Fortunately, the floors were always covered and never painted...except for around the edges. This floor had the most traffic and took the most time to do.
Alex Clarke who invented the machines that sand floors may have been an excellent machinist and inventor, but he sure wasn’t thinking ergonomics! I think that of all the house-updating jobs there are, this has got to be the most brutal! The edger that goes around the edges of the room requires the operator to squat to prevent the machine from chewing up the wood.
This photo from a floor refinishing company gives you some idea of the stance. However the machine isn't on for the photo because there is no way this guy could hold it without engaging leg muscles too. Now imagine holding it for hours.
The sander also requires major muscle power to prevent it from ripping holes through the floor boards. It’s no job for sissies.
The sanding machine weighs 130 pounds and is really loud!
I did some research about the mad inventor, Alex Clarke and if you can believe the manufacturer’s website, it says that around 1916 Alex was hanging out in his local Texas bar getting splinters from the bar counter when he had the idea to invent a sander. Eventually he added a handle and the floor sander was born. Too bad he forgot the handle to the edger!
I’m taking the day off gardening today. My arm is sore from turning the soil, my back is sore from pushing the wheelbarrow full of rocks. My foot is sore from pushing down on the garden fork, my hand is sore from squeezing the lawnmower, my legs are sore from carrying water to the garden (note to self: get an extension hose for our 70 foot long garden hose. lol!).
I will take today off from vegetable gardening, even though I’m only 1/3 through. I will focus instead on the fact that the 1/3 that is done looks great. It’s the glass half-full vs. half-empty thing.
This 1/3 section includes onions, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, spinach, chard, beets, and bok choi.
Meanwhile, my hero Larry is continuing to sand the floors today. After all, he’s no sissy.
The first pass with the sander is so amazing! However, there are 5 or so grades of sandpaper that will need to pass over the floor before it's finished.
17 responses so far ↓
Barbara // June 7, 2009 at 2:40 am
Hi Flora,
To the non-sanding reader what sticks out (pardon the pun) are those beautiful, wide floor boards.
Wowser. The rest looks way too much like hard work.
But so gorgeous!
Love Barbara
emilybee // June 7, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Wow, so much work! Who would have thought that sanding would be this exhausting?! The floors look FANTASTIC, if that’s any consolation.
Dad looks very happy with those nice sanded floors!
YAY almost done!!!
John Thompson // June 7, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Flora,
I’m a big fan of your blog hailing from North Carolina USA. We had an old Victorian long ago that we painstakingly restored (a three year “adventure”), saving the floor finishing for last on the “to do” list. Twenty years later, it still pains me to think about it – what a backbreaker! As evidenced from your photos, the finished product will certainly be worth the effort! Your home is beautiful and you’re making quick work of a big job from what I’ve been able to see.
When the economy improves someday, I hope to realize my dream of visiting Nova Scotia and Bear River in particular. Until then, thank you for painting such a beautiful picture of your lives there and sharing it with your faithful readers!
John
Flora // June 8, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Imagine Barbara, those planks are probably as old as the house (144 yrs). I love it that the widths vary. I just hope this house isn’t too gorgeous for me to live in and paint in!!!
Flora // June 8, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Dad has a great. strong helper with him…thank the Goddesses for that! lol. Yes, he is really pleased with the look and so am I. The lightness of the wood (mostly spruce) really puts more light into the rooms.
Flora // June 8, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Hello John! Thanks for reading the blog and for your message of encouragement!
I checked out your website and I have to say that you and your wife’s cabinetry and design is very beautiful. I immediately got ‘kitchen envy’ when I looked at the photos .lol. We are trying to keep our kitchen costs down and have ordered a prefab ’shaker’ kitchen…no corian or granite countertops here or stainless steel. However, I think it will be very interesting. We’ve ordered the cabinets unfinished and plan to rub a blue paint and a clear concoction on the wood so that the wood grain is still visible. We’ll save money with a wall of open shelves where I can keep my many jars of dried beans, flours, etc. I’ve ordered an arborite counter that is called ‘watercolour paper’ or something like that and it looks like handmade paper. I am looking forward to seeing the end results…..it is beyond what we have ever done before so it truly is an adventure.
We’ve had some great people here helping us and many have always lived here and are glad to be able to work on a house they’ve grown up around.
This project has been such an eye-opener for both Larry and me as to the many, many details and decisions involved with home renovation. I am in awe of the craftsmen who have tackled this project. I’m also proud of Larry who has rolled up his sleeves and been involved in doing as well as contracting. I think he’s done well at it and been a fair, positive person who has had to time manage and problem solve constantly.
Maybe we’ll see you in Bear River someday! According to Google maps, it’s a mere 22 hours by car. Of course, that’s not factoring in driving through New York at rush hour!
The home remodeling // June 9, 2009 at 3:57 pm
You have some tough work but the result should make the pain turn to joy. Many aspects of home renovation and home remodeling may seem easy from far but when you decide to do the actual work yourself, you realize that it is far from easy.
Victoria Fenner // June 10, 2009 at 9:22 am
You’ve got new walls! And new windows too, it looks like .. and pretty soon you’ll be able to move in. And it’s spring. Flowers are blooming. And the NDP has a majority government.
Life is so good!
Flora // June 13, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Life IS good! Victoria, congrats on your podcasting classes. ….send me the link and I’ll post it.
carolwiebe // June 14, 2009 at 9:28 am
Flora, when Ted and I “rejuvenated” our last house to buy the one we are in now, we had to redo the wood floors. Ted has sanded many a floor, and has seen enough bad sanding jobs where they sanded against the grain, so he was quite happy to find an orbital floor sander. However, we had to get the job done quickly and that thing used up sandpaper as if it was kleenex. Ted thought he bought lots, but it just didn’t last long. And, the machine didn’t seem to have enough weight on it to bite deep enough when the grit was half gone. SO, he devised a strategy whereby he squatted on the thing and I pushed it around. It worked, but only so long, because the machine got so hot that Ted couldn’t sit on it any more.
Oh my, I can just hoot with laughter seeing it in my mind now, but we needed to get that house sold “yesterday,” and at the time it was just about putting our noses (and Ted’s butt) to the grindstone.
You are right–John’s cabinets are beautiful, but your plans sound very inventive and I’m looking forward to seeing how they turn out.
LOVE that new header! I am so pleased to be part of your getting hooked on Photoshop Elements. Lucky viewers will be able to enjoy MANY more gorgeous images.
Flora // June 15, 2009 at 1:34 am
That’s a funny picture!! I still don’t know why sanding should be so difficult. Someone needs to invent one that is more ergonomic……and the same goes for rototillers! These machines are so early 20th century and rely on lots of brawn!
I am really looking forward to colour washing the kitchen cabinets. It’s something we’ve done before…I’ve painted kitchen counters too when we couldn’t afford a counter top. In the last house I dripped 3 colours on the counters and flung the paint around to create a ‘Jackson Pollack’ look. I thought it was quite effective.
Stay tuned for my next post which will be about creating the current header for the blog! I’m glad that you like it Carol! It is our new house and that side of the roof is going to be replaced starting this week…..because there aren’t enough other things happening. lol!
bernard mccann // June 23, 2009 at 6:36 am
log on to utube and type in
Floor Sanding with Pegasus long arm edge sander
this is my solution to the edger problem when floor sanding
flora // June 23, 2009 at 9:53 am
Bernard, all I can say is “where were you when we were sanding?” And “What are you doing in Ireland?” That sander looks like a dream!
Thanks for posting this. Maybe it will save someone else from a sore back!
Here is a utube video for anyone who would like to see ‘a better mousetrap’.
Flora
Floor Sanding // July 7, 2009 at 9:28 am
Wow, so much work! Who would have thought that sanding would be this exhausting?! The floors look FANTASTIC.
flora // July 7, 2009 at 11:03 am
Dear “Floor Sanding”
I can hear the heavy irony in your statement!!! I love your website and it looks like you have sane tools that are certainly healthier to use. I’m guessing that it is still very labor intensive and my hat goes off to all who work in this area. It’s tough work. We were lucky that our 150 year old planks had mostly been covered and had only a little bit of paint around the edges.
Thanks for the compliment. I am really impressed with how great our floors look too! Wood grain is so beautiful and the wide planks are reminders of the enormous trees that once covered North America (and probably Britain too….only about 1000 years earlier). Thanks for your comment!
Flora
bernard mccann // July 9, 2009 at 12:02 pm
flora the floor looks great, the wide plank looks even better when the widths are random, a feature that is seldom seen anymore. Thanks to people like your henry ford and modern production methods everything is now a uniform size. Your floors will always be where the eye is drawn to, because they are so rare. they look great. regards bernard
Flora // July 14, 2009 at 1:22 am
Thanks Bernard! It is a real honour to get a compliment about the floors from a pro such as you. I love the floors too and feel so lucky to be able to show them off. As our tree-planting friend Jon pointed out, the combined age of the house (144 years) with the age of the timber when it was cut (100 year old trees) makes for floors that were grown over 200 years ago. Larry has put up to 7 coats of urethane in heavy traffic or wet areas and the colour of the wood is really coming through. All those coats also slow down our move a bit, but in the long run it will help the wood last longer.