Sanding kitchen counter top

[neeleman]

I want to sand a beech kitchen counter top which is treated with oil.
There are some stains which need to be sanded heavenly because of leeking water (black spots) and some grease spots around the stove.

What kind of Festool sander can I use and which kind of Festool sanding paper & grid can I use best?
I want to sand the top so that the oil is completely gone and do a refinish with oil afterwards.

BTW. I own a RS400, RS300, LS130 & ETS150/5.
I want to start with the ETS150/5 with Cristal P60, then go to Brilliant2 P80-120 and finish of with the LS300/400 sanders in grid P180-220.
Is this a good idea?
Does the oil clogg the sandpaper or mix with the dust, what are your experiences?

 

[Brice Burrell]

Sounds like you're on the right track. I don't think the 60 grit Cristal will clog. You'll likely need to work to get the deep scratches out that the Cristal will produce but don't let that dissuade you. I don't see a need to finish with the LS sander. 

 

[AlexThePalex]

BTW. I own a RS400, RS300, LS130 & ETS150/5.
I want to start with the ETS150/5 with Cristal P60, then go to Brilliant2 P80-120 and finish of with the LS300/400 sanders in grid P180-220.
Is this a good idea?

You are on the right track indeed Neeleman. I'd advise one change though, I wouldn't use the Cristal 60 at all unless you have a really rough surface like multiple layers of (flaking) paint. If you just want to get rid of some dark spots Brilliant 2 grit 80 or 100 is good enough to start with and won't leave too much bad scratches like the 60 grit Cristal will.

Btw, you're the first person I see on this forum who owns the RS300. I'm curious about that sander for some time now. How do you like it?

 

[neeleman]

I really do like the RS300. It's a very smooth sander with a sanding stroke of 2,4 mm. Just listen to the buzzing noise it's making.
I mainly use it for sanding large horizontal surfaces because of the weight of the sander or sometimes vertical drywall/stucco ("gipsstuc").
I fitted it with an extra frontknob which is not standard and which is really hard to get these days, I cannot find it on the current website anymore.
The RS200 comes standard with the front knob, but the knob is a different version.
I really love the frontknob because of the better handling & balance especially on vertical surfaces.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Ok neeleman, thanks for the explanation.

 

[minimalist]

I recently sanded 4 well used chopping boards (45cm x 55cm) that had been oiled.  Used Brilliant P80, P120, P240 & P400 with my RO150.  The P80 clogged up real quick, so much that I had to use a new disk for each board.  That was quite a surprise for me.  Only needed one disk of each of the other grits for all four boards though.  The other thing I found was that the inside of the RO150 was really clogged up with sticky dust - took quite a while to clean it out.

Apart from using more disks than I thought I would need and the inside of the RO150 needing a good clean, I was very happy with the end result.

 

[tDot]

I recently sanded 4 well used chopping boards (45cm x 55cm) that had been oiled.  Used Brilliant P80, P120, P240 & P400 with my RO150.  The P80 clogged up real quick, so much that I had to use a new disk for each board.  That was quite a surprise for me.  Only needed one disk of each of the other grits for all four boards though.  The other thing I found was that the inside of the RO150 was really clogged up with sticky dust - took quite a while to clean it out.

Apart from using more disks than I thought I would need and the inside of the RO150 needing a good clean, I was very happy with the end result.

I don't know how to deal with the sticky sawdust in the sander, but to save on sanding disks, next time, try starting the sanding process with Cristal 80, then move on to Brilliant disks. Cristal is much less likely to load up then the Brilliant, and on second thought that might save you having to clean your sander if the sticky sawdust is being caused by heating up the old finish and making it gummy. 

 

[minimalist]

Thanks for the tip tDot!

 

[Nigel]

I really do like the RS300. It's a very smooth sander with a sanding stroke of 2,4 mm. Just listen to the buzzing noise it's making.
I mainly use it for sanding large horizontal surfaces because of the weight of the sander or sometimes vertical drywall/stucco ("gipsstuc").
I fitted it with an extra frontknob which is not standard and which is really hard to get these days, I cannot find it on the current website anymore.
The RS200 comes standard with the front knob, but the knob is a different version.
I really love the frontknob because of the better handling & balance especially on vertical surfaces.

Looks like an mft clamping element knob to me

 

[jonny round boy]

I really do like the RS300. It's a very smooth sander with a sanding stroke of 2,4 mm. Just listen to the buzzing noise it's making.
I mainly use it for sanding large horizontal surfaces because of the weight of the sander or sometimes vertical drywall/stucco ("gipsstuc").
I fitted it with an extra frontknob which is not standard and which is really hard to get these days, I cannot find it on the current website anymore.
The RS200 comes standard with the front knob, but the knob is a different version.
I really love the frontknob because of the better handling & balance especially on vertical surfaces.

Looks like an mft clamping element knob to me

Yes, it's the standard Festool knob - but the important bit is the base that fits between the knob itself and the sander...

 

[harry_]

In this case, where the c-top has been treated with mineral oil or the like, the best thing to do to extend the sandpaper is to break down the oil in the wood with some sort of solvent.  I had a similar issue with my maple benchtop which I treat with tung oil.

I just lather the thing up with some turp/thinner/spirits, which ever is handy. Then I let it evap off or hit it with a scotch-brite if I happen to be feeling ambitious. Once dry, I can then sand away and the paper lasts much longer.

 

[woodguy7]

I did the same as Harry.  I had to sand some electric guitar body's back to the bare wood & they have been coated with multiple coats of lacquer.  I tried p80 brilliant first but that just heated up & melted the top coat to a gooey mess that was a nightmare to get off.  I wiped it all down with cellouse thinners then sanded.  It was much better after that.

Woodguy.

 

[Kevin Stricker]

I also think you should skip the 50 grit cristal if you can, I only use 50 or 60 if I am doing serious flattening and it adds a good 30 minutes to 1 hour of sanding time getting out all the scratches.  If the oil coat is still in decent shape mostly I think turpentine or a citrus solvent or citrus stripper might be a good first step, followed by a wood brightener in the stained areas.  If you try to sand out the stained areas you will have a lot of leveling to do afterwards if you want a flat surface.

One thing I dislike about the crystal paper on unpainted wood is that the paper can look relatively fresh and not cut much anymore, similar to the Ruben.  I know this is the case when I start to burnish the wood with my Rotex with 80 grit.  Beech is pretty hard wood, I think you are going to use a lot of paper unless you can start the process with a more aggressive sander.

 

[Bill Barker]

probably a bit late for this but using a reasonably sharp cabinet scraper will save you a lot of grief and paper
Bill

I want to sand a beech kitchen counter top which is treated with oil.
There are some stains which need to be sanded heavenly because of leeking water (black spots) and some grease spots around the stove.

What kind of Festool sander can I use and which kind of Festool sanding paper & grid can I use best?
I want to sand the top so that the oil is completely gone and do a refinish with oil afterwards.

BTW. I own a RS400, RS300, LS130 & ETS150/5.
I want to start with the ETS150/5 with Cristal P60, then go to Brilliant2 P80-120 and finish of with the LS300/400 sanders in grid P180-220.
Is this a good idea?
Does the oil clogg the sandpaper or mix with the dust, what are your experiences?