My neighbor's advice on sanding floors saved me a big headache

When I refinished my hardwood floors in the living room last month, my neighbor Bob kept telling me to start with 40 grit, not 60. I thought he was crazy because 40 grit seemed too rough. But after ruining the first 6 feet with the finer grit, I switched to his way and it cut through the old finish in half the time. That 40 grit really did the heavy lifting and I only needed two passes after that. Has anyone else had a neighbor give you advice that went against what you read online but turned out to be right?

2 comments

2 Comments

adams.taylor19d ago

Honestly I've had the exact opposite experience with 40 grit on my own floors lol. That stuff can gouge the wood so bad if you're not careful, I ended up having to sand twice as long with finer grits just to hide the scratches. I learned the hard way that 60 grit does a cleaner job and saves you from extra work if your floor isn't totally beat up.

the_wren18d ago

@adams.taylor I read somewhere that 40 grit is basically meant for heavy duty stripping, not regular sanding. A floor guy told me 60 grit is the sweet spot for most jobs because it cuts fast but doesn't leave those deep gashes you end up fighting later. Always seemed like solid advice after hearing stories like yours.