? to the pro floor guys about coating prep

You've left it a bit late to putty up the nail holes, I doubt that 100 grit on the vibrator will completely remove the Timbermate from the grain and you might be left with a smear mark. It doesn't matter though, I often don't putty up until after the first coat has dried and it works just as well. The first coat will seal the timber surface and stop the filler from penetrating into the grain and leaving a smear. I would recommend cutting back the first and second coats (and the putty) with a 16 inch spinning rotary sander rather than the square pad. I've never used a square pad orbital sander and don't know any floor sanders that do. I've seen them in the hire shops but don't reckon they are very appropriate for floor sanding otherwise the pros (me and others) would use them. Try and get your hands on a Canterbury or Polyvac machine for the cut backs.
I generally don't bother tack ragging at all, but if I did I would only do it prior to applying the final coat. A bit of dust in the first and second coats doesn't matter at all as it is sanded off the surface with each cut back. A thorough vacuuming is generally enough for a good gloss finish.
Any one of the three brands of poly are just as good a quality as the other. I've used all three and there ain't much difference. They are just about identical products, stinking solvent based polyurethane.
Rejection eliminator is a bit of a gimmick in my opinion, save your money and skip it.

Hey Tim , makes sense to putty after the first coat at this stage. Cheers mate you have save me alot of headaches. I looked at the polyvac machine at first for the fine sanding but was led to believe that they can cause swirl marks the square buff diin't. But if the square buff is not going to cut it so to speak, I think I will go the polyvac. Thanks for the tip.

All good mate, you have cleared up a lot of worries I had. Many thanks.

If you can get a Polyvac I'd definitely use it between coats rather than the square pad. The vibrator may well be better for the last fine sanding on bare timber but a rotary sander is recommended for cutting back each coat. Use 150 grit screens rather than sandpaper on the first coat and 220 grit screens for the second coat.
You won't have any problems with swirl marks as long as the first and then second coats have dried properly. Allow a minimum 12 hours drying for the first coat and don't be afraid to cut it back fairly hard. The grain will rise and the surface will feel quite rough after the first coat dries and along with the Timbermate excess it will need to be hit fairly hard to smooth it all off. Tip; sand the Timbermate off almost immediately after you have finished filling the nail holes, it comes off much more easily if it is not fully dry. Allow another overnight and cut back with the 220. Vacuum thoroughly between coats and you should be right.
If the weather is cold I sometimes allow 2 days for the second coat to dry before cutting it back. This ensures the coating is hard and dry, and I don't have swirl marks from sanding a too soft coat. Good luck. I'm glad its you and not me. I'm hoping I've sanded my last floor,..... forever!

G'day Dusty,

I somehow doubt that I've really sanded my last floor but yes I have tried to ease out of the trade. Still doing a little bit, maybe one or two days a week on sub contract, helping out another sander from around here, the money's not bad. A lottery win would be better. I've actually taken up a coarse at the local TAFE and that takes up three days each week. Bit of a change from the daily sanding grind and it's a lot more gentle on the not so young body. The TAFE coarse might lead on to a degree level coarse later and who knows, I could end up as a rocket scientist. Well.... , a marine scientist anyway, that's basically what I'm studying, down near Lakes Entrance. Had to move down from the mountains a year or two back for family health reasons and things ain't bad down here (apart from the family health). Anyway, still chewing sawdust from time to time but hopefully not too much longer, its just getting too hard on the joints.

hey again, just a quick question. I know milage can vary but how many sanding screens for the polyvac would I be looking at using? 85sqm 150 grit on the first coat and 220 grit on the second. I need a soft backing pad for the polyvac too, right?

cheers.

Best to have a spare screen in case you stuff one up. Sometimes they hook up under a skirting board or self destruct in other ways. Two 150's should easily cover 85 metres, you can use both sides of the screen, and one 220 will be enough for the final coat prep. As you mentioned a white soft pad between the machine and the screen is also necessary. Both pad and screens are pretty cheap. If you are a real tight @@@@ you can use a worn 150 instead of the 220, but a fresh screen is better.