DeWalt HP Floor Mesh Screen Discs and Sheets

I put these DeWalt floor mesh screens to work on a small lineup of real jobs: screening a varnished oak living room, scuffing a urethane-coated hallway with a square-buff machine, and knocking back stubborn paint overspray on a concrete landing. Across all three, the consistent theme was predictable cut, low clogging, and a finish that’s easy to bring to uniform with proper grit progression.

What they are and how they’re different

These are silicon carbide abrasive screens on a mesh backing, available as 17-inch discs for rotary floor buffers and 12 x 18-inch sheets for square-buff/orbital machines. The mesh behaves like a sieve: dust and abraded finish can migrate through the screen instead of loading the abrasive surface, which is the main advantage over paper-backed sheets or discs in this type of work. Silicon carbide is sharp and friable; it cuts fast on coatings and then breaks down to a finer cutting surface, which helps deliver a more even scratch pattern as you work up through grits.

Grits range from 60 through 220, and they’re sold in 10-packs. That spread covers aggressive removal (60/80) through scuff-sanding between coats (180/220).

Setup and compatibility

• Rotary (17-inch): I ran the discs on a standard 175 RPM floor buffer with a red pad as a driver. The cushion pad matters; running a screen directly on a hard driver plate makes it chatter and wear prematurely.
• Square-buff (12 x 18): The sheets fit my orbital nicely and tracked flat. With the machine’s dust collection hooked to a vac, the mesh truly shines—noticeably less airborne dust than paper abrasives in the same machine.

Screens are double-sided. Flip them to even wear and extend life. I mark one corner with a pencil so I know which side I’m on.

Performance on wood floors

On a 1920s oak floor with a thick, ambered varnish, an 80-grit 17-inch screen took the top layer off without gumming up. I made overlapping passes, then vacuumed and moved to 120, which refined the scratch quickly. Silicon carbide’s break-down behavior was evident; the 80 started aggressive and mellowed slightly as it wore, which helped me avoid deep, stubborn swirls. The 120 left a uniform scratch that accepted a fresh coat cleanly after a final pass at 150.

On a hallway previously coated with waterborne urethane, the 12 x 18 sheets in 150 and 180 grits were ideal for “screen and recoat.” The mesh avoided the soft loading you sometimes get on waterborne finishes, and the scuff was even from baseboard to baseboard.

A note on softwoods: on pine, 60 and 80 can leave scratches that telegraph through thin finishes. If the surface doesn’t need heavy flattening, I like starting at 100 and doing an extra pass rather than trying to erase deep scratches later.

Performance on concrete and tile

On concrete, silicon carbide cuts, but it’s not diamond. I used 80 grit on a small landing to remove paint overspray and lightly expose the surface for a new sealer. It worked cleanly, but the screen wore faster than on wood—about what I expect for this abrasive. For heavy adhesive removal or leveling, diamond tooling is the right tool; for light scuffing and cleaning, these screens are a solid option.

For tile, I’ll use them on unglazed quarry or terracotta to remove haze or prep for a finish. On glazed tile, I avoid them; they will scratch the surface.

Dust control and clogging

The mesh backing noticeably reduces clogging on gummy coatings compared with paper-backed products. On the rotary buffer (no integrated dust collection), the screens still produced plenty of dust, but they stayed cutting longer before smearing. On the square-buff with a vac attached, dust stayed in check and the screens kept cutting cleanly. If I saw any buildup, a quick hit with compressed air brought the screen back.

Durability and wear

Screens are consumables, and silicon carbide trades ultimate lifespan for sharp cut and a refined finish. On the oak floor, an 80-grit disc did one medium room per side before I wanted a fresh one; the 120 and 150 went a bit further. On the concrete landing, the 80-grit sheet tired out faster. Edges are the first to go if you catch fasteners or transitions—countersink nail heads and watch for thresholds to avoid snagging and tearing.

Because they’re double-sided, flipping mid-job evens the wear and gives you a little more runway. If you’re planning a full refinish, have both the coarse and the follow-up grits on hand; the 10-pack format makes that easy.

Finish quality and scratch pattern

These screens leave a predictable, easy-to-refine scratch. I don’t see random deep gouges unless the floor has debris or fasteners sticking up. As with any mesh screen, swirl marks can appear if you run a rotary buffer too fast across softer wood or if you skip grits. A good progression on hardwood is 80 → 120 → 150. For a scuff before recoating, 150 → 180 or straight to 180/220 depending on the finish.

Choosing grits

• 60: Heavy removal on worn finishes or stubborn spots; use with caution on softwood.
• 80: Primary removal on varnish/poly; good start on hardwoods.
• 100/120: Refinement after initial cut; good one-pass scuff on tougher finishes.
• 150: Pre-coat scratch that hides well under most floor finishes.
• 180/220: Between-coat abrasion or delicate scuff-sanding for waterborne finishes.

If you’re unsure, start at 100 and adjust after a test patch.

Where they fall short

• Not a substitute for diamond on concrete adhesives or thick epoxy.
• Mesh can snag on protrusions—fasteners must be set below the surface.
• On very resinous softwoods, even mesh can load; you’ll still need to vacuum often and possibly change screens sooner.
• Without dust collection, a rotary buffer still makes a mess. The mesh helps the abrasive, not the air.

Practical tips

• Always use a cushion pad under the screen—white or red pads work well.
• Flip halfway through a room to even wear; mark corners to track sides.
• Vacuum between grits so loose grit doesn’t contaminate and scratch finer passes.
• Overlap your passes and keep the machine moving to avoid swirl concentrations.
• Do a test patch with the starting grit in an inconspicuous area.

Value and availability

The 10-pack packaging suits real floor work—you rarely need just one screen, and having extras lets you keep moving as grits wear. With both 17-inch discs and 12 x 18 sheets available across useful grits, it’s straightforward to kit out both a buffer and a square-buff for the same job.

Who it’s for

• Pros and serious DIYers doing “screen and recoat” maintenance.
• Refinishers stripping light to moderate finishes from hardwood.
• Crews doing light concrete and unglazed tile prep where diamond isn’t required.
• Anyone who prefers a predictable, low-clogging abrasive over paper-backed options.

Recommendation

I recommend these DeWalt floor mesh screens. The combination of silicon carbide’s sharp cut and the mesh’s low-clog behavior delivers reliable results on wood finishes and light concrete prep. They’re easy to run on common 17-inch buffers and 12 x 18 square-buff machines, the double-sided format stretches each piece further, and the grit range covers everything from removal to between-coat scuffing. They won’t replace diamond for heavy concrete work, and you still need good technique to avoid swirls, but for their intended use—removing coatings and preparing floors—they perform consistently and efficiently.