Q: I do woodworking. I want to know the best way to remove a hardwood floor coating that has tungsten in it. Some people I have talked to said they use a planner.
Is this a good idea or is there a better way?
A: Tungsten in a floor coating? Never heard of such a thing. How do you know, or why do you say this is in the finish, and who makes such a product?
Follow-up Q: My sister has a friend that sells hardwood flooring and she told me that. I didn’t want to breath that stuff and I didn’t want to ruin my planner blades. If I have been misinformed, this is good thing. I would still be interested to know what is the best way to remove the coating? If it is not safe to do then I’ll just forget it.
A: Honestly, I have been around this work a long time, and I’ve never heard of tungsten in coatings. Ceramic and aluminum oxide are the norm in pre finished, and now some are using “nano” technology with their coatings to increase scratch resistance. I don’t think you want to be breathing this dust. Aluminum oxide is tough to sand off. The general recommendation is to skim it with 80 or 60 grit, then go to 40 and work your way to 100. If you had a thickness planer, that might be worth a go. Wear a good mask.
Webmaster’s note: Maybe she meant “tung oil”?