D Willis
Can You Replace Damaged Pine Floorboards?
I have pine wood floors where some of the floorboards would need a repair and possibly a replacement. Can you supply similar reclaimed pine floorboards, and can you replace them?
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Because, sometimes it is just easier to ask...
Hi, my name is Mr Sanders. I have been doing wooden floors for while and maybe I can help with question you can have. If I don't know the answer, I can always ask my other flooring friends ;)
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Mr Sanders
In most cases the answer to this question is yes. It should be noted that there are several different types of pine floorboards, coming in different colours. Pine floor boards can be yellow, orange or red. Because pine is a soft wood, rich of natural raisin it changes its colour with time. Therefore, it is very important that we inspect your floors to determine the type of your pine floorboards so that we can supply reclaimed boards with similar colour and similar age in order to get the closest match possible.
Reclaimed pine floorboards are usually available to purchase from reclamation yards. Over the years of experience in providing floorboard repairs and replacement services, we have developed good relationships with many floor boards reclamation yards where we can find the best match for you in order to restore your precious, but damaged pine floors to a beautiful jewel in your home.
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Z Stewart
Can You Restore Bamboo Flooring?
Can you help with sanding and varnishing my bamboo flooring?
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Mr Sanders
Yes. As a company with many years of experience in floor restoration of various wood floor species, we are well aware of the particular properties of bamboo flooring, which require a specific approach when it comes to bamboo floor sanding and sealing. The main reason for this is that we know that bamboo is not actually a tree, but it is rather grass. Nevertheless, its properties are similar to hard wood flooring and therefore sanding and sealing of bamboo floors is possible. Having said this, it is important that bamboo floor sanding and sealing is done by a professional, as it require particular care and the application of solvent based, rather than water based sealant. It should also be noted that while most solid wood floorings can be stained, staining bamboo is not recommended.
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R Zane
Can you Help with Sealing My Wooden Floors?
Hi,
I recently lifted my carpets and found out that there is parquet flooring underneath. I decided to sand the flooring myself, but I need some help with sealing as I want to make sure that the right sealant is appropriately applied. Please note that the floors are exposed to heavy foot traffic and we also have a dog, so floor varnish would need to be very hard wearing.
Any help or advice would be much appreciated.
Many Thanks.-
Mr Sanders
Hi and thank you for contacting us about wood floor varnishing. We would be more than happy to help.
The first and very important thing that you need to consider is that wood floor varnish needs to be applied only after the parquet flooring has been properly sanded to a very smooth finish. It is also very important that the timber is not left exposed and unprotected for a long time to avoid any incidental damages such as spills or damage from dust and dirt.
The next thing that you would need to consider is the type of sealant that would be most appropriate in your case. The two most popular types of wood floor sealants are floor oils and lacquers. They both have various advantages and disadvantages, however, if you are looking for a more durable and hardwearing finish, then we would strongly recommend that you choose varnish rather than oil. Having said that, there are now some hardwearing wood floor oils available on the market, such as Osmo Oils which we regularly use for our wood floor re-oiling service, however, oiled floors are recommended for areas with less traffic and require more frequent maintenance.
On the other hand, lacquers are more resilient, however, it should be noted that their disadvantage is that lacquered floors are more vulnerable to scratches. In your case, this is important to consider as you mentioned that you have a dog, and this may mean that lacquered floors may get more scratches which would be more visible. So, you would need to consider this and find the right balance. However, if you regularly maintain your pet's claws and are really keen to get a more durable floor finish, then a water-based lacquer might be a good solution. Water based floor finishes come in different sheens - satin, matt or ultra matt. For our floor sanding and sealing service we rely on some of the leaders in the market today, such as Loba Varnishes, Bona Laquers and Junckers sealants, which we strongly recommend as they provide the ultimate level of protection and durability.
Please note that there are particular things that you have to consider when applying any of the above wood floor finishes. We would always recommend the use of a professional floor sanding company to do this, as unless floor sealing is properly done, it could be a very costly thing to redo and repair. However, should you decide to do it yourself, it is very important that you read and carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions. We also recommend that you use a brush or cloth and roller to apply the coats of finish and make sure to always follow the grain of the wood. Different products will have specific requirements, but most floor varnishes need to be applied in multiple coats. For our floor vanishing service, we usually apply three or even four coats of sealant, depending on the wood floor type and use. Make sure that you allow sufficient drying time before the application of the next coat of varnish.
We hope this information was helpful and don't hesitate to contact us if you need any further assistance or if you would like to book our floor restoration service.
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N Stuart
London, 2019
What Is Gap Filling and How is It Done?
Can you tell me a bit more about your gap filling service?
Mr Sanders
Gap filling is a technique applied during the floor restoration to fill in the gaps between the floorboards in order to achieve a smooth finish of the floors. It can be performed on pine floorboards, parquet flooring or solid wood flooring. The substance that is used to fill the gaps is a mixture of clear resin and saw dust, which is collected from the sanding process. The gap filling method is usually defined by the type of the flooring and the size of the gaps between the floorboards. Smaller gaps, which are more typical for parquet blocks, are usually filled with finer dust, where larger gaps on pine floorboards may require bigger saw dust particles, which are normally collected from the coarser sanding.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Resin Gap FillingWhile raisin gap filling is the most popular and reliable way of resolving the issue with gaps between floorboards or parquet blocks, it must be noted that the durability of the gap filling is highly dependent on the type of the flooring as well as the type and the stability of the subfloors. In most occasions gap filling is applied twice during the floor restoration process to increase its effectiveness. Gap filling on ticker floorboards, for example, which have a tongue and groove installation system and where they have been properly fitted to the subfloor will last longer compared to thinner pine floorboards, especially where they have been fitted on unstable subfloors. One of the most common reasons for failure of gap filling to last longer is a movement of the boards or a movement of the subfloors which directly affect the durability of the raisin gap filler.
What is Strip Filling?Strip filling is another gap filling method, which is used for wider gaps with the use of small pine slivers. Strip filling a more durable and reliable gap filling method for larger gaps. However, it can only be applied on particular locations and is not something that can be done throughout the floors and in between each and every floorboard.
The greatest disadvantage of strip filling is that it is a more time and effort consuming method which is quite effective but may have undesirable visual aesthetic effect due to the number of additional small strips added on to the floors.