Wood Sanding and Finishing Cambridge UK

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Wood floor Sanding and lacquering in Newmarket Ellesmere Center

To preserve the wood as best as possible we fully re-sand and finish the floors using Pallmann products in Newmarket at the Ellesmere Center.

By choosing a Pallmann applicator /contractor you are automatically covered by the Product Support Pallmann offers to their trained applicators. This covers our clients and ourselves against the product failing. As an Ultimate Floor sanding Affiliate we also offer a 2 year guarantee with all the floor sanding work we carry out.

The process for wood sanding and lacquering in Newmarket was as follow:

1. PREPARATION OF THE FLOOR BEFORE SANDING

We will inspect the floor to ensure all nails are well below the wood surface. All loose board will be secured before sanding commence.

2. HIGH-FILTRATION VACUUM

Removal of dry soil and particles that might cause damage to the floor during the sanding process.

3. SANDING OF THE MAIN FLOOR AREA

The system we use is 99.9% dust free as we use an advanced extraction system. Different grit values on the bell sander will ensure a quality finish.

4. EDGES AND DETAILED SANDING

Our edging sander delivers a uniform finished to all edges and hard to reach places under fixes furniture and radiators.

5. RESIN FILLING OF GAPS BETWEEN BOARDS AND BLOCKS

We will use a strong and semi flexible resin and mix this with fine dust from your floor. This mix will be used to fill smaller gaps between the boards and blocks in the floor. By doing this the life of the floor is extended as no water ingress is then possible. If the gaps are open between the boards – every time you wash your wood floor some cleaning water gets into the wood. If its filled this is not possible

6. FINAL FINISHING: ROTARY SANDING

A super fine grit sanding system will deliver a superior and even finish to the whole floor area. This is done by means of a rotary sander.

6. FINE DUST REMOVAL

Highly efficient vacuum system is used for the thorough removal of any dust particles from the freshly sanded wooden floor.

7. LACQUERED FINISH:

Application of a Primer to the sanded floor followed by one coat of water based lacquer We always prefer to use Pallmann Products as they are far superior to others.

Once the first coat has cured, the floor will be prepared for a further 2 coats of lacquer. Be aware that if will take up to 8 hours* for the floor to cure enough to allow light foot traffic. Furniture can only move back 24 hours* after foot traffic has commenced. (Avoid at all cost dragging furniture on a freshly lacquered floor surface.).

* Curing and drying time depends on weather conditions and air flow

Our clients find great benefit in our dustless sanding system and we are sure you will see the benefits too.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in:

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Why is there a cork strip around my wood floor?

Very old cork that has been fitted at the bottom of the stairs.

Wood is hygroscopic meaning it will absorb moisture if the air contains moisture and let it escape from the wood when the air around it is dry. Wood floors therefore can change is size very often

When wood floors are installed it is essential the wood boards is acclimatised to the room a minimum of 1 – 2 weeks before they get installed. It is require that the heating system is turned on to a standard setting and windows and doors are closed though ventilation should be allowed for.

This will allow for the wood to absorb a standard volume of moisture to the level present in the room under normal conditions.

Once the wood floor is installed a gap should be left around the edge of the room to allow for expansion and contraction of the floor – 8 – 12 mm around the border of the room.

In some cases the expansion gap will be covered over when a skirting board is fitted over the top of the gap.

In cases where the floor is fitted up to the edge of the skirting board the gap will be filled with cork.

The cork will act as a buffer to the expansion and contraction of the wooden boards.

Over time the cork can dry out and become prattle eventually even crumble and fallout. Your floor sanding company will be able to replace the cork.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in:

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Monday 26 January 2015

Oak wood sample with different oil available from Pallmann

You are now ready to have your wood floor sanded and you don't know what finish you want? This can be difficult to choose. Do you want oil or lacquer? If you would like a natural look finish you will probably choose a oil finish.

Art of Clean will do a sample on your wood to show you how it can look like.

One of our client in Cambridge have got a oak floor and she would like to decorate the lounge before we sand the floor.We prepared a sample for her to see exactly how the floor would look like with the different types of oil available from Pallmann.

Have a look at the beautiful colors:

Natural,

White,

Black,

Dark Brown,

Grey

Red Brown

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in:

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

An unusual painted wood floor that need unusual care

Have you ever had a vision of something so perfect and such a desire to achieve your goal you were not willing to compromise.

Well that is just what Luis Navaro did with their new restaurant on Petty Cury's Nanna Mexico.

The shop design and interior is amazing to say the least. If you haven't been, you have to make a trip down there – Oh yes and the food is amazing!

Well back to Luis’s dream...

This included a rustic floor – It's made of reclaimed, painted pine floorboards. Instead of sanding the boards down, the painted floorboards where left looking rustic.

This featured floor adds lots of character to the restaurant.

Well you probably ask “where do Art of Clean fit in?”

Here it is – Luis noticed the floor built up dirt very fast and it was growing increasingly difficult to keep it clean.

We were called in and the specification was simple – "We do not want to lose the character of the floor so please do not sand it." One of the other options was to apply a polyurethane finish over the top of the paint.

To achieve this, our biggest challenge was to ensure the new finish adhered to the painted wood surface.

Here is how we did it:

The floor was deep cleaned, dried and a coating of Pallmann 350 (this product enables an extremely strong adhesion between the paint and the coatings of lacquer that followed). This was then followed by 3 coats of Pallmann Lacquer.

Over the following 6 weeks we returned to inspect the floor several times and the new finish on the floor worked fantastically to keep the floor clean. We will be heading back soon for further testing and inspection before we apply the lacquer over the whole floor.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in:

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Friday 23 January 2015

Wood floor sanding Norwich Cathedral

Get the most from your Commercial floor and floor sanding investment? PART 2

Following my blog post yesterday about the burned that can be caused by neglecting your commercial wood floor I would like to look at a way where you can ease the burden.

Once your commercial wood floor is sanded and restored this is the point where a good cleaning regime will be vital – Your cleaning team will need to be trained on the correct care for your wood floor. The correct cleaning products and care products should be used and readily available to you cleaning team.

Another place that needs regular attention will be entrance matting to your facility - Once the barrier that keeps grit and soil out is filled up it start to track inside and wears floors out. Clean or change matting on a regular basis and ensure good vacuuming is carried out daily

Inspect your wood floor on a regular basis and carry out repairs when required.

Now 12 – 18 months if your floor starts to show light to medium wear this will be the point where you need to make contact with your floor sanding contractor and get plans in place for the wood floor in your commercial setting to be professionally cleaned and re-coated with high quality lacquer for commercial floors.

If you do not have a contractor you know and trust it will be important to ensure you choose a contractor that has a proven track record and here is why...

If a fresh coat of lacquer or varnish is applied on a floor that has not been fully sanded great care has to be taken to follow the correct procedures otherwise the newly applied lacquer finish on the wood floor will peel off the floor after a few weeks or months – if this happens the only solution will be to fully sand the floor back and re-finish it. Small one man floor sanding companies will unlikely have the financial backing to support a failure like this.

To re-coat a wood floor will be much cheaper and faster to be carried out – your wood floor can easily last 12 years or even much longer on a full sand and re-finish if a re-coat is carried out every 12 – 36 months.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in:

Wood Floor Sanding,
Stone floor Cleaning,

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Thursday 22 January 2015

Get the most from your Commercial floor and floor sanding investment? PART 1

You would have spent a lot of money getting your sports hall or commercial floor re-sanded – The floor is then coated and fresh lines / court markings is applied at great expense .

Your commercial floor looks really good and everyone enjoy using the floor.

This is where the floor can start burning a hole in your pocket if you do not care for your floor–
The finish on the floor slowly starts wearing away –

You might start to notice dull areas forming on the floor where areas gets used more often
- Especially sports courts will show where players of sport use the floor most
- Entrance doorways might start show traffic lanes

Nothing to worry about at this stage as the floor still looks great – after a deep clean it looks great

It is only 11 months in (or 18 months if the floor does not get too much use) that you start to notice a few damaged areas on the floor – at this point you might have to look to see them.

This is the point – your floor has started calling out for help …

Well as we know budgets are tight and the plan for the new roof or the new car-park gets the go ahead as the finance department can no see the need for spending money on a floor that do not look bad – in all fairness – to the untrained eye – the floor still looks good.

Here is where the smoulder turns into a flame inside your pocket

The lines you spent so much money on is by this point starting to be exposed and is some places.

At this point the water from the daily cleaning of the floor is now seeping into the wood floor

It will seem like only weeks later that someone starts to complain there are parts of the lines missing and badly worn away.

It is at this point that the hole burned in your pocket is now big enough to let you lose more money.

The new sport centre on the other side of town has a nicer court with clear lines – Bookings to your hall start to tail off as they prefer playing on better courts – This is costing you money every week as you lose bookings...

Where do you go now? Budgets are still tight and now you’re the establishment needs a new heating system and the electrics needs attention – not to even mention the fire alarm problems – The floor is the last thing on everyone’s mind.

It is only after a 2 hour long meeting that the finance department is convinced something has to be done about the floor.

The floor now needs a deep sand – losing about 3 – 6 mm of the floor meaning you lose a lot of the life to your floor – new lines has to be applied and this project will take 2 weeks.

Once quotes come in it makes the eyes of the finance department water though the reason for this is not clear to them. The floor requires deep sanding and full restoration.

What can be done to ease the burden on maintaining your wood floor ?

Read our bog tomorrow to find out more...

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in:

Here is a short time-lapse video showing the stages of the wood floor sanding at the Norwich Cathedral Refectory

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Wood sanding and oiling in Norwich Cathedral

Art of Clean and Affiliate to Ultimate floor sanindg recently had the pleasure to sand an re-finish the oak floor to the refectory at Norwitch cathedral

We have finished the floor a few years ago using Pallmann Magic oil.

The re-finishing of the floor was made much easier this time due to the fact that oil was used before.
We only had to lightly sand the floor to an even finish. To achieve that we sanded the floor with a 80 grit belt sanding machine and edger sanders

We then proceeded to sand the wood floor using a special multi head rotary sander to remove any small scratches

The floor was then re-oiled using Pallmann Magic Oil

Using oil also allow for a shorted application drying and curing times and this means the client can use the floor much sooner. When lacquer is used the floor require drying for a minimum of 8 hours and 14 days curing.

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Granwood Sports hall re-sealing and protecting

Granwood sports hall floors is a very resilient floor covering type and can still be found in many halls and sports facilities. Granwood floors is also a regular floor covering in schools.

Granwood floor sanding is a specialised service and contractors that take this work on have to have experience in the field. Granwood is made up of a mix of concrete and wood.

Downsides of refinishing or sanding a granwood floor can be very dusty due to the concrete present in the granwood blocks.

To control the dust during the sanding of granwood floors a dust extraction system is required.
It is advised to re-finish Granwood floors using Granguard Moisture cured Polly urethane.

This is an extremely odorous product. It is important to prepare neighboring buildings for a smelly environment. It is good to inform neighbors the floor swill be re-finished.

Once a granwood floor has been sanded and re-finished it is very strongly advised the floor should be cared for well and re-finished applying a fresh coat of Granguard every 12 – 24 months.

Would your granwood floors not be cared for here is the point where the Granguard will burn a hole in your pocket…

Here is a granwood floor we recently cleaned, Keyed back and re-coated using Granguard

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in:

Wood Floor Sanding,
Stone floor Cleaning,

Tuesday 13 January 2015

What is hardwood and softwood?

Classifying wood as either a hardwood or softwood comes down to its physical structure and makeup, and so it is overly simple to think of hardwoods as being hard and durable compared to soft and workable softwoods. This happens to be generally true, but there are exceptions, such as in the cases of wood from yew trees — a softwood that is relatively hard — and wood from balsa trees — a hardwood that is softer than softwoods.

Hardwood comes from angiosperm — or flowering plants — such as oak, maple, or walnut, that are not monocots. Softwood comes from gymnosperm trees, usually evergreen conifers, like pine or spruce.

Comparison chart

	Hardwood	Softwood
Definition	Comes from angiosperm trees that are not monocots; trees are usually broad-leaved. Has vessel elements that transport water throughout the wood; under a microscope, these elements appear as pores.	Comes from gymnosperm trees which usually have needles and cones. Medullary rays and tracheids transport water and produce sap. When viewed under a microscope, softwoods have no visible pores because of tracheids.
Uses	hardwoods are more likely to be found in high-quality furniture, decks, flooring, and construction that needs to last.	About 80% of all timber comes from softwood. Softwoods have a wide range of applications and are found in building components (e.g., windows, doors), furniture, medium-density fiberboard (MDF), paper, Christmas trees, and much more.
Examples	Examples of hardwood trees include alder, balsa, beech, hickory, mahogany, maple, oak, teak, and walnut.	Examples of softwood trees are cedar, Douglas fir, juniper, pine, redwood, spruce, and yew.
Density	Most hardwoods have a higher density than most softwoods.	Most softwoods have a lower density than most hardwoods.
Cost	Hardwood is typically more expensive than softwood.	Softwood is typically less expensive compared to hardwood.
Growth	Hardwood has a slower growth rate.	Softwood has a faster rate of growth.
Shedding of leaves	Hardwoods shed their leaves over a period of time in autumn and winter.	Softwoods tend to keep their needles throughout the year.
Fire Resistance	More	Poor

Sourced from: http://www.diffen.com

Art of Clean are specialists in:

Hardwood Floor Cleaning,
Stone floor Cleaning,

Friday 9 January 2015

Granwood floor cleaning

You will most likely have come across Granwood flooring at a sports centre, a school hall or arena, or even at a local village hall. It is a diverse product that many choose as a hard wood floor alternative for a floor that is expected to take a lot of foot traffic. It is much desired because of its incredible durability and low maintenance costs as well as being

".... environmentally sound, resistant to water, fire, wet and dry rot, extremes of temperature and humidity, termites, most chemicals and are guaranteed not to warp, twist, buckle or splinter."

Sourced from: http://www.granwood.co.uk

Granwood has been around for over 100 years, the flooring is basically manufactured from fine sawdust and linseed oil that is made into blocks of various colours and designs. It is sealed with a product called Granwax.

"The hard wearing polyurethane seal means that day-to-day cleaning easily accomplished with an impregnated dry mop. For heavy soiling our flooring systems can be wet scrubbed and washed to return them to their original state."

Sourced from: http://www.granwood.co.uk

This sealant can last for as much as 20 years (depending on frequency and intensity of use) before it needs replacing. Once the Granwax ages it will develop a yellowish colour and become quite dull. To refurbish this the coating is simply sanded back before a fresh coat is applied.

Resealing is performed by trained technicians as this is not like just every other wood floor. The floor needs to be sanded to a very smooth finish without taking too much of the top layer of wood away. The dust produced is very fine and will need to be extracted fully before the Granwax finish can be applied.

Here are some images of a job Art of Clean did for Ely Paradise Sports Centre at the end of last year.

Before the work commenced

Sanding back the old layer of protection

Fully sanded

Part way to re-coating with Granwax

The finished article - one bright and shining Granwood sports floor ready for many more years of sporting use.

Art of Clean are specialists in:

Hardwood Floor Cleaning,

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

Why does my wood floor creak?

Creaking floors are common in old homes. They can be spooky when your home alone! Or very annoying when your trying to creep out quietly to the toilet in the middle of the night.

But what makes the floorboards creak?

First you need to remember that timber is a natural porous product that will always be affected by moisture levels. Although wood flooring is dried and treated in its production it can still take on a little moisture, so when the floor was fitted it is likely that the wood had some residual moisture in it. The heating in your home will dry out the floorboards and they will shrink. The boards may then move a degree once walked over.

Timber also has some degree of flexibility in it and will eventually settle into place and not quite how it was laid - possibly rubbing up against another floor board or against a nail shaft creating all sorts of creaks an pops.

How to stop wood floors creaking?

From Below:

If you have easy access underneath the floor (from a basement for instance) it can be much easier to fix a creak. You will need to get someone to walk over the floor above until you pin-point the offending board/s.

If there is a little gap between the floorboard and joist you can make a shim to sit between the floorboard and the supporting beam so that you eliminate the movement. Do not insert with too much force else you may raise the board and create a new squeak!

If the joist has worked away and there are large sagging gaps you will have two options:

you will want to reinforce the joist if the gap is very large. You may want to also create a brace betweent eh joists to give them further structural support.
you can fill the gap with construction adhesive if the gap is not too large

From Above:

You will have to nail the boards down into the joist, so you need to need to be more specific in finding your squeak. Slowly walk over the floor until you identify the exact spot where the board creaks. You must then find the closest joint - the best way to do this is to tap with the board with a hammer, once the sound is flatter you are over a joist, if it over an open space it should resonate more and sound deeper.

Once you have found the joist closest to the squeak you may want to check your accuracy by drilling a pilot hole to see that you have successfully located the joist. Now drill heavy duty screws through the floor and into the joist.

To cover the screw heads you can fill the holes with wood putty and gently sand the area with a very light grained sandpaper.

Art of Clean are specialists in:

Hardwood Floor Cleaning,
Stone floor Cleaning,

Tuesday 6 January 2015

What is the meaning of Parquet

Parquet is the laying of small blocks of wood in a geometric pattern for the purpose of decoratively covering a floor.

The word is of old French origin, thought to be a derivative of Parchet - meaning Park, ie. a small enclosed space. Parquet differs from the generic term of wood floor due to its artistic design and use of small pieces of wood to create a pattern.

There are a number of styles of Parquet that range in artistic design and difficulty. To lay a parquet floor takes craftsmanship and skill which is why even the most simple of designs prove to be quite a challenge to a DIY floor layer.

The most notable designs are the Herringbone arrangement and the basket design, however there is a huge spectrum of possibilities that people explore that yield absolutely stunning results.

Here are the basic parquet designs

This is an example of herringbone parquet

Here you can see a creative take on herringbone parquet

Below is a beautiful and seemingly simple miss-match of wood blocks of different size and colour, making a truly stunning take on the herringbone design

Another fantastic take on the herringbone style of parquet

A geometric parquet design

This geometric parquet has cleaverly used different colored wood to create a 3D effect

Below is a feat of true parquet artistry

Art of Clean are proud of their team oh highly skilled technicians who often perform parquet restoration in beautiful old homes throughout Cambridgeshire See our previous blog here of work carried out on a parquet floor in Cambridge:

http://artofcleanuk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/what-find-beautiful-parquet-floor-found.html

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

Art of Clean are specialists in:

Hardwood Floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,
Rug Cleaning,

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

New Year and our New arrival - It's a Pallmann Belt Sander!

We can now work even faster - giving clients their floor back sooner!

Thank you to The Ultimate Floor Sanding Company for our new bundle of joy!

Art of Clean are specialists in:

Hardwood Floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,
Rug Cleaning,