Finally tackled the scratched oak floors in our living room. Rented a drum sander, did 3 grits (36, 60, 100), then two coats of water-based poly. The dust containment was the hardest part. Anything you’d do differently?
Nice work — 36/60/100 is exactly the right progression for old oak with worn poly, most weekend refinishers skip the coarse grit and pay for it in hours.
A few things we do on jobs that would’ve helped:
Dust: tape off the cold-air returns and set a box fan blowing OUT of a window before you start the drum sander — negative pressure pulls the fine dust out instead of letting it settle in every other room. Cheap and it works.
Edges: the edge sander leaves swirl marks that only show up after the first coat. A quick hand-screen with a 120 pad along the perimeter before coating blends them.
Poly: two coats of water-based is the minimum — on a living room we’d do three, with a light screen (220) between coats 2 and 3. Water-based builds thinner than oil, so the third coat is what buys you the next ten years.
How did the colour come out — did you stay natural or stain? Photos would be great if you have before/afters.