I need to sand a problematic floor. It has worn away and the knots are raised quite high.?
Question:It is very old and I really only want to lighten it a little - to keep the character. I'm worried a floor sander will be too abrasive and ineffective around the knots. Any advice?
Answers:
With this project a drum sander is out.
I would use a jack plane to lower the knots (depending on how many of them there are) but I am a very skilled woodworker and the blades on my planes are sharp enough to shave with. (and you need that)
A substitute for this would be a belt sander starting with 36 grit for only the knots, then as they become down to floor level switch to 60 grit to cover most of the floor, finishing with 80 grit over all. stop when the color pleases and varnish (or wax) after cleaning up the dust.
A drum sander will level the floor including the knots but will provide what amounts to a new surface as all patina and finish will be removed. I don't see an alternative though if you want to level the floor, you can't keep the patina.
Knots are really tough to deal with. See if you can get them out first and glue them back into place with wood glue. Hammer them into place with a hammer on top of some spare wood so you don't mark the floor. When the glue is dry, go over them with a hand planer, then you can sand your floor without any problem.
You could try the sander on the knots as they will remove some wood, but, knots are hard.
A rotary rasp would be the next option, or a Surform Plane.
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