How to maintain your newly sanded floors? How to make sure you don't damage your wood floor with water!

You have just had your wood floor sanded and it looks as good as new. Now how do you keep this lovely wood floor clean and looking as it does now?

Let’s face it – It will get dirty! Your cleaning regime is the only weapon you have.


Here are a few tips on keeping your wood floor clean:

Regular dry soil removal:
The big enemy of wood floors and the finish on them is dry soil and grit wearing the finish off the floor. To keep your floor free from dry soil you can use a good quality soft broom or you can use a vacuum cleaner with a special soft floor attachment.

Your furniture is yet another consideration. We strongly recommend Felt pad protectors under all your furniture. These are not just ordinary pads – They come with replacement pads that can easily be clipped out to be renewed. They also screw in thus last much longer and are much safer for your floor.

1-    MAINTENANCE ROUTINE
It is crucial your weekly cleaning of your wood floor is done correctly.

You will wood oil care Kit:

-    A 2 compartment mob bucket
-    Good quality mop (clean)
-    Cleaning solution –We recommend Pallmann Clean  (available in 0.75 litre or 10 litre)
-    Clean water

Fill one side of your mop bucket (the side you will wring your mop in) with clean water.

Make your cleaning solution mix as described on the bottle in the other mop bucket compartment.
The pump dispense on the 10 Litre Pallmann Cleaner dispense about 15 Ml per squirt. This is enough cleaner for 1 to 1.5 litres of cleaning water. One smaller containers manual measuring will be required. Consumption for 0.75 Liter: approx..100-200ml/10 liters of water.

Wet your mop in the clean water and wring it out. Dip the tips – (3 – 6 inches) into the cleaning solution and wring your mop. Now start mopping your floor. After cleaning about 3 – 5 sq meters rinse the mop in the clean water side of the bucket and dip the tips of the mop (3 – 6 inches) into the cleaning solution side – wring out and repeat as above.

Let the floor dry and return to normal use. If it is a large area replace the rinse water when dirty. You will get into a rhythm to get the ratio of cleaning water and rinse solution just right so when the rinse water is dirty your cleaning solution will be finished in the bucket.

Why do we advise the above method?
Simple – if you mop a floor with a single compartment mop bucket you will collect the dirt on the floor and contaminate your cleaning solution with this. You will then keep spreading this onto the floor every time you rinse your mop in the solution

PLEASE NOTE – DO NOT PLACE METAL FURNITURE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH YOUR WOOD FLOOR AS THIS CAN CAUSE MARKS – FLOOR PROTECTORS AS DESCRIBED AS ABOVE IS STRONGLY ADVISED

2-    FINISH CARE STOP(available in 0.75 Litre ) – LACQUERED FLOORS ONLY
Apply in very thin layer – Undiluted

Over time the floor will tone down after use. To give the floor a fresh lift it is best to apply a coating of Finish Care Stop  to the floor after a clean (ad described above) Use the T bar applicator and apply a very thin layer of Finish care Stop evenly to the floor(Very thin even coat. This should be done when the floor appears a bit dry and dull every 3 – 6 months depending on use. DO NOT OVER APPLY as it can cause a build-up.


For product orders, visit www.artofcleanonline.co.uk and use discount code CG2013 to receive 10% off your first product order!
For more information call Art of Clean on 01223 863 632

Hard wood floor repair and restore in Cambridge UK

  

With changing trends many people are going back to choosing hardwood floors over carpet in their

homes. There are many benefits, they're easier to clean, more resistant to spills, don't harbor allergenic material....and most of all they look stylish!

We recently completed work on a floor that needed total restoration.  It was found, hidden under old carpet and and paint in quite a state.  This required a lot of work but the results were very satisfying.  And if you have ever tried to do this yourself you will understand what I mean a by a LOT of work.
They wanted the entire floor sanded and oiled to give it a rustic look.



Firstly we had to remove all the paint and sanded the boards right back to remove all the build up of dirt, grime and previous seals revealing the wood in all its glory. Some areas were so damaged they needed replacement.


 Here you can see Pierre finishing the boards with a hand sander.

And here you can see the transformation after the sanding and repair work is completed.


Following this Paul applied the oil to protect the boards.

For further information on our floor sanding service we provide please contact us on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

Here's a great video that compares the advantages of oiling wood floors to lacquering:

Oiling wooden floor

See the difference on the picture. Before the sanding and after the oiling!

Black marks appeared on a newly oiled Oak floor

... So you’ve just had your oak floor fitted and you have sealed it with oil, and for some unknown reason there are now black marks on the boards. This occurs when the tannin in oak touches a wet or acidic environment and it causes a chemical reaction which leads to dark discolouration. The discolouration is caused by the following equation: Gallic acid + water + iron (III) iron (III) –gallate + acid

At Art of Clean we understand how a well finished floor can set off a whole room, giving your floorboards a new lease of life and increasing the lifespan of the timber.  Refinishing wood floors is one of our specialties, and we are trained and affiliated with the Ultimate Floor Sanding Company.  If you would like to talk to us about our services, please call our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk

12 Tips For Caring For Your Wood Floor

Proper care of wood floors can be difficult under the everyday wear and tear caused by a family and pets.

Read the 12 tips below and you will learn how to preserve your wood floor investment.


1. Make sure you know the type of wood you have got. You can rely on the manufacturer’s instructions whenever available.

2. You should also make you know what finish the wood floor has: lacquer or oil? Different finishes will need different care.

3. Sweep your floors with a soft broom regularly. Careful using a vacuum cleaner with a hard brush head as it can scratch the wooden floor. (click to see what vacuum cleaner we recommend)


4. Always use a dry towel whenever possible when wiping up.

5. Remove solid material- dirt, grit, sand as soon as possible as their abrasive textures will scratch and dull the floor's finish.

6. Ensure you use rugs in high traffic areas (entrances and hallways) to keep feet clean. Or apply a “no shoe policy” to prevent dragging in any extra grime. Rug underlay will stop the rug to move around.

7. Do NOT use oil soaps. They build up and will eventually dull the surface of the floor. They can also remove the finish.

8. Always install felt feet to the bottom of all furniture to prevent scratching.

9. Lift chairs and furniture instead of dragging when moving them.

10. When cleaning floors, only use damp cloth, use as little water as possible. Immediately wipe up any wet spots.

11. Consider discoloration with sun’s ray. Install thick curtains to cut down on UV rays.

12. Always use a proper cleaner made for wood floor. If you use the wrong product, they can dull the surface, or cause the floor to become overly slippery.

If you are not sure of any of the above, give us a call on 01223 863 632  and we will be happy to help.

Pine wood floor restoration in Saffron Walden

Here is a lovely hard wood floor renovation in Saffron Walden we completed recently…

Pre-sanding

At Art of Clean we understand how a well finished floor can set off a whole room, giving your floorboards a new lease of life and increasing the lifespan of the timber.  Refinishing wood floors is one of our specialties, and we are trained and affiliated with the Ultimate Floor Sanding Company.  If you would like to talk to us about our services, please call our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk

Beautiful oak wood floor restored!

Art of Clean is part of the Ultimate floor sanding and restored wood floor in Cambridgeshire.

See below the amazing results:

Commercial parquet wood floor restoration with Art of Clean

We've had some great floor sanding and oiling/polishing jobs lately in Cambridge, Essex, Hertfordshire, Suffolk and beyond.

Take a look at the images below to see the amazing transformations our technicians have been working on lately……

Here are some images of a parquet floor restoration the team completed in Leicester.

Pre-sanding

Post-sanding

Post-oiling

At Art of Clean we understand how a well finished floor can set off a whole room, giving your floorboards a new lease of life and increasing the lifespan of the timber.  Refinishing wood floors is one of our specialties, and we are trained and affiliated with the Ultimate Floor Sanding Company.  If you would like to talk to us about our services, please call our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk

Watermarks on wooden floor - use suitable tray under pots

Protecting your wood floor from water staining from your pot plants:

Here is a real issue to wooden floors - water.  Wood is a porous material which will absorb water if

it is left sitting on the floor long enough.  Mopping is not such an issue as you will use only a small amount of hot water which will dry quickly.  The issue is when the water sits for some time and the worst place for this in most homes is under plant pots.

Here you can see the damage that is caused from moisture entering the wood...

To prevent this damage use plastic trays under your pots so they wont leak, and do not over water. 

If you have sustained this damage to your Wood Floors you will need the to be sanded and protected.  The sanding will take the wood back to an unaffected level and the protection applied will give an amount of water resistance to the wood to help prevent this occurring again. 

For further maintenance contact us about our wood floor services us on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk

What can I do with my newly discovered wood floor?

Discovering that a beautiful wood floor lies just beneath a shabby old carpet can be really exciting, and it’s at this stage that you will do a search on-line for a professional sanding company. Before you search on-line for sanding company you will need to consider a few things:
•Is the floor worth sanding and which service do you require?Before getting anyone to carry out the work on your newly discovered floor you will need to check out their credentials:
• Are they insured? Ask to see their insurance papers if unsure• Have the had professional training? Check out their certificates
• Do they have experience? Ask to meet previous customers, check out references if necessary
• Do the company offer a guarantee? Make sure you ask for this in writing
• What finish do they recommend? These are some photos of a floor we recently restored with the above type of damage.

The floor was strip filled (this is the gap between the planks) and then we filled them strip with resinYou will need to think about what type of wood flooring you have. If you have a traditional wood floor and there are large gaps between the boards then it is likely to have been made from pine. If your boards are butted neatly together then they are likely to have been made from oak, but a professional opinion would be recommended at this point. If in doubt then ask Art of Clean for advice, we have specialist wood flooring experts in our team.A pine floor is very soft and is not exceptional quality, whereas oak on the other hand if looked after well will serve you well for many years.