How many times should a floor be sanded when refinishing is a question that your re-finisher should answer for your prior to the process. With each successive sanding, the grit of the sander should be replaced in order to fine tune the texture. The more damaged your wood is, the coarser the wood sander grade is going to be on the first pass. The lower the grit value the coarser and less fine the particles are in the sandpaper. Here are some of the most common grits that are used are as follows:
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12 Grit - For heavy duty damage and removal of adhesive and floor paint.
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16 Grit - Floors with heavy polyurethane coats or shellac start here
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24 Grit - Normal floors that have not been sanded in a long time, think 30 plus years.
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36 Grit - If the floor is new and has a light or no finish
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60 Grit - Probably going to be your second pass, does not remove layers of wood so not appropriate for floors with scratches
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80 Grit - Probably final grit on most floors, 60 grit can leave light scratches, this removes them
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100 Grit - Birch and maple are going to stop here or a floor before a stain
Discuss this process and make sure the company is sanding and assessing each step properly.