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Belt sander for floorboards

Updated: October 2026

A £50 handheld on amazon.co.uk looks cheaper than a weekend's hire once the carpet is up. A belt sander for floorboards can strip a patch, a hallway or a deck, and UK reviewers have done that with tools in this set. Across a whole room the same sander is slow, weak at the edges and dusty. This page says where a handheld is enough and where a hire drum is the better spend. The listings are on the [belt sander comparison](/hub/sanders/belt-sander). Hire figures were checked on 16 October 2026. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A £50 handheld on amazon.co.uk looks cheaper than a weekend's hire once the carpet is up. A belt sander for floorboards can strip a patch, a hallway or a deck, and UK reviewers have done that with tools in this set.

Our top picks

Einhell Einhell TC-BS 8038

Best overall

Einhell Einhell TC-BS 8038
8.6/10about £48.94
View offer
BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER KA88-GB

Rank 2

BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER KA88-GB
8.4/10about £59.49
View offer
GALAX PRO GALAX PRO 1010 W 76×533

Rank 3

GALAX PRO GALAX PRO 1010 W 76×533
8.2/10about £50.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What a handheld can honestly sand
  2. 2.Dust and edges
  3. 3.When the hire machine is the purchase
  4. 4.If you still buy from this set

What a handheld can honestly sand

Reviewers do sand floors with handhelds in this comparison. GALAX PRO owners describe floorboards, pallet wood and garage doors. Einhell reviewers describe hours on scaffold boards. KA88-GB owners use it beside the skirting. A handheld suits a patch, a threshold, a run of decking or one small room if you have the time. The 76 mm belt covers a narrow strip, so a large room takes many hours and a lot of belts. Several kits include only one P80, and coarse belts wear out quickly on old finish. A tilted pass leaves a hollow. The pass itself is in how to use a belt sander.

Dust and edges

GALAX PRO reviewers report bags that tear or clog. KA88 owners say the canister collects little unless a strong vacuum is attached. The Einhell bag misses a lot too. The HSE names belt sanding as a very high-dust task. For work it expects an M-class or H-class extractor, and the workplace limit for hardwood dust is 3 mg/m³. Sanding your own floor is outside those rules. The dust is the same. Close internal doors, connect a vacuum where the tool allows, and wear a dust mask and eye protection. A square nose cannot reach the skirting. The KA88's angled nose and bump stop get closer, according to reviewers, though some still could not get a flush finish. Hire shops pair a drum with an edger for that strip.
Einhell Einhell TC-BS 8038

Testsieger

Einhell Einhell TC-BS 8038
8.6/10about £48.94
View offer

When the hire machine is the purchase

A hire drum covers a wide path, which is the usual tool for a whole room. floorsanderhire.com listed an 8 inch belt floor sander at a headline £40 and £35 for one day when checked on 16 October 2026. Read VAT, abrasive charges and any deposit on that page. That is one firm's figure, not a national price. Handhelds here cost about £48.94 to £59.99, plus belts. Buy for a patch, a deck or a small room you will repeat. Hire for a single large room, and ask for an edger and grit packs at the same time. If the area is an afternoon on your knees, a handheld can do it. Whole rooms: price the hire first.

If you still buy from this set

The GALAX PRO (£50.99, 4.1 from 156 reviews) has floor reports and five P80 belts, plus dust-bag complaints and some early failures. The Einhell (£48.94, 4.3 from 2,509 reviews) has the deepest record for board work, one belt in the box, and tracking that can let the belt cut the housing. The KA88 (£59.49, 4.2 from 357 reviews) is the edge option, with tracking that wanders. Leave out the bench machine, the power file, the mini grinder and the cordless narrow belt. The reasoning for each pick is on the best belt sander for each job. Belt length and the plug are in the belt sander buying guide.

Common questions

Can a handheld belt sander sand floorboards?
Yes, for a limited area. UK reviewers use handhelds such as the GALAX PRO, Einhell TC-BS 8038 and BLACK+DECKER KA88-GB on floorboards and decks. A 76 mm belt is slow across a whole room, it is easy to leave hollows on a wide surface, and the dust bag will not keep up. For a full room, compare the cost of hiring a drum sander first.
When is hiring a floor sander better than buying a belt sander?
When the job is a whole room or more. A hire drum covers a wide path and finishes far faster than a handheld. One UK hire firm, floorsanderhire.com, showed an 8 inch belt sander from £35 for a day when checked on 16 October 2026, but prices, VAT and abrasive charges vary by shop. A handheld makes sense for patches, decks and small rooms.
Will a belt sander reach right up to the skirting?
Not fully. A square-nosed handheld leaves a strip along the skirting. The BLACK+DECKER KA88-GB has an angled nose and a front bump stop that reviewers say gets closer, though some still could not get a flush finish. For a whole floor, hire shops pair a drum sander with an edging sander for the perimeter.
How bad is the dust when you sand a floor with a belt sander?
Very bad without extraction. The HSE names belt sanding as a very high-dust task, and reviewers say the bags on budget handhelds tear, clog or miss a lot. Indoors, close doors, connect a vacuum where the sander has a port, and wear a proper dust mask and eye protection. A bag on its own is not enough for a whole floor.
What grit should I start with on old floorboards?
Start with the coarsest grit the finish needs, then work finer. Heavy varnish or paint often needs a coarse belt such as P40 or P60, followed by P80 and then P120. Lightly worn boards may start at P80. That is a common method, not a fixed rule. Several handheld kits include only one P80 belt, so buy spare grits first.
Can I use the same belt sander for a deck and an indoor floor?
Yes. Deck boards are a reasonable job for a handheld, because the area is often small and you can work outside, where the dust is less of a problem. The GALAX PRO listing names decks among its uses. For both jobs, keep the sander moving along the grain and change belts as soon as they stop cutting.

Related pages

Hire a floor sander or buy

Belt sander

Best UK belt sander: a stored listing for each job

Belt sander buying guide: belt size, plug and dust

Handheld belt sander versus bench sander: which one

How to use a belt sander without gouging your work

Sources

Public UK sources on wood dust, hand-held sanders, machinery supply and noise and vibration limits. Listing prices and star counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts kept for this comparison on 16 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. HSE, Wood dust (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. HSE, WD7 Hand-held sanders (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. HSE, Cutting and sanding wood (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. BSI, BS EN 62841-2-4:2014 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Electrical Safety First, Sanders (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 16 October 2026)