When sanding pre-finished floors, common sense would say to start by using the coarsest grit available to sand off a very tough coating. In reality, the opposite is true. By starting with a coarse grit, you will get decreased product life and performance.

The proper sanding technique for pre-finished floors involves sanding the floor first with a finer grit, usually 80 grit. Sand the finish lightly with 80 grit, just to scratch the surface. Then come back with a coarser grit, usually 40 or 50 grit is coarse enough to remove the finish. Using this technique will greatly increase product life and cut rate. This technique works for the edger as well as the belt sander.

The ideal product to use is Norton SG Red Heat. It’s ceramic grain and micro-fracturing properties give it a longer life and faster cut rate on the hardest surfaces.