Tony Horsman of Creative Hardwood Floors in Rochester, Minn., arrived at this job to bid on installing a new maple floor over the existing flooring mess in the 1920s home, but what he discovered had him campaigning for the original floor. Even though only a few square inches of the original fir material were visible prior to sanding, he thought the existing floor deserved a chance. "I convinced the homeowner that the fir floors were worth a shot to clean them up; we had no idea of the condition of the floor prior to sanding," he says. The floor was covered with carpeting, a carpet pad and then a "gray-looking, 1/8-inch-thick paper" that Horsman guesses was an old underlayment pad or backer. Once he started sanding, he could see the fir was nearly flawless underneath, and it turned out so well they ended up refinishing three other bedrooms, too.
Suppliers:
Abrasives: Norton Abrasives | Big machine: Lägler | Buffer: American Sanders Epoch | Dust containment: American Sanders AVAC 26 | Edger: American Sanders Super 7 | Finish: Bona | Vacuum: Ridgid
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