Floor Sanding: Why Do You Need It?

by Floor Sanding

So, why do you need floor sanding? Will it really make a difference to the floorboards? These are only a few of the questions our clients frequently ask when debating whether to go ahead with floor sanding. The quickest way to answer is to take a look at your floors; It may have been quite a few years since they were last sanded, or they have not been sanded since originally being installed. Are they looking worn and tired, or covered with old marks, scuffs, scratches and stain? If so, then it’s a good time to think about getting them restored to their former glory.

There are various scenarios where the above damage can be done to your floor, to the point it needs to be sanded. One of the easiest ways to do damage would be to drop something onto it, damaging the finish and potentially marking the wood, or if a pet has an accident and stains the finish.  If the finish has worn through, or if there is damage to the finish leaving the wood underneath exposed, then the wood is liable to staining. An all too common cause of damage is dragging heavy furniture across the floor, leaving scratch marks. This can be easily avoided by using self-adhesive felt pads on the underside of your furniture feet, or by lifting furniture and placing it into its new position, rather than dragging it.

A project we undertook at Cardew House in Alresford is a perfect example of when floor sanding can be needed. The House in question is a beautiful 18th Century home, whose owners had been renovating the premises for several years. The main sitting room had a tired oak block floor, whilst the dining room boasted a pine floor with lovely wide boards. Both floors had seen better days but were clearly once impressive centrepieces and it was clear, with a bit of love and attention, could be again. We sanded both floors back and sealed the oak without a colour stain. The dining room floor was given a mid-colour stain to provide depth and structure to a room that already boasted strong colours in its decoration. The overall result for both rooms was stunning, keeping with the period in which it the house was constructed and restoring character beautifully, yet still looking brand new.

This case isn’t unusual. Often when period properties change hands, the new owners take up the old carpets with the intention of replacing them, and instead discover solid wooden floors. These hidden gems look good as new once they’ve been sanded and refinished.

Whether your floor is visibly damaged, or just looking old, worn and in need of a breath of life, sanding and refinishing can transform not only the floor, but the entire room, bringing masses of character into your home.

For any more help and advice please feel free to call us on 01962 733016 or email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk and we can get your flooring project off the ground today! 

What is Floor Sanding?

by Floor SandingWood Flooring

Alresford Interiors New Wood FlooringIf you’re reading this article, it’s because you want to know what floor sanding is, and if it’s right for you. Firstly, let’s cover the basics. Floor sanding is the process of removing the top surface of a wooden floor to remove scratches and other visible signs of wear, freshening the surface up in preparation for a new finish. Whilst this sounds simple, the difference this creates for an old, worn floor can be striking, often looking like a brand new installation. Our team is frequently called into dated period properties, often still sporting their original floorboards, to freshen the rooms up when they change ownership. A freshly sanded and stained floor can give the whole room a new lease of life.

Whilst every company has its own preferences, there are typically three stages involved: preparation, sanding, and coating. Before starting, the entire floor needs to be thoroughly clean; swept, vacuumed and have all nails punched under. When restoring a hardwood floor, grit sequence is vital to get right. The first grit is the most abrasive and is meant to take off any existing finish, before using successively finer grits to smooth out the pattern of the previous, several times until the entire surface is perfectly smooth and free from marks. It’s vitally important to vacuum the floor after each sanding grit is changed to prevent unnecessary scratches, and again after the final grit to prepare the floor for a finish of your choice. Be very careful of walking on your unfinished floor at this stage as black rubber soled shoes can leave marks!

Finishing your wooden floor when it’s new or freshly sanded is hugely important, it acts as a barrier between the natural wood and everything it comes into contact with; foot traffic, pets, heavy furniture and other surface objects. It helps extend the floorboards life and helps keep your floor looking beautiful for longer. Wooden floors are generally finished off with either an Oil or Lacquer, with oil being the popular choice for lounges, dining rooms and bedrooms rooms; anywhere you’re looking to retain the natural look of the floorboards, and lacquer being better suited for busier environments that see more foot traffic, or areas that may get wet, such as kitchens, bathrooms or hallways. Traditionally, people think lacquer as having a varnished, glossy look, however modern lacquers are also available in ultra matt, matt, satin, and gloss, giving you much more choice and control over how your room will look.

If you’re worried about the suitability of your floor for sanding, don’t be! All types of wood can be sanded, from oak, pine and cork to parquet and more. Whether it’s a kitchen, bedroom, stairway, office, school hall or anything in between, sanding can breathe new life into an old, worn surface and freshen up the whole room as a result.

If you’d like to know more about floor sanding, or would like to discuss what we can do for you, feel free to contact us. Our team uses only the best equipment, able to reach all those awkward corners and angles that prove so elusive and were the first company in the UK to be trained by Lagler, so you know you’re in safe hands.

For any more help and advice please feel free to call us on 01962 733016 or email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk and we can get your flooring project off the ground today! 

Gap Filling Wood Floors

by Floor SandingWood Flooring

Probably the single biggest question we get asked is ‘how do you fill the gaps of my wood floor’?! It is also my single biggest frustration in terms of information that people have gathered from the internet. Many of these posts that people make are not from professionals or if they are they are giving bad advice that may look good when it is first done but won’t stand the test of time.

There are a number of different ways to fill the gaps between floorboards and other types of wood flooring. Some have better results than others depending on the application. Always bear in mind that wood is a natural product and is ‘hygroscopic’ it holds and releases moisture and therefore moves.

We have seen so many different ways in which people have filled gaps between floorboards. Everything from string and wax to concrete and just about anything and everything in between!

 

From years of experience in the business I am going to share with you the different types of filler that we use to fill between the gaps in all sorts of wood flooring.

I am going to try my best to keep this as short as possible as this is a subject I could get really carried away with and waffle on for pages. I would go as far to say that any other products apart from the ones I have listed are just not worth bothering with.

One of the most common floors that we sand on a daily basis is pine floors, particularly ones that are 100 + years old. These floors often have gaps and can be draughty. Remember if you have added any reclaimed pine floorboards into your wood floor make sure it has acclimatised before filling as this will affect the gap filling.

Ok so the products we use from day to day are Reclaimed pine slithers, Draughtex, Resin filler (mixed with fine dust) Gap master (Bona) and wax sticks.

Reclaimed pine Slithers

Until fairly recently the best way to fill the gaps between floorboards was with reclaimed pine slithers. The slithers are cut on an angle to form a slight V shape and then glued and hammered in between the floorboards creating a blanket of pine right across the floor. This is an industry recognised way of gap filling however as I have stated above wood can and does move through the seasons. These slithers can crack away from the joints and splinter. It does vary from house to house how much these slithers move. Sometimes they have not moved at all but sometimes the movement is significant and can lead to frustration. It doesn’t matter how much glue is used or how well they have been hammered into place because it is wood, they can move.

DraughtEx

This is a relatively new product on the market and my personal favourite when filling the gaps between old pine floorboards. DraughtEx has been cleverly manufactured with thousands of concealed air pockets which allow the sealant to be compressed by almost 90% of its original profile. These flexible properties allow DraughtEx to be compressed into floorboard gaps much smaller than its original form by stretching it during the installation process. Once the floorboard filler is in the gap it will expand until it fills the width of the gap. Timber floors can contract and expand throughout the course of their life. These variations cause alternative floorboard sealants to become ineffective and loose and eventually drop out. DraughtEx will mimic the movement pattern of the timber and therefore remain in place retaining insulation and stopping draughts.

Another thing I really like about this product is that it mimics the natural shadow gap between the floorboards leaving the floor looking as natural as it was when laid but without the draughts. DraughtEx can also be fitted under the skirting boards.

DraughtEx is generally fitted after the floor has been re-finished but the beauty of this product is that it can be used as a quick fix to stop the draughts at any time.

Resin filler

This can be used for header joints (the point 2 boards meet at the ends) on pine floors but we mainly use it on old parquet that has gaps showing. When the floor is finely sanded, the dust from this process is mixed with the resin and used like a filling paste and in some cases the whole floor is trowel filled to ensure getting into every nook and cranny. This sharpens up the look of the floor leaving it gap free and much more pleasing to the eye. Resin is a great product as it dries very fast, its easily sanded and can be over coated with almost any finish blending in nicely with the surrounding wood.

Bona Gap master

This is a silicone free floor gap filling mastic designed to fill gaps between parquet blocks, around skirting boards and door thresholds. Based on polyurethane and acrylate it contains no solvents is odourless and can be used with all parquet finishes It retains a high degree of flexibility. This is a good product as although it can be sanded it can just be applied and allowed to dry, It fills cracks nicely but can work out very expensive if there is a large amount of filling that needs to be done.

Wax sticks

These come into their own when spot repairing damaged areas where sanding is not required. They can be blended together to form knots with any excess taken off with a sharp Stanley blade. The amount of times these have been used when a builder has dropped something on a newly finished floor the dent has been disguised as a knot. When it has hardened wax stick fills are incredibly tough

For any more help and advice please feel free to call us on 01962 733016 or email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk and we can get your flooring project off the ground today! 

Can I Sand & Refinish An Engineered Wood Floors?

by Floor SandingWood Flooring

A question we get asked a lot and a concern a lot of people have is ‘can engineered wood floors be sanded’?

Generally speaking people’s knowledge is much better than even a few years ago regarding the difference between laminates and engineered flooring. Laminate flooring is, simply put, a photo of wood, sealed onto a hardboard backing; an engineered floor is a solid piece of wood glued onto a ply base layer.

Just to be clear we are talking about engineered wood flooring here!

Engineered flooring comes either pre-finished or has a finish applied on the bare timber once the floor has been laid. We can provide our customers with both pre-finished and custom finish options.

Depending on where in the home the floor is laid and the amount of use the area has will depend on how long the floor looks good. Another important factor that often gets overlooked is how often the floor is cleaned. Cleaning with the recommended cleaner and not getting the wood too wet will keep the floor looking its best. For example, hallways and kitchens are often the areas that will begin to look shabby quickest.

Once the floor is past its best and no amount of cleaning can bring it back to life then the only alternative is to have the floor sanded and re-finished. This process removes all the old finish leaving the timber bare. Once the floor has been completely stripped it can then be stained if required and then sealed with a hard wax oil or lacquer.  This process completely transforms a room and if looked after properly, will last the homeowner for years to come.

As a general rule every time a floor is sanded you will lose about 1mm of the surface. Sometimes this can be more depending on how badly the floor is marked or damaged.

Most engineered floors have a wear layer of between 3 and 6mm with a backing of 15-21 mm; on this basis if you are looking at sanding a floor with a 3 mm wear layer it can be sanded up to twice and if it has a 6 mm wear layer it can be sanded up to 4 times. We always recommend erring on the side of caution as the last thing you want to do is sand through the wear layer!  This also depends on who is sanding the floor, so let’s say a floor has been really badly sanded the wear layer will be reduced quicker and the life expectancy of the floor will be less.

We always urge our customers to go for the thickest floor (wear layer) they can simply because the cost difference between a 3 mm and a 6 mm floor is not huge and the floor will theoretically last for a lot longer.

People are often put off by engineered wood flooring as they assume that it cannot be sanded as much as a solid wood floor. Assuming that both floors are tongue and grooved, which most floors are nowadays, then you can only sand down to the tongue (or just above it) so there is no discernible gain in the lifespan of a solid wood floor over an engineered floor.

For any more help and advice please feel free to call us on 01962 733016, email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk or pop into our workshop and we can get your flooring project off the ground today! 

What are the different finishes for sanded wooden floors?

by Floor Sanding

Just to be clear people often refer to staining after sanding, when what they often actually mean is applying a clear finish to protect the woods surface and not staining (changing the colour of the wood). Predominantly the most common types of wooden flooring we encounter for sanding are oak and pine – both woods take most finishes including stains well. Just about all other woods should be finished with a clear finish and not stained. Although any wood can be stained, in our experience woods that are stained other than oak or pine never look quite right and are better off in their natural state.

Anyway, there are 3 Main types of finishes for wooden floors. Hard wax oil, Lacquer and Oil, the main manufacturers we use are Osmo, Blanchon, Junkers and Bona and occasionally we will use Morrells for staining. And various other trade secret products where a certain look is required. Although these oils, Hard wax Oils and Lacquers are more expensive than most they are in our opinion the best.

Over recent years flooring products have improved significantly and assumptions some people make are simply not true. A lot of people will associate Lacquer for example with their old-school hall, being all shiny and requiring constant buffing to keep it looking nice when in fact most modern day lacquers are available in ultra matt finishes and to the un-trained eye can look like oil. Lacquer is essentially a protective layer that covers the surface of the floor. The shinier the finish the more artificial the floor will look almost to the point of being plastic looking.  The surface can be stained first if required before applying the lacquer. It is very important to note that the natural colour of the wood does affect the result of the colour of the stain when it’s applied.  It is usually better to have some test areas on the floor that has been sanded rather than supplying sample boards. For example, a 150-year-old pine floor will have a lot more colour than a 20-year-old newer looking pine floor. Subsequently, if you put the same stain on both floors they will look completely different.  Although lacquer is very tough, if it gets badly marked you cannot spot repair it. The surface will usually have to be stripped and the lacquer will be freshly applied all over again.

Hard wax oil is essentially an oil based product that soaks into the wood leaving a protective layer on the surface. There are literally hundreds of choices of colours with hard wax oil and they can be mixed to pretty much achieve any colour. The most common finish we use is Osmo polyx matt. We have used many different hard wax oils over the years and find Osmo to be the best. That said, Blanchon do a good range of coloured oils too. Although it isn’t as tough/durable as lacquer hard wax oil can be easily spot repaired and re-coated when it’s looking tired.

Like hard wax oil, straight oil looks very natural soaking into the wood floor and sometimes also forms a protective layer. Oil is generally not as hard wearing as hard wax oil but again can be spot repaired and over coated.

We carry a large stock of hard wax oils and lacquers and sell to private clients who prefer to do the work themselves.

If your floors are in need of sanding or you need any help / advice please do get in touch; give us a call today on 01962 733016, email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk or visit our workshop based in Alresford.