WFB asked followers on Facebook and Instagram: If you were the only one to ever touch the floor, how many times could you resand a solid red oak ¾-inch floor throughout its life? Here’s what they said:
Tina Darling Boone
Five, depending on the machine you use.
Lorie Davidson
Five and don’t ask me how I know.
Tom Hanson
I usually tell people about five sandings.
Luis Godas
Just 0.5 times. Barely once. 😬
Jerry Evans
7 to 8... After that, you're hitting nails.
Keith Elberson
A good 6 times.
Matt Denoma
Twenty-six times if I do a light sand.
Donnansteve Ray
If you use a drum, I would not resand more than 4 times. When the top of the groove gets down to ⅛ inch, that’s enough!
Daniel Springer
Depends on the mill, 4 to 6 I'd say is fair.
Aaron Schaalma
Use the right finish and care and it may never need to be sanded.
Joe Larson
6 to 7 times with a Hummel Super 7.
Bob Alberding
I would be dead before it ran out of life, especially if it were with a hardwax oil that needs minimal sanding for a color change.
50 Grit Flooring
NWFA recommends that you need a 3/32-inch wear layer in order to sand a floor, and every time it is sanded you remove 3/64 inch. Assuming that the original wear layer is ¼ inch, someone could sand a floor 3.33 times before reaching the 3/32 inch cutoff point. With today’s machines, such as planetary sanders being more forgiving on a floor than traditional belts, I would think it is possible to remove less than 3/64 inch with each sanding. And most sanding professionals feel comfortable sanding past the 3/32 inch cutoff point. With all this taken into consideration, I would say about 5 times.
Patrick Burke
100 years if sanded by someone who knows what they're doing. 👍
Spencer Hulbert
Good milling and an easy finish to remove, combined with a flat substrate, 6 to 8.
Michael C Armstrong
That would depend on how much the floor was used in between each sanding. I would say with today’s equipment and our current sanding sequence, six times.
Chris Brooks
7 to 8 times.
Chris J. Compton
4 to 6. Five being in the middle average.
Alex Franklin
All depends on if it’s flat, if it’s covered, if it has problems, and whether it has water damage. There are a lot of different factors that will play into how much wear layer is left. But if it’s flat and nothing‘s wrong with it, you can easily get 6 to 8, maybe even more. This will also depend on which drum and tools and process that you’re doing. Some machines and some processes will take off more than you need to.
David Edwards
Twice.
Wesley Goetz
I would say 5.
Ron Teljeur
6 to 8 with a nice flat floor. And no stupidity like iron acetate.
Jim Hyde
At least 6.
Martin Dunne
My home is 1914 with original ¾ oak. The Cleveland Cavaliers' competition floor is sanded every year, so it lasts 5 years from new. All depends use.
Don Jeter
Why would I sand it? I want it to look old and worn.
Randy Golaszewski Sr.
5 to 8 natural. 4 to 6 stain.
Rob Griswold
6 to 7 maybe.
Tim Adkins
Depends on how much you're taking off, I’d 5 to 8 times.
Eric Wolffram
I’ve refinished the same floor 4 times, and I’m not even close. At least 8.
Chris Brennan
4.
Andrew Matotek
6.
Jorge Perez
6–8.
Rick Merwin
8–10.
Kent Will
6.
Mike Somodean
I wouldn’t live long enough to find out.
Sean Tupper
I read 6–10 times back in the day.
Clinton Duff
Five sandings in 100 years.
Matthew Shumway
11.
Dayton Hardwood Co
Has my Great Pyrenees lived on said floor!? 🐕 🔪🔪🐾😂
Solid Hardwood Flooring
8.
Joe Vassel
Seven with the Bona PowerDrive. 💪
Town & Country Wood Floors
4 tops in my opinion. That’s changing dark stain back to natural, etc.
Zsolt Paul Golenya
Whatever that number is (5,6 or 8), the real question is how long is the overall lifespan of that floor going to be? I know we don't think of every floor as historic, but luckily for us today, ancient floors were finished with natural oils that could be maintained WITHOUT sanding. As a result, we still have floors from around 700 to 1000 years ago! Film finishes rely on a mechanical bond that deteriorates over time and eventually, full sanding is required.
Dan Hawkes
7 to 8 as long as it stays flat, also depends on what you're trying to sand out of the floor. I agree the oils are a great finish, but they don’t stop denting and gouging. No finish does.
Tony Rodrigues
NOFMA always said 5–7.
NickZeb
5–6.
