Four Different Types of Floor Sanders
Drum
Drum sanders are one of the most common types. These floor sanders have the paper wrapped around a rotating drum. They are fast and efficient, but are very heavy and aggressive. You will also have to use these floor sanders with the grain. Drum sanders have to be kept in constant motion or they will quickly form a gouge in the floor that you won’t be able to remove.
Square
One of the newer types of floor sanders is the square pad sander. This type of sander is less aggressive than drum sanders, so you won’t have to worry so much about causing a gouge in your floor. This can also be a disadvantage as the sanding process will typically take a longer time to complete. Because of their shape, square floor sanders usually don’t require a separate edging sander because they will be able to reach within an inch of the wall.
Orbital
There are also orbital floor sanders that move in a circular motion. These sanders are much lighter than the drum variety, so they will be much easier to control. Like square sanders, they are less likely to cause a gouge in your floor. Because these floor sanders move the sanding pad in an orbiting direction, you don’t have to worry about grain direction.
Edging
Edging floor sanders are the smallest type. They have wheels on them to help you guide them at floor level. These floor sanders are commonly used in conjunction with drum sanders because they are unable to reach the wall. The edging machine will be able to sand the area close to the wall that was unreached by the drum sander.
These are some of the different types of floor sanders. Drum sanders are the most common, but they are heavy and may be difficult to control. Orbital floor sanders are lighter and much easier to control. You also don’t have to worry about grain direction. If you use a drum sander, you will also need to use an edging machine to reach the areas close to the wall that the drum sander was unable to reach.
