What Festool sander and abrasive for prepping a varnished floor?

[Sam Murdoch]

My question: How best to sand a tung oil floor finish in order to level off brush lap ridges and create an even surface without burning through the prior coats. My object is to just even the surface to prepare for a final coat? I am willing to sand with a hand sander like the ETS150/3 EQ. Better options? (I have an RO125 and I am pretty certain that this is not the toll to use in this case.) What type of Festool abrasive? Supporting info below. If there is no good Festool option I will likely opt for a hand sanding approach. This is not a job for air sanders or walk behind sanders.

The work issue today leads me to post this question to you folks with more experience with the Festool sander options: I have been applying a Carlisle Tung Oil finish to a 480sq.ft. wide plank pine floor that I just installed and stained. The temperatures have been in the 80°s with humidity pushing 60%. Each of 3 coats has been drying nearly as fast as I apply it. The first coat was done with a lambs wool applicator and too many starts and stops and drips never leveled out. Needed to sand the entire first coat by hand before applying the second. As I have not had the luxury of waiting for more favorable weather, I persisted and hoped for the best. I've done these floors in the winter and fall with great results and so, ever the optimist... The second coat went on and dried a bit more evenly than the first (cooler day). Today's coat, # 3, I applied with a brush and I knew as I was going out the door that this coat was never going to level out.  In the morning I expect to find raised brush marks throughout that will compel me to sand all the little ridges before applying yet another coat. YES, I found the floor looking like an example of painterly fine art by an old master. If it was a painting on canvas I would be quite proud of my enthusiastic brush technique.  [crying] I have called the finish manufacturer and got the go ahead to add Penetrol to the tung oil which should alleviate the flow out issues for the last coat. Wish I had thought of that sooner. In any event, I will wait until mid-week rather than sanding this very soft finish. I appreciate any advice you might care to offer.

 

[Wonderwino]

My only experience with Festool sanders refinishing a floor was on southern yellow pine that we sanded completely to bare wood with an ETS150/5 and 60 grit rubin.  I also used an RO125FEQ with 60 Rubin when there were two of us working.  Three coats of gloss poly and the floor looks great!

 

[Sam Murdoch]

Well I guess this is a question with no clear answer  [sad]. So after many more hours of reading through these forums and talking to some local friends with Festool experience I've made the leap.
I purchased an ETS 150/3 based on how much I liked using it to prep the floor prior to staining. Also, have ordered (on the recommendation of a long time woodworking friend) some Mirka Abranet sanding discs.
He was effusive with praise in regards to the no clog aspect of this brand of sanding discs and reports no compromise with the dust collecting using these discs on a Festool sander. Hope writing about another product is not offensive to the FOG. Remains to be seen how these will fare. I am going to the job with a full box of Brilliant too. More next week, if anyone cares to hear...

 

[waho6o9]

I care to hear and hope it turns out well for you.  If it were me, I would make a sample of the floor and finish  and try different pads, polishing, buffing, sanding,  until it came out  acceptable.  Thanks for posting.  [smile]

 

[Dan Clark]

Well I guess this is a question with no clear answer  [sad]. So after many more hours of reading through these forums and talking to some local friends with Festool experience I've made the leap.
I purchased an ETS 150/3 based on how much I liked using it to prep the floor prior to staining. Also, have ordered (on the recommendation of a long time woodworking friend) some Mirka Abranet sanding discs.
He was effusive with praise in regards to the no clog aspect of this brand of sanding discs and reports no compromise with the dust collecting using these discs on a Festool sander. Hope writing about another product is not offensive to the FOG. Remains to be seen how these will fare. I am going to the job with a full box of Brilliant too. More next week, if anyone cares to hear...

Sam,

I care to hear.    And regarding writing about another product... 

I believe it's fair to say that virtually all of us here have other tools besides Festools.  While FOG is focused on Festool discussions, most of us are trying to get the best out of our Festools or trying to find the best tool option to meet our needs.  And that means sometimes discussing other products. 

Formal policy statements should come from Shane or our excellent Moderators.  However, IMO it's reasonable to discuss other products and how they can be integrated with Festool products - like Mirka Abranet on a Festool sander.  For example, I have Abranet for my RO150 and for a Mirka hand sander.  (I love the combo of Abranet with the Mirka hand sander.  OTOH, while I like the RO150 Abranet sandpaper, I've mostly stuck with Festool sandpaper for that sander.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll change in the future.)

For specific discussions of non-Festool tools only, here's a FOG forum dedicated to other tools: http://festoolownersgroup.com/other-tools-accessories/ and one for other tool reviews: http://festoolownersgroup.com/other-tool-reviews/ .  And one on hand tools: http://festoolownersgroup.com/hand-tools/ .

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Sam Murdoch]

I care to hear and hope it turns out well for you.  If it were me, I would make a sample of the floor and finish  and try different pads, polishing, buffing, sanding,  until it came out  acceptable.   Thanks for posting.  [smile]

To Waho & Dan I was not intending to sound whiny and needy of affirmation that you guys are listening with my "if you care to hear" comment. The fact that there was little response to my original post in this thread did not deter me. I realized I was asking about a very specific set of circumstances though I did expect a few comments encouraging me to try one thing or another. "If you care to hear" was specifically in regards to how this project ends up with my use of a new tool & abrasive - for the future reference of the FOG.  

More to your comment Waho, I did make up multiple samples for this floor as I was developing the color sample for my client. These controlled environment samples had no bearing on the bigger work. I have used the Carlisle finish on their floors in the past with wonderful results, both in the application and with the final finish. My problem in this case was all due to weather and the local climate in the very sunlit and perhaps over ventilated room. I've never seen this floor finish dry so fast. My intent now is to remove as little of the 3rd coat as I can to even out the surface prior to my "last" coat. I've got no option for experimenting other than to start sanding & see what works.  Eventually I will have a good substrate - just don't know how much sanding or what abrasive will get me there.  A cooler day and the Penetrol added to the Carlisle finish should allow the last coat to level properly. I'll let you know - if you care to hear  [big grin]

 

[Sam Murdoch]

Well I guess this is a question with no clear answer  [sad]. So after many more hours of reading through these forums and talking to some local friends with Festool experience I've made the leap.
I purchased an ETS 150/3 based on how much I liked using it to prep the floor prior to staining. Also, have ordered (on the recommendation of a long time woodworking friend) some Mirka Abranet sanding discs.
He was effusive with praise in regards to the no clog aspect of this brand of sanding discs and reports no compromise with the dust collecting using these discs on a Festool sander. Hope writing about another product is not offensive to the FOG. Remains to be seen how these will fare. I am going to the job with a full box of Brilliant too. More next week, if anyone cares to hear...

Great success with the sander and the Abranet. I really am loving using the ETS150/3EQ. This is a great finish sander - happy purchase!. As for the Abranet, I must say that this stuff performed as my friend said it would. I used 220 grit and was able to get better than 40 sq. ft. of clog free sanding with each disc with a # 4 speed. The 220 Brilliant that I tried as a fair field comparison couldn't go 5 sq. ft. without needing to be tossed.  I did slightly modify the hook/loop pad that Abranet uses with their discs by punching holes to precisely line up with the center holes on the Festool pad. The outer holes lined up as manufactured. Dust collection was not compromised. Still working on the floor - that's another story - but the sander and abrasive question has been well answered.

 

[AlexThePalex]

The 220 Brilliant that I tried as a fair field comparison couldn't go 5 sq. ft. without needing to be tossed. 

What did you sand with it, yoghurt?

 

[Sam Murdoch]

The 220 Brilliant that I tried as a fair field comparison couldn't go 5 sq. ft. without needing to be tossed. 

What did you sand with it, yoghurt?

Tung oil varnish that had been drying for about a week in high summer humidity. Maybe I got 8 sq. feet but the Brilliant very very quickly became imbedded with little dots of finish that defeated my "light" sanding of the varnish. Brilliant is my abrasive of choice, above 120 grit, for finishing bare wood. It was simply the wrong choice in this application

 

[AlexThePalex]

I can't say I know anything about tung oil varnish, but normally when something clogs that fast it means it is not dried properly. Normally you should get a lot more milage out of your sandpaper then 5 sq ft.

 

[Sam Murdoch]

I can't say I know anything about tung oil varnish, but normally when something clogs that fast it means it is not dried properly. Normally you should get a lot more milage out of your sandpaper then 5 sq ft.

That was the crux of the problem that lead me to post this thread. I knew that I would be sanding too soon. 1 gal of finish on 500 sq. ft. of floor takes much more than a week in summer ocean side conditions to dry. Couldn't wait the needed time. Knew I would be sanding some what uncured tung oil, thus my question and my report of the results...