Looking for Advice Refinishing old painted floor

[PMac500]

I have a wooden floor with years of paint on it.  The  problem is that many of the planks are uneven so that renting a large commercial sander may not work well.  I was thinking about purchasing a RAS for the job. I believe it will work however the floor is about 900 sqft.  Does anyone have experience with the RAS and for that size job?  I have a RO150 but I think that would take a lot more time.  If you know approx how long it would take me to do this that would be great too.

It is for a summer camp kitchen floor and there is no money in the budget to properly level and replace floor boards so I have to work with what is there.  I am just looking for the easiest way to get this done.  I appreciate your help

 

[bobfog]

I have a wooden floor with years of paint on it.  The  problem is that many of the planks are uneven so that renting a large commercial sander may not work well.  I was thinking about purchasing a RAS for the job. I believe it will work however the floor is about 900 sqft.  Does anyone have experience with the RAS and for that size job?  I have a RO150 but I think that would take a lot more time.  If you know approx how long it would take me to do this that would be great too.

It is for a summer camp kitchen floor and there is no money in the budget to properly level and replace floor boards so I have to work with what is there.  I am just looking for the easiest way to get this done.  I appreciate your help

I would rent the large sander to make quick work of the boards that are not sunk below level and then use your RO150 to do the ones that are sunken and the large sander can't get to. No genuine justification to get a new toy in the RAS for this project I'm sorry.

 

[sae]

The goal is to eventually level all the boards, right?

I did about 300 ft^2 with the RO150 and it was a mess. I used 24 grit Saphir paper and it clogged constantly. When I did my second bedroom, I borrowed a Metabo LF724S paint remover. It's basically a small rotary plane which you can set the depth on. Cut my working time down 10x. I purchased my own after that, it's really a huge time saver and saved me $50 in abrasives.

You'll need to finish sand after, which you could use the RO for, but you'd probably be better off renting a full size sander for 900 ft^2. With most of the paint removed though, at least you won't clog the crap out of it.

 

[Cheese]

Ya I'd go for the full sized sander...tough to flatten a cupped surface with a 5" wheel compared to a 14" belt. I'm not saying it's impossible, just saying it's time consuming and you may not be impressed with the results.