I did a small job this week to rip-out and install some engineered oak due to a fish tank leak. The new flooring was picked for the matching grain, certainly not the color. The flooring in the house is a reddish golden oak, and the new flooring is darker gun stock.The home owner would like the floor sanded and stained to match as best as possible, but I was thinking screening would be the way to go since all that is needed to be removed is the finish. The wear layer is thin....about an 1/8".

You can screen a factory finish....right? The area is just under 100 sq'.

Thanks,
Keith

If the color needs changing, all the flooring needs to be sanded to the "raw wood" and re-stained. Screening alone will not work. An orbital type sander may work but it will be SLOW. If the top veneer is an 1/8", that's enough to work with to sand, stain and refinish, assuming there isn't extreme overwood/underwood.

Thanks Gary. I don't have much experience with a drum sander, but what about using an edger on the floor. I think I would have alot more control with that, and it would take less time than with the orbital. No over-wood to deal with.

Edgers are usually more difficult to control, cause circular sanding marks, and are not designed to sand large areas. It sounds as if you are out of your league my friend. Sanding an engineered floor requires experience. I recommend you sub out this aspect to someone with a lot of experience and the proper tools. Do you want to replace the customer's entire floor because you ruined it trying to refinish it?