Sanding wooden floors Help, advice, information, answers and tips on all types of flooring from laminate and carpet to timber and vinyl

[Jefftree]

I'm going to be sanding around 40m2 of wooden floors in my new flat, but have no idea about how much sandpaper I should get. The guy at the local DIY shop where I'm going to rent the sander from was of very little help, saying that it depends on how experienced I am with it. This will be my first time doing this, but all I want is a rough idea for the area I have, for floors that are even and in okay condition. Can anyone help me?

[thedoctor]

Tell the guy that you want to buy the sandpaper on a sale or return basis as this is what most hire companies do. Its impossible to work out how many sheets you will get through as one nail head in the first 20 seconds of sanding can rip a sheet to pieces. Get 10 coarse, 10 medium and 10 fine. Use what you need and take the rest back. See our project on sanding a timber floor for more help.

[Jefftree]

[quote="Jefftree"]I'm going to be sanding around 40m2 of wooden floors in my new flat, but have no idea about how much sandpaper I should get. The guy at the local DIY shop where I'm going to rent the sander from was of very little help, saying that it depends on how experienced I am with it. This will be my first time doing this, but all I want is a rough idea for the area I have, for floors that are even and in okay condition. Can anyone help me?[/quote]

Just want to say a big thanks for the advice! The guy was a lot more helpful when I seemed to know what I was talking about and he even gave me some advice on how to use them. It seems I'm a natural with a sander and my girlfriend did a great job with the edges. All looks good, but I guess the proof of the pudding is in the varnishing...