I'm refinishing the hardwood floor in a small bathroom and am planning to do the following, after removing adhesive from it with an edger + coating removal disc (it used to be covered with stick-on tiles):

- Sand with 35, then 60, then 100 grit
- floor buffing with sanding screen
- Stain
- fine grit sanding between finishing layers

Because it is such a small space, I'm planning to use a handheld random orbital sander for most of this. I'm a bit stumped about the buffing stage though - most sanding screens I can find for sale are large (17-20" discs), and most floor buffer tools are also large. Could I:

- cut down a disc to use with the random orbital sander, or
- use the sanding screen to buff by hand?

Any advice about buffing a small space would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

If you are using a random orbital sander to finish the sanding after the edging you ought to use 120 grit instead of a sanding screen. After the final sanding with the 120 grit it will help the stain to soak in evenly if you go over the whole floor firmly with a piece of 80 grit paper folded in half, or thirds depending on the size of your paper, with the grain and even into the corners where you have scraped to bare wood and have the floor smooth, first. This will open the grain so the stain can absorb to give an even color. Be sure to check for machine sanding marks and if you see any, scrape with a sharp scraper first before the hand sanding, to save time. Keep the scraper sharp with a mill file so you can scrape a shaving with medium pressure. I use #2 steel wool to buff after the stain is completely dry to get any excess stain off the surface. Extra pigment left on the surface will leave an adhesion problem, sometime. The color of the floor ought to look like it did when the stain was freshly applied, before it dries, after the first coat of finish is applied. I use 150 or 180 grit between coats of finish, but a used 100 grit paper will work fine to cut back any grain raise after the first coat is dry. Just get it smooth and powdery before the second coat.

Thanks!!!