You need a fair degree of skill to operate a floor sander and at least two people to carry it around.
Different kinds of floor sanders.
These sanders will simply glide across the floor and pose no threat to your wood.
Floor drum sander clarke floor drum sander.
Drum sanders are massively heavy beasts that generally require two people to carry.
They can also be used for sanding a concrete floor.
The smaller handheld and the larger random orbit sander.
This category of sander actually contains a few different types of sander.
This smaller handheld floor sander is great for soft woods like cork and pine but not so great for hard woods because it lacks the power needed to do a good job.
An edge floor sander has a dust bag.
An edge floor sander is a small hand held sander designed to get in those hard to reach areas that the drum sander and large orbital sander cannot reach.
Moreover these professionals also usually have a floor.
The random orbital floor comes in two different styles.
The best floor sander for beginning diyers unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime your best choice of floor sander is the random orbital sander from one maker in particular.
Types of floor sanders.
There are two basic varieties of floor sander.
We use these types of sanders for smoothening wooden floors.
There are several different types of sanders used for refinishing hardwood floors.
Deck sander drum sander floor edger random orbital floor sander.
The larger random orbit sander is best for hardwood floors like oak.
A floor drum sander like all floor sanders is a heavy machine.
Most refinishing professionals arrive at the work site with a drum sander and floor edger and some also bring an orbital flooring sander.
Vibrating sanders are much lighter and easier to manage than the aforementioned drum sander.
Edge floor sanders available for rent are far more powerful than hand held orbital sanders that many homeowners may already own.
The distinguishing features of these are their use in stripping and prepping floors and their generally larger size.
They all sand floors but they are specific to different types of wood flooring.