding screen (at 100 grit) made more dust than I have seen on the floor all weekend, including drum sanding. Dust in the air. Windrows of dust on the floor. Dust gathering on walls, on windowsills, on the glass. Did I mention there was dust? I parked the buffer under one of the front windows and noticed the dust in the beam of light shining through the window. It sorta looked like a 1970s record album? Yowza.
The floor looked awesome and ready for finish!
Once the dust settled (literally), I tossed the plastic dust coverings out, vacuumed everything well, swept, then vacuumed again, awaiting the return of Ms. K. Most importantly: I turned the air conditioning back on to remove the heat and humidity that set in late in the afternoon on July 2.
Fun times await: finishing the project by applying floor finish.
Once Ms. K got home, we revisited the application process, regained comfort with what we were up against, and then set out to finish the project. First, we set up two stations: a mixing station to combine Rubio Monocoat: Part A (the oil) and Part B (the isocyanate accelerant), as well as a buffer pad changing station. Second, we made at the ready the pads for applying finish.
By this time, it's about 8:00PM, the sun is starting to set in the sky, and the day is quickly turning to night. The house is also comfortable, thanks to the modern convenience of mechanical refrigeration.
We started in the front closet and entryway. Ms. K graciously applied the finish in the first section by hand (too tough to get in there with the buffer). 10 minutes later, we wiped off the oil and proceeded into the main room. We looked at the notes I took when we were at our lesson at Pete's Hardwood Floors:
We kept going, taking about 20 minutes per section to cut in, buff on, wait, buff off, and wipe off the edges.
All was going well. Too well. Our collective memories are hazy. We were approaching the last section and I was starting to get thirsty. I asked Ms. K for my Nalgene bottle that was full of water. The next thing we knew, the bottle and its contents were on the floor of the kitchen, soaking our cardboard landing area, getting under a door that was staged in the kitchen, and generally causing a mess. Thankfully, towels were already nearby and cleanup was a snap. Most importantly, the sanded floor did not get wet. A little delay to finishing the project...but so much for being done at 10:00PM.
Minor crisis averted, we finished up the last section, buffed off the entire surface with an old t-shirt under the buffer pad, and cleaned up for the night.
We finished at about 10:30PM, loaded the equipment in the car for return on Tuesday morning, and called it a night.
We looked back, amazed at our work.
Still looked amazing the next morning.
Next up: moving back in!
After the major sanding on Saturday and Sunday, we were left with final prep work on Monday, before applying the finish.
We picked up where we left off on Sunday: scraping corners and little details around doorways, vents, the hearth, and the few places on the floor where the sandpaper hadn't quite removed 90 years of old finish. In the corners, our goals were twofold: to remove the old finish the edger couldn't touch and to blend the unsanded wood into the sanded area.
 |
| Final scraping at the hearth, just before final sanding |
 |
| Detail sanding by the swinging door |
Ms. K joined me in scraping until she had to leave for work. I finished the sanding then trundled out to get wood filler to patch the nail holes in the floor. Two strips of wood, running across the living room, both had nails driven through the face of the boards. We didn't really recognize they were there until we sanded everything down (hidden by the rugs, buried in 90 years of dirt and other detritus). A quick trip to Woodcraft for Timber Mate and we were back in business. Quick drying and blended easily. Very pleased with these results!
 |
| Before |
 |
| During |
 |
| After |
Filling done, it was time to make yet another trip to the Home Depot rental center, this time for a floor buffer. The temperature and humidity were both rising by this point in the afternoon. I knew I wanted to get the screen sanding done AND sawdust removed before Ms. K returned from work, that way we could get started on the finish application and be to bed at a "reasonable" time.
I brought the machine into the house and then put a white pad on for a buffer reacquaintance session. It was kind of like riding a bike, except it wanted rip your hands off your wrists if you didn't know what you were doing. I practiced until I was comfortable with the basics of buffer operation (lift up to go left, push down to go right), a little unprepared for what the machine would do with the sanding screen.
With a pad alone on the machine, it was easily managed. Once I put the sanding screen on, things changed. The machine dug into the wood (which makes sense) while at the same time required me to put more effort into holding the controls and keeping the machine going in the direction I intended. Nevertheless, I got the hang of things pretty quickly. A fast 30 minutes later, the whole floor was screened.
THE DUST! There was so much dust. The 16" sanding screen (at 100 grit) made more dust than I have seen on the floor all weekend, including drum sanding. Dust in the air. Windrows of dust on the floor. Dust gathering on walls, on windowsills, on the glass. Did I mention there was dust? I parked the buffer under one of the front windows and noticed the dust in the beam of light shining through the window. It sorta looked like a 1970s record album? Yowza.
 |
| Kind of artsy, I guess? |
The floor looked awesome and ready for finish!
 |
| Hello, gorgeous. |
Fun times await: finishing the project by applying floor finish.
Once Ms. K got home, we revisited the application process, regained comfort with what we were up against, and then set out to finish the project. First, we set up two stations: a mixing station to combine Rubio Monocoat: Part A (the oil) and Part B (the isocyanate accelerant), as well as a buffer pad changing station. Second, we made at the ready the pads for applying finish.
By this time, it's about 8:00PM, the sun is starting to set in the sky, and the day is quickly turning to night. The house is also comfortable, thanks to the modern convenience of mechanical refrigeration.
We started in the front closet and entryway. Ms. K graciously applied the finish in the first section by hand (too tough to get in there with the buffer). 10 minutes later, we wiped off the oil and proceeded into the main room. We looked at the notes I took when we were at our lesson at Pete's Hardwood Floors:
- Cut in the edges first with the hand-held 6" rectangular red pad
- Buff the middle part on with a big round red pad on the buffer
- Wait 10 minutes
- Buff off the oil with a white pad on the buffer
- Wipe off the edges by hand with a rag
 |
| Two sections applied, six to go. |
We kept going, taking about 20 minutes per section to cut in, buff on, wait, buff off, and wipe off the edges.
All was going well. Too well. Our collective memories are hazy. We were approaching the last section and I was starting to get thirsty. I asked Ms. K for my Nalgene bottle that was full of water. The next thing we knew, the bottle and its contents were on the floor of the kitchen, soaking our cardboard landing area, getting under a door that was staged in the kitchen, and generally causing a mess. Thankfully, towels were already nearby and cleanup was a snap. Most importantly, the sanded floor did not get wet. A little delay to finishing the project...but so much for being done at 10:00PM.
Minor crisis averted, we finished up the last section, buffed off the entire surface with an old t-shirt under the buffer pad, and cleaned up for the night.
We finished at about 10:30PM, loaded the equipment in the car for return on Tuesday morning, and called it a night.
We looked back, amazed at our work.
 |
| Who needs a contractor, am I right? |
Still looked amazing the next morning.
 |
| Yes, we did this ourselves. |
Next up: moving back in!
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