Amazing restoration results on Gramwood floor | Art of Clean

Over the past couple of weeks, the Art of Clean team have been working a lot on sanding floorboards so it was interesting when the team got booked on a job to sand a Granwood floor.

A Granwood floor is made out of a composition of wood and concrete mix that is then formed into tiles.

These floors are very common in commercial spaces like schools and sports halls these floors has a special requirement to be finished with a solvent based Granwood polyurethane seal.  The downside to this product is that it is very smelly and it is not very good for health and that is why Art of clean team will use masks.

In this case, which is very similar to the previous job we've done for the The Paradise Centre in Ely.

The coating we applied had some anti-slip particles in it because the client requested that we help them solve the slippiness problem on the floor as this was the woodwork shop and all the wood shavings end up on the floor and that causes a slip hazard for the students working in this room

A little bit of advice on what to do when you do have a Grandwood floor that needs refinishing and the best advice would be to attend to your floor before it needs to be sanded.  If the floor is not in too bad a condition the floor can be cleaned back and recoated which means it's much less invasive because if Cranwood floors need to be fully sanded back it is a very messy and very dusty process and the dust created from this is a very harmful.

For that reason the floor should be kept in a good condition and then every one to two years the floor should be cleaned back properly and a fresh coat of gram guard should be applied.  This way the floor is never left to deteriorate and I know invasive sanding will not be required, if cared for well.

In a case where the floor is left too long and it will need sanding, be prepared that the floor will be out of action for a long time usually a week or two.  Also be prepared for the smell, as it is very strong and you will probably not be able to use the floor for a few days and windows and doors would need to be left open so that the smell can despite.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

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

Source: http://artofcleanuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/amazing-restoration-results-on-gramwood.html

Oakwood bespoke colour finish with Pallmann Magic Oil | Art of Clean

I want to share with you the special qualities of Pallmann Magic Oil, which is a great product to use on the installation, renovation and maintenance of wood flooring.

This morning Pierre was mixing a bespoke colour using Pallmann Magic Oil 2K on a sample piece of solid oak wood to show to a customer.

Before applying the oil mix, the wood sample was sanded back using a 60, 80 and 100 grit sanding paper.  The wood was also water popped, which means light moisture is used to open the grain, which in turns swells the wood fibres and more colour is accepted into the wood.

The oil is then mixed using 15% black and 85% brown.  The oil is applied to the wood and forced into the fibres of wood with a green hand pad and the excess removed.

Pierre was using a piece of oak, but Pallmann Magic Oil works well on pine and most other types of wood.

As well as black and brown the other main colours are white, grey, dark brown, red brown and natural .

Some of the benefits of using magic oil, apart from the ones already mentioned are the four hours drying time and so the floor can be used much quicker, as opposed to 12 hours with other brand floor oils.

Magic Oil also comes with a hardener which makes it much harder wearing than many other oils. Also, if the floor is scratched the floor can be easily repaired with simply keying back the area and then apply a re-oil.

In the case of coloured oil, you would need to key back the whole floor.

Below is a previous example using Treatex (left) and Liberon (right).  

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

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

Source: http://artofcleanuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/oakwood-bespoke-colour-finish-with.html

The Pros and Cons of Different Wood Types of Wood Floors

Throughout history wood has been a very popular flooring option.  In Cambridge, there are many homes with solid wood flooring, it was at one time, one of only a few alternative to stone or brick flooring, and has been used long before cheaper alternatives came along, such as Medium-density Fibreboard (MDF) or Plywood.

So as with any financial commitments, take your time and consider your options and for any flooring, whether its Hardwood and MDF, look at the cost of purchasing and installation, where is it for? And how do you want them finished? Do you want to have them painted or waxed? etc.

But never-the-less, wood is hardwearing and durable, it has been used in almost every house and for every interior design and colour scheme.  Wood is a very en-vogue and an interior designers dream

Here at the Art of Clean, we don't know anyone who has chosen wood flooring and hasn't been pleased with the results.  The only problem is, it can be a difficult choice of what kind of wood flooring is right for you.

This is just a simple guide to the three different types of wood flooring:

SOLID WOOD is the most popular and is considered to be the original wood flooring.    It is cut into planks or blocks from the log and go through a process of kiln drying, which enables the wood to reduce the moisture level.  The net process is to machine cut into various sizes and a profile is given, either square edged or tongue and grooved.  They are then finished in the factory with a coating of lacquer or wax or can be left unfinished and finished later by the installer.

ENGINEERED is basically a veneer applied to a plywood base.  Consider the installation methods as it can be very different to Solid wood flooring.

LAMINATE is not the same as Engineered Flooring.  Laminate is basically a high quality picture of wood.

I just wanted to finish this blog, with a couple of photographs from a pine floor sanding job our Service and Sales Technician, Nathan was sent on this week to a clients home in Cambridge.

Our client was really chuffed with the results and said "that all his floors look fantastic now".

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

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

Source: http://artofcleanuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-pros-and-cons-of-different-wood.html

What are the benefits of oiling a wood floor?

Preserving, saving, restoring, up-cycling, - These are all buzzwords these days reminding us to make things last as long as possible or re using items if you can. Wood floors are certainly no exception.
For many years all wood floors where sealed or varnished with polyurethane finish over the top and then once the coating has worn through the floor will be sanded back and re sealed using the same method. Over the years oil finished on wood has slowly grown in popularity. Let’s explore the benefits of oiling your wood floor:

Oiling a wood floor provides you with a natural finish – do take note if you require a modern high shine finish – most oils cannot offer you this.

If you restore wood floors on a listed building the oil option is ideal as it is permeable and allows moisture to move through the wood floor.

Pallmann Magic Oil has a dry time of 4 hours and cure time of 12 hours – this means you can use four floor much sooner – if you opt for a lacquer finish you will have to wait 7 days for the lacquer to cure and 8 hours for it to dry.

Using an oil on your wood floor will allow for localised repairs – Yes if your floor gets scratched or damaged you can sand the damaged out and sand the surrounding area of the floor lightly to blend it in and apply oil to the area and is most cases the floor will be as good as new (consult a wood sanding professional for more advice before you attempt to do this yourself!)

Oiled wood floors can be given a good clean and fresh application of oil to give them a new lease of life.

Caring for your oiled wood floor is much easier than you think – You can use Pallmann Clean to clean your oiled wood floor followed by Pallmann Magic Oil Care – This gives the floor a fresh look

For easy day to day cleaning and care - Use Pallmann Clean and Go

You can find the wood care products on  www.artofcleanonline.co.uk

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

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

Source: http://artofcleanuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/what-are-benefits-of-oiling-wood-floor.html

How do I look after my newly sanded wood floor?

Our aim at the Art of Clean is to bring you the best cleaning service in Cambridge, Hertfordshire and Essex.  We also want to help you with any queries you might have about all aspects of cleaning.

So here's a helpful guide to keeping your floor looking good as new, just after you've had it sanded.

We're under no illusions, floors will get dirty and time is of the essence but any amount of cleaning will be useful in limiting the build up.

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

To keep your floor free from dry soil, use a good quality soft broom or a vacuum cleaner with a special soft floor attachment.

To limit any damage, knocks or scratches by your furniture we recommend Felt pad protectors under all your furniture, which last much longer and are much safer for your floors.


1 - MAINTENANCE ROUTINE

We strongly recommend your weekly cleaning of your wood floor is done correctly. 

 You will need 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.

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- TOP UP OIL – Magic Oil Care (available in 0.75 Litre or 10 Litre)

Over time the floor will tone down after use. To give the floor a fresh lift it is best to apply a coating of Magic Oil Care to the floor after a clean (ad described above) Use the T bar applicator and apply a very thin layer of Magic oil care evenly to the floor. This should be done when the floor appears a bit dry or every 3 – 6 months depending on use. 

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

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

Source: http://artofcleanuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/how-do-i-look-after-my-newly-sanded.html

Sanding An Ancient Pine Floor

Just before the holidays, Nathan (Art of Clean, Service and Sales Technician) carried out a remarkable transformation of an ancient looking pine floor.

After removing the carpet grippers and underlay we were faced with a really rough floor. The floor was covered in adhesive black edging and old remnants of previous foam backed carpet.  It certainly took some sanding but we got a good finish considering what it looked like before the sanding.

As we were leaving the job, our client informed us that the floor was going to be painted, which would be a shame to hid the beautiful warm feel of pine boards beneath a layer of paint.  We're keeping our fingers crossed, hoping the client might change her mind and use a varnish or stain instead.

Maybe you've recently had your floor sanded.  We would be interested to know your thoughts and what do you think?  How would you like to see your pine floor finished?  

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

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

Source: http://artofcleanuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/sanding-ancient-pine-floor.html

Getting wooden floors - oiled or varnished?

Who has wooden floors, do you have varnished or oiled, and why?

There are many way to treat our wooden floors to protect and get the best out of them.  There are a couple of advantages of a varnished floor.  Varnished wood floors are easier to look after and clean on a daily basis.  They are also less likely to get damaged in the first place and the occasional dent is character anyway.  But if they get stained or damaged you can't really do much about it yourself.

Advantages of oiled wood floor -
If they get stained/damaged you can lightly sand and re-oil either small patches or the whole area yourself and it will look okay.

But it's not as easy to look after on a daily basis. e.g. you're not supposed to use microfiber clothe on it, neither wet nor dry as any large amount of moisture will swell floorboards. Sweep floor at least once a day, but both wet and dry with microfiber.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

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

Source: http://artofcleanuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/getting-wooden-floors-oiled-or-varnished.html