I put down a new hardwood floor in our last house and sanded & finished it myself. Rather than attempt using a drum sander, I opted for what is essentially a large orbital one. It's one of those machines that is an orbital scrubber/buffer and they sell round screens that go between the buffing pad and the floor to provide that abrasive quality. Drum sanders can be a bit unforgiving. Come to think of it...the orbital one was a bit difficult to handle at first too! ha ha

At any rate, I used a dust mask and the sawdust wasn't too bad at all. And for finishing, I used water-based polyurethane. That way I didn't have to worry about the noxious fumes that oil based stuff emits. I think it required a few more coats than oil stuff would've, but it was a wise trade-off considering we slept in the house while it was drying. lmao

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Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.