There are plenty of good reasons to sand a wood floor. It can make the floor (or subfloor) level, removes stains or unwanted paint, and gives the wood a silky-smooth finish that feels great underfoot.

If you’re a home renovator or DIYer, it’s likely that most of the sanding you’ve done is dry sanding. This means sanding a surface such as wood or a painted wall directly using sandpaper or a sanding ...