A rotary sander will rip any splinters or sheared edges off the flooring. You are best to use a square random orbital sander. You can start with a 40 or 60 grit and work your way up to 80/100/120. It's not as aggressive as you think. It will not remove the characters of the wood, your surface has a lot of undulation. Use a high build sealer, two coats of sealer and two coats of finish. Reclaimed flooring is very dry, it requires the extra coat for the build, 4 coats instead of the traditional 3. Black epoxy filler will look better with a water base finish. It will blend in and not stand out with the dark spots.

We haven't had any problems buffing as you plan but you might need something a little more aggressive to remove the new milling marks and I would use a hand sander to knock off any sharp edges or ends. Finishes are often chosen by what the finisher is comfortable and familiar with. I don't see any issues with your choices but have had a problem with Naturale capturing drywall dust that was impossible to clean. I would likely use Famowood to fill the knots and hand sand before buffing.

first thx...

the floor was kiln dried all moisture was under 10%. and I will say that we took a road trip and we went to about 10 different mills throughout Virginia . we live in ny. and i was vey pleased with there milling and the boards and lengths. 3-6" .. amd 2-12'.. mostly 6 and above. really nice mixture of knots. nail holes. saw marks. and then also the board from insidethe beams more that have smoother finish. but they really don't want to talk about finish with me.

thx. g and s. I have been told by everyone 120 or higher with buffing pad under it. but i will tell you that the stair treads and stair bullnose which i got from same lumber yard amd will be attach to the same floor itself is very very smooth..so for some they might sand it more aggressive. I will def do the 4 coats. 2 and 2.

thx Johnston. yea I plan alot of time on my hands and knees hand sanding and maybe planing all edges that don't make our floor in our home super comftorable . what do you think of timbermate ebony?

yea I really don't get how they say the invisible protect or natutale cleans the same. so maybe the extra matte or matte is good enough. I just liked the idea that the more natural finishes can be spot corrected.

I've read about Timbermate but haven't used it. From what I read it sounds like it will do the job.

Anthony,

Who did the drying and milling for you?

hey Johnson . curious as to why water based vs epoxy to fill holes?

Just remember with the Loba line: you NEED the sealant over white oak. It really is a must. I have seen the Loba Invisible Protect and it is a beautiful product. It has a teeny-tiny amount of luster without being shiny. The super matte has all the same issues as everyone else's matte finishes = can look hazy/murky in certain lighting situations. And will show body oils (foot prints) because the gloss level is sooooooo low.

Actually I would use the solvent based Famowood, probably Walnut and Teak/Oak. It's like plastic wood but comes in colors. It's readily available here, dries hard quickly and is pretty easy to sand off (which you'll probably want to do by hand).

http://eclecticproducts.com/products/famowood/famowood-original-wood-filler.html

sorry.. just on't more question..

monocoat??

my wife doesn't want the wood turning yellow and orange. so I know they have a blocker to prevent this. any opinions on monocoat when hardwood floors like mine arw threw whole house?

Others may disagree but I'm against doing Rubio Monocoat in a kitchen. Bona Traffic HD is non-yellowing. Bona offer a very clear sealer called ClassicSeal. Using it with the Traffic shouldn't lead to yellowing with age but it also doesn't bring out all of the beauty of the wood. For that you would want either Bona IntenseSeal or AmberSeal (non-yellowing according to Bona).

https://www.bona.com/en-US/Bona-Professional/Products/Coatings/Waterborne-Finishes-and-Sealers/

Water based polyurethanes are non-yellowing. Oil modified products will amber...a little. White Oak has TANNIN PULL that will cause the yellow tannins to PULL to the surface causing the white oak to turn a little yellow. This is made worse with water based polyurethanes.

Thankfully there is a solution: sealants! Yes. A sealant is used over White oak (it doesn't hurt red oak...now worries there) to STOP the tannin pull.

If the wife is against the YELLOW or the ORANGE then a water based poly finish with a SEALANT is an excellent way to go.

Rubio Monocoat natural can increase the yellow tones. Not nearly as bad as oil modified or oil based finishes....but it can raise the colour a little bit. You will need to make 2 sample boards. The first is finished in water based poly with the sealant. And the second is finished with a Rubio Monocoat. You need to choose once it is on the sample boards.

And move the boards around throughout the house for a few days. You need to see each sample in all 5 DIFFERENT lighting presentations. Only then can you decide.

Poloplaz NSB and Polo 1k is worth looking at. 2 coats of NSB sealer (no color) and 1 or 2 coats of Polo 1K. Polo 1k cures 100% within 24 hour, fastest curing water base finish, aside from UV finishes.

Beautiful floor, love it