Hi Folks;

Quick review leads me to believe I'm at the right place to get some advice, and probably a little guff...

My builder just finished installing 950 square feet of soft (ha) maple flooring I had custom made for my timber frame house. The second floor boards are also the ceiling of the floor below, so I wanted a light color wood. The t&g boards are 1.5" thick - solid, and the top (above the tongue) has extra meat, perhaps 60/40.

The good folks who finished the underside (ceiling) before installation want nothing to do with the top, since they apparently killed themselves sanding before the sealer and two-coat lacquer finish they applied (looks great!).

So far, my builder is getting knowing chuckles from pros about what comes next. Looks like I'm going to have to tackle the sanding DIY.

We want to coarse sand before they frame the (few) upstairs interior walls, so to minimize the mucking with edges. There are some planer knife marks that I have to take out. That's apparently what drove the ceiling finish sub crazy.

Any recommendations on how to procede? If you convince me its a better idea, I might just take an anvil up there an throw it around a while, and go for a "distressed" look. I really would prefer not to do that, though.


Thanks much!