Get pads at the rental store.
Floor edger to fix swirls.
At the end of the job lay a flashlight on the floor to highlight any leftover swirls.
Quality assurance is important and it requires examining the floor carefully before applying stain or finish.
Place a nylon pad under the sandpaper.
Rubio monocoat recommends finishing the hardwood with 120 grit so that is what i did.
This method of edging will ensure your scratches go with the grain of the woo.
After removing the swirl marks and imperfections sand the entire floor again with 60 80 grit followed by 80 100 120 grit.
Replace the sandpaper when it s dull.
This cushion minimizes gouges and deep swirls.
If an occasional swirl mark or an edger mark appears while you are staining you can wet sand the scratch using the stain and 100 or 80 grit sandpaper to remove the mark.
If you insist on using a palm sander either use it over the entire floor not recommended or hand sand with 80grit over the areas that you palm sanded.
Swirl marks are sometimes missed even by the best.
When i get my rough stock in i plain it down to the thickness i want leaving it very smooth.
Water popping the floor can also help the stain absorb evenly.
Swirl marks on a wood floor are a common problem that often occurs as the result of improper sanding techniques or dirt getting under the sandpaper.
Then hand sand them out with 80 or 100 grit paper.
It is much safer to correct edger swirl by sanding with the grain using a fresh piece of 80grit sandpaper and your own arm because your own arm just isn t capable of burnishing the floor.
I ve done tons of research on how to fix the dreaded problem of swirls and pigtails left behind only to be seen once you stain and still haven t found a consistent fix.
The important part is to never skip a grit or a section of the floor during finish sanding.
Dull paper won t remove swirls left by the previous grit.
How to fix swirls on a wooden floor.