Wood sanding in Mexico...by way of Cambridge

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: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture 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

Sanding with the Boys!

A couple of days ago the sun was shining (I know, I thought Winter had come early too) and we sent the lads out en mass. It was a big job. Four handsome men and a rather petulant wooden floor. So, armed with all the tricks of the trade, a few hefty sanders and having vacuumed the floor and knocked-in those stray nails that pop out from time-to-time, they set to work.

  

The furniture was covered, the pets were up a tree somewhere and the kids were playing...elsewhere. As you can see, our promise of a 99% dust-free clean was staunchly in effect. That bag did look awfully full though.

When sanding, there's always the nooks and crannies that need to be tackled. The corners and the bits under the door frames and windows. That's when you send the new-kid (Ben) in. You can tell he's working hard, just look at those pit-stains.

The evidence that the floor was in need of a good buffing is plain to see. After years of varnishing, the pine wood had disguised itself as mahogany. Now, Mahogany is beautiful, but if you own a Pine Wood floor, you want it to look like a Pine Wood Floor. So in we came. 

If you look closely, you can even see the Boss (Pierre) in the background, sneaking up on poor Greg. See the concentration on his face, he has no idea...LOOK OUT!

Now, not every wooden floor needs so much attention, but when we send Gail or Laurence out to quote for us, they take their time and access just how many members of staff we'll require to be able to give you the best possible service and at the end of the job, we guarantee that you'll be as chipper as the floor beneath your feet.

Always remember: Call the Professionals.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture 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

Bamboo Wood Flooring and Fitting

What do you know about your flooring options? 

Many of you inherited your wooden floors - they came with the property and you probably never really thought changing them was an option, but look at this.

Oak, engineered wood, pine; it’s all very nice, but sometimes you look around and see something truly unusual, well, unusual for Cambridgeshire that is.

Bamboo flooring is unmistakable. It seems to have a rhythm all of its own. The way the strips are glued together - horizontal or vertical - they create a floor that almost acts as an optical illusion. Some tones seem to contrast heavily, while others combine to form almost a wave effect.  

The benefit of bamboo flooring over, say, solid pine wood, is temperature and humidity. Where solid wood tends to bend and warp when the temperatures change, solid Bamboo flooring is stable. There are other options too. You can try strand woven bamboo flooring. Created by compressing the bamboo fibres under immense heat and pressure, this allows for increased strength and durability. It is then treated to colour the bamboo, sometimes resulting in that deep, coffee shade. A resin follows and then the bamboo is compressed into planks.

As you might imagine, Bamboo flooring is eco-friendly, like many of the products we pride ourselves in using. Bamboo reaches maturity in all of five years, so it is a sustainable flooring resource.

Before you lay your bamboo flooring, you need to decide whether you want an underlay or not. 

Typically an underlay is used to provide sound insulation or thermal resistance. For this we would recommend Silver Balm underlay; it’s good for both the sound and the heat.

When your fabulous new flooring is in place, you’re going to want to maintain it. Here’s a simple and easy guide:

Sweep the floor with a soft brush on a regular basis and then, each week, use a microfibre mop and wood spray.

Use protector pads on the underside of your chairs and tables; best to prevent a scratch than fix one. 

Clean spills and water as soon as you see it and make use of door mats at each entrance.

Don’t use a steam cleaner. Only use a vacuum that has a soft cleaning head and if you don’t have a PH neutral wood spray, a damp (wrung-out) mop/cloth will work just fine.

We love floors, all kinds. We're specialists in the field and if you need a helping hand or a listening ear, call...

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture 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

The sanded marvel beneath

Cambridge City is one of the most iconic in the country. Its streets, buildings and general culture is renowned around the world. Take a step inside anyone of its heritage laden homes and you will be bombarded with classicism and design style; even in the regular homes you or I might reside in.

However, while age brings respectability and class, it also allows for a stagnant approach to decoration.

Art of Clean specialises in restoring and bringing new life into the dated. With that in mind, Paul set to work on this.

As you can see, the veins and deep colour suggest an age beyond the buildings statue. There is so often new life, youth beneath the flooring and it takes a keen eye to find it. Stripping a wooden floor of decade’s worth of lacquer is never an easy feat. It takes hours of process and care, but Paul’s an expert and with his skills in hand, he set to work stripping and caring for these bored boards.

By the end of the day, his talents had worn away years of excess and revealed something beautiful below.

Colour redeemed, holes filled, boards joined and low and behold, there's life again.

Keep an eye out for our forth-coming blog on floor colouring.

Call the Professionals.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture 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

Parquet, Parquet, where for art thou, Parquet...oh, there you are

Parquet flooring is the criss-cross pattern you generally see in bedrooms, hallways and even used by the NBA.

It lends itself to design and with a host of geometric patterns can transform an ordinary, plain wood floor into something magnificent.

So, when Art of Clean were called out to their latest job, their hearts sank. 

Over the years, Parquet flooring can wear, like anything else, and a face lift is needed. Especially when far, far too much veneer make-up has been applied.

Case in point:

Setting to it, Paul (our fearless team leader) began stripping this heavily decorated floor, searching for the beauty beneath.

Thankfully, she was still there. What a transformation!

Remember: always call the professionals!

Don't forget to watch our new youtube video too!

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture 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

Why should I oil my wood work top?

Not so very long ago, Art of Clean was called out to save the day.

It seems that a few rogue potatoes had taken it upon themselves to rot and as a result, when they’d been removed, they’d left a nasty stain.  

This happens more often than you might imagine.

The issue is ‘lack of hardener’. You see, when you buy your lovely new/old wood table top, you tend to look more at the grain and the colour and think less about the resistance.

What we stress is, prevention. You can oil your wooden surface until it shines like the Sun, but if you don’t back it up with a product designed to mitigate those troubling stains, you’re just opening yourself up to a serious sanding.

Finish wears-off fast!

It’s not a problem, we can fix it, we’re pretty good, but why spend more later when you can protect yourselves now?

What we urge is that you not use Linseed Oil or Tongue Oil (note: this does not mean licking the surface until it gleams).

We use a product called Treatex.

Why? Well, when you call/email/tweet for a service, you tend to look for the ones with tried and tested history in the field and that’s where Treatex comes in. After 40 years in the oiling biz, they know what they’re up to. After 10 years in the sanding biz, so do we.

We only use the BEST products.

That means when we leave your house, you’ll be happy and so shall we.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture 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

Dear Art of Clean, I need your help

Dear Art of Clean,

I recently bought a house and it has wood flooring throughout.

I've never owned a home before and never lived in a place with wooden flooring. It looks a touch shabby at the moment, can you help?

-----

Dear Customer,

We’d be delighted. 

Now, before we start, there are a few things you should really be aware of.

We are professionals. That means apart from being insured and certified (as all professionals should be), apart from being handsome (see above) and apart from caring (again, see above), we love our job.

We guarantee that our service is above reproach.

When it comes to the nitty-gritty, here’s the important stuff;

Our floor sanding is 99% free of dust (depending on the floor). Our products are low odour and water based. We use the best products available, even if that costs us more. This means we can edge as close towards being ‘Green’ as it is possible in this business.

We will send one of our colleagues out to give you a quote. Be aware He or She may will require a cup of tea. The quote will include everything, none of that ‘bait ‘n’ switch’ malarkey!

What you ask for is what you’ll pay for.

The quote will take around 20-30 minutes, but at the end, we guarantee you’ll be feeling confident and secure in decision to hire Art of Clean. 

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture 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