Greasy oil stains, paint drops, nail scratches—is your wooden floor creating a bad impression in front of your guests? While planning to replace it with new ones can cost a fortune, you can plan on refinishing your hardwood floors. But unlike most DIY projects, it takes a tedious task and skilled expertise. So, do you have the best tool for the job? The first step towards refurbishing is sanding the hardwood floor is making sure you have the right sander for the job. With the help of some coarse sandpaper, you can manually start the task, but it will take immense time and effort to refinish the entire flooring.
So, let’s switch the manual task with some impeccable machines. Here we have our 3 top-rated orbital floor sanders for 2020! While there are numerous sanders available in the market, orbital sanders are best fit for light sanding action, especially for areas such as the entryway, closet, hallways, or places where the flooring is placed in opposite angles. Orbital sander for hardwood floors also reaches the corners and other spaces, where other sanders cannot reach.
A detailed product review of the top 3 orbital floor sanders
Featuring a combination of black and blue, the Bosch Power Tools Electric Orbital sander is designed with a soft grip with tapered top handgrip. It also has auxiliary handles mounted on each side to provide effective control. It is assembled with large channels and a multi-hole pad system that offers smooth finishing on abrasive floors.
Features
- This product functions on twin mode—it acts as a random orbital floor sander for providing fine finishing and regular stock removal. At the same time, its turbo feature is suited for aggressively eliminating stock 5 times more effectively than any normal sander.
- This random orbital floor sander features a powerful 7.5-amp variable motor speed, which offers the users the flexibility of performing versatile woodworkings.
- This orbital sander renders a smooth refinishing on the hardwood floors as users have the provision to adjust the speed based on their requirements.
- A passive dust collection system characterizes the product as it has an inbuilt hose adapter.
- Featuring the turbo sander mode, this orbital sander is one of the best alternatives for a belt sander. It has 3 times more power for stock removal than a standard orbital sander.
- It is ergonomic to use and easier to clean as the Bosch Power Tools are accompanied by a dust box that collects the dust and keeps your home clean.
Pros
- It has dual features—aggressive turbo mode and random orbital mode
- It is a flexible and versatile tool
- Features an integral pad-dampening braking system
- Has a soft microcellular hook-and-loop backing pad
- Produces less vibration due to dual-bearing pad mount
Cons
- Devoid of replacement pads
- Can produce noise sometimes
One for the premium choice for woodworking, this random orbital is indeed worth every penny. It is designed to achieve the best woodworking.
Leveraging the wealth of expertise for more than 60 years as a professional choice for woodworking, the American B2 Edger is one of the best equipment for refinishing hardwood floors. This equipment has a polished aluminum alloy texture and is designed for aggressive cutting at 3200 RPM and a higher precision at 2800 RPM. It is a highly reliable and durable orbital flooring sander, the most preferred choice for professional contractors.
Features
- The product is best suited for heavy cutting conditions as it is designed with a powerful 1 HP motor.
- It renders smoother operations with its electronically balanced motor and fan.
- This orbit floor sander is featured with long-lasting graphite brushes for extended brushing and has high precision 7 inches balanced sanding pad, which offers a more elegant finishing.
- It renders ease of cleaning with its vacuum-ready dust pipes that can rotate 280 degrees and access even the tight spots and closets.
- It also has innovative quick-release dust bags that are hassle-free and time-saver. Its adjustable dust skirts also prevent airborne dust.
- Its transparent molded plug has an inner light, which serves as its power indicator.
Pros
- Professionally preferred woodworking equipment.
- It is made of aluminum alloy.
- The product comes with a plastic case.
- It is an aggressive sander with high precision speed.
- It has a Ziplock dust bag
- It is highly durable and reliable.
Cons
- It is expensive
It is best suited for home renovations, and its high speed makes the task much easier. It is, therefore, one of the best sanding tools available in the market.
Designed and manufactured in Japan, this Makita power tool is an orbital deck & floor sander. It is amicable equipment that can help users attain a smooth finish on their woodworking projects such as tabletops, cabinets, etc. It is a portable yet power pack tool having a 4-inch* 24-inch belt sander with a variable speed. With this flexibility of choosing or desired speed level, you can seamlessly work on 690 to 1400 per minute according to your needs. It also features a quiet design that eliminates the shrilling noise of wood cutting. One impeccable feature of this equipment is that it has auto-tracking, so you need not carry it manually. It also has a 16 feet long power cord, which allows users to work at ease even in cramped apartments and around the corners.
Features
- The product is fitted with a dust bag and an 80-grit belt that allows easy cleaning of dust away from the eyes and nose.
- This 4-inch by 24-inch belt sander is specially curated for cabinetry and woodworking.
- It has a highly powerful 8.8-Amp motor, which makes it an ideal choice for professionals.
- With its variable speed per minute, it renders enhanced versatility and flexibility.
- This is quiet sanding equipment with 84dB that eliminates shrill noise.
- The equipment is designed in a way to flush sand from both the side and nose.
- It has a double-insulated construction.
Pros
- It has versatile speed
- The package includes a dust bag and abrasive belt
- Its auto-tracking feature tracks the belt without adjustment
- Has an optional sanding shoe for precise sanding depth control
- Its long power cord adjusts in any corner of the house
Cons
- Can cause loud screeching sound with its initial use
Easing the peril of woodworking, this equipment is a boon for reinvigorating the radiance of the furniture.
A quick buyer’s guide
Do you have a parquet floor that requires some attention, doors to sand, kitchen to repaint? No worry, there is a sander for everything!
Types of sanders
- Belt Sander
It is one of the best-suited sanders that use 50-89-grit paper and is specifically used to rapidly remove large stocks. Its aggressive belt is stretched Palm Sander and continuously moves in sanding motion.
- Disc Sander
Attached with a large wheel and belt sander, the disc sander sits on a workplace and aids in removing huge stocks. Some sander also features a disc and belt and sander, offering an amalgamation of both.
- Drywall Sanders
It is a tedious task to sand drywall, and hence it requires powerful equipment. However, the process emits an adequate amount of dust, so it is best to choose the sander fitted with a vacuum system.
- Palm Sander
Compact and lightweight, these sanders can fit in the palm of your hand. It creates vibration for removing stock and is best suited to use with wood grains to reduce scratches.
- Orbital Sander
These are one of the best deck sanders that move in a circular motion. This sanding equipment is one of the most versatile types of a sander, having adjustable speed variations and can be used with or without wood grain.
- Spindle Sander
This type of sander is best suited to curve and shape unique objects. It comes in handy when you plan to sand the curved corners of the house.
Now that you know about the usage and specialty of various types of sanders, there are certain factors one must consider before investing in a sander.
- Know your specific requirements
Before selecting a sander, the first step is to understand your woodworking requirements, whether you need a sander to calibrate the parts or looking for equipment only to sand certain parts. Other factors for selecting a sanding machine include the square footage of the sanding area, the material type of the parts, completion speed of the project, and the budget. It is also essential to look for sanders with inbuilt dust collection capacities to ease the cleaning process.
- Selecting the machine
Once you know your requirement and budget, you can select the sander best fit for your needs. The choice of the equipment depends upon its width, head type, price, and duty cycle. However, one must remember that the best value sander must be the one to offer a complete package (support/lead-time/feature/options) and is not valued in terms of low price.
- Depending on the head types
At the basic level, every sanding machine has four head types—brush, orbital, wide belt, knife/planer. Simultaneously, some head types are excellent in rapid stock removal while others render a smooth finish. Using special motion and wide platen, an orbital head is used for removing linear cross-grain scratches, and a brush head can break sharp edges and remove stain colors.
- Abrasives
Abrasives are one of the dominant determining factors for the selection of a sanding machine. Using the apt abrasive for the machine can minimize cost and optimize performance levels. While it can be expensive sometimes, it can increase production speed, improve performance, and instill a smooth finish.
- Old vs. New
While buying a used sander sounds tempting as it saves your expenses, but it has its perks. Before investing, users must do due diligence about the sander and look for possible implications to alleviate their interest. However, purchasing a new sander can cost you a few dollars. In both cases, it is necessary to know the specifications and analyze whether an investment will be a value for money.
FAQ Section
- What do professional-grade abrasives mean?
A low-quality abrasive can leave chatter marks and is stiff and rigid on the sander. But a professional-grade abrasive is devoid of exposed backing area, has its minerals up the edge, cloth-backed, and has a diagonal wavy line that joins the edges to form the tube.
- How to identify if I have enough floors to sand?
Fully thick hardwood flooring can take up to 4 sandings in its lifetime. However, if your hose dates from 1880-1915, you may have a cause of worry as before milling standardization, the woods used were too thin for sanding.
- Does sanding remove adhesive or how it works on painted floors?
A sander is much cheaper than an adhesive removal, but it is indeed a challenge. You can use paint thinner or laundry detergent to remove the adhesive. It is also a daunting task to sand-painted floors as these are thick and packed with solid material. It is best to start with coarse and speed up the sanding equipment.
- How can I get the floor ready for sanding?
The first step is measuring the square footage as this will give you an estimated idea about the abrasive and finishing needs. Remove carpets, furniture, doors, raise and secure low-hanging chandlers, also if you have pets, it’s best for them not to be around as fumes from the oil-modified polyurethane can adversely affect them.
- Can sanding remove dark stains?
Well, it is difficult to state, especially if it is a urinal stain. However, it is best to start sanding instead of opting for other stain removing materials, as often dark stains do get eliminated in the sanding process.
- How messy can sanding a floor be?
Sanding is a messy affair, so it is recommended to use a sander attached with a dust bag and vacuum to ease the cleaning process.
Bottom-line
The first and foremost step for reinvigorating the home interiors is sanding the floor. A well-polished clean floor with modern and sleek furnishing can create an eye-catching impression in front of your guests. But to achieve success, it is necessary to sand the floor in the right manner. The task is tedious and requires a lot of effort and patience, but its result is worth all the hassle.