[gr8fl4porsche]

I have refinished quite a few floors using Home Depots selection of floor sanders.

First you have to determine what level of refinishing you need.

If the coating is just wearing thin and scratched up - you do not need to completely refinish the floor. A light sanding and couple coats of finish will get the job done. You can rent a 20" square vibrating sander that does a great job without any damage. This is what you can do every 7-10 years to renew the finish before its too late. You can also spot finish floors where you experience high wear in a localized area.

If the floor is a mess with lots of deep scratches, covered with carpet, discoloration, stains, etc. then its time to break out the drum sander (fast and aggressive) or orbitals (slow and steady). The light drum that HD rents will destroy a floor in the wrong hands. Don't touch the floor without being 'on the move' - the same when you get to the other side. Pull up while moving. Start with the least aggressive grit that does the job. If the floor is really cupped and f'ed up - go straight to the 24 grit.

Once the finish is removed, increase your grit and take your time. Stop at 80-100.
Then I like to switch to the orbitals or vibrating sanders to fine finish and remove the washboard effect that you most likely just put into the floor.

Take your time - let the machine do the work. Stop at 150 grit paper then try the 150 grit sanding screens to remove light scratches.

After the first coat of poly dries, use the 150 grit screen to buff in between coats.

Pros use a round buffer with sanding screens but you can get by with the square sander.

Using the edge tool on the border is where lots of folks do damage. This tool cuts very quickly. I use it to remove the finish and then switch to a random orbital hand sander to smooth out the transition between the main sanding and the edging.

Good luck