Wooden floor restoration
Prior to sanding and re-finishing, we can carry out any repair or restoration work necessary to any wooden floor. We have extensive experience of renovating every possible type of timber floor laid in every possible way. If we haven't seen it, it's not worth mentioning.
Georgian and Victorian pine restoration
This is by far the most frequent form of restoration that we carry.
Original, structural pine floors in period properties suffer all sorts of abuse over the years - from woodworm, insensitive electricians & plumbers to overzealous DIY alterations. Often an old pine floor is no more than a jigsaw puzzle of loose, worn & damaged boards with 'stray' new pine boards sticking out like a sore thumb.
As ever, the success of the final finish is 70% dependent on the preparation & restoration work carried out before the sanding machines are ever turned on.
We will:
Secure all loose boards
Glue, clamp & repair any split or damaged original boards
Repair and plug holes from old radiator pipes, cables, and so on
Sensitively replace with carefully sourced reclaim boards where repair is not an option. More on replacing floorboards and laying reclaim.
Fill with two component filler any large or ugly gaps between the skirting board and the floor itself (optional service). This is often a problem in bay window areas. The properties of the two-component filler prevent it from cracking and crumbling with minor atmospheric changes (like Tetrion or any palster-based filler). The smoothness and clean edge are superior to any caulk/mastic cartridge filling.
Every floor is different, but if time is given to the above areas before the sanding starts, then the final outcome will be more attractive and longer lasting than in the case of a floor where these issues have not been fully considered.
Floor boards replacement
Often it is possible to repair split/damaged floorboards before sanding; however, at times, the level of wear or damage requires a board(s) to be replaced.
We can source good quality Victorian reclaim floorboards and slot them seamlessly into your existing floor.
Laying of reclaim boards
We can also lay reclaim floor boards in rooms or areas where you don’t have any boards or the existing floor is damaged or unsuitable. Typical situations would include loft conversions, where the laying of reclaim guards against the excessive shrinkage that you would suffer with new pine boards and is a much more attractive floor and in keeping with the rest of the house.
Another good use of a Victorian reclaim floor is in a basement, where a screeded or concrete floor can serve as an excellent base for fixing reclaim using specialist flooring adhesive.
Gap filling
Gap filling is carried out using a mixture of synthetic resin and fine wood dust collected in the dust bags of the machines during the latter phase of the sanding process.
This process is suitable for gaps of up to 5/6mm in width; any gaps wider than this need to be “filleted”. This involves sealing the gaps with tightly fitting strips of wood cut down from reclaimed Victorian boards.
The resin method is effective, but as it is very brittle once dry, any loose /defective boards must be firmly screwed and fixed before commencement.
Some floors require a mixture of the two gap-filling methods on the same floor. Once sanded, however, the floor takes on a more homogenous, ‘gap free’ look.
