Beech wood floors, brought back from the brink

Beech flooring is a clean and crisp looking floor. A traditional look for many houses and you can see why. The planks are craved from the heart of the Beech tree and result in a pink-brown colour, but from time to time, you'll see a reddish-brown tone; that's the result of steaming the lumber.

If you look at the images below, you'll see that these boards weren't steamed, or sanded or even used; they were simply left to rot. Renovation and rejuvenation; it's all part of our wood floor business. The poorly boards sadly cannot be saved and as such it was Paul's job to tear them from the floor and replace them with replacement pieces.

Now there's a lot our friends at Pallmann can do and using their Magic oil (that's actually what it's called and what it does) we can bring life back into old boards, but when they're damaged, rotten beyond repair, well, then it has to be about replacement.

We MUST see ALL the floor before we quote on your floor. By that we mean, we have to inspect and analyse it before we give you an incorrect idea of what it would take to save your floor. This client wasn't aware of the damage the floor had endured over the years and as such, the job takes longer. Rest assured, we can fix it (like Felix from Wreck it Ralph), but we need to see it first.

Having seen it, Paul set to work. Just look at how full that sanding bag is...and there was more to come. After peeling back the years of abandonment, he made use of Pallmann Magic Oil. Now, here's the science bit. Smooth, "...velvety...matte..." finish, no, not a bar of Galaxy or a name brand conditioner.

The results of a professional sanding are beyond compare. 

Don't Do It Yourself, Do Hire A Professional.

Call Art of Clean for a free, no obligation quotation.

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 Pine and a touch of Oak

Some residents of the greater Cambridgeshire area (that’s in the UK, for those folks from the United States of America that got lost on their way to Massachusetts) are quite lucky. Their homes are floored throughout with wood. Now, whether that be Pine, Oak, Ash, Teak, Walnut. Mahogany, Parquet or Ply wood…OK, not Ply (but you get the idea), they are responsible for the general upkeep and fashionable appearance of said wooden floor.

These floors set the tone of a home, they tell the visitor that the house is cared for and maintained, they tell the owner they have a warm and inviting dwelling. The rich colours and the myriad designs available to the home owner when He or She is choosing a floor are sometimes too much to contemplate. Often the previous owner made the decision for you and you can be thankful. Inheriting the upkeep on a floor is a privilege.

Now, sanding any sized area is a task, so when we’re entrusted with a large dining room, hallway and fireplace, we take it very seriously. This particular home ran Pine Parquet throughout, all the way up to and around their fireplace…and then there was a surround of Oak.    

This three day job took the best of us. By that, I don’t mean we were shattered, we simply decided that for this floor, it required the crème-de-la-crème. So we sent Ben, Nathan and Paul.

Sanding any floor is time consuming; you have clean it all over, pull out those stray nails and pins, peel back the layers, remove the old varnish or lacquer and then, only then can you oil the surface to give it that just lain look.

Fireplaces are fiddly. They require a talented technician with a keen eye and a deft touch. Nathan cracked on. His attention to detail meant that the area surrounding the fireplace did not escape out sanding eye.

If you're ever faced with the opportunity to reclaim your wooden flooring from years of abandonment and neglect, you are well advised to find a professional team to do it; one that cares and takes pride in a job, very well done.

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

Futon Beds and much, much more

Earlier in September, we posted an article raving about the benefits and wonders to be had from creating furniture from common pallet wood. Well, we're at it again.

This time we've gone a little further in our search for the most interesting ways to model poor pallets into superior designs. Why settle for a settee, when you can get a Transformer; Sofatron becomes bedmatrix.

woodstore.net

With those left-over pieces, after you've created something marvelous for the living-room, why not create something comfy for the dog. Bot that he or she will use it (they much prefer your sofa, bed or lap) but it's the thought that counts.

https://youtu.be/uuDBMXdqXiM

This sliding pallett door is simply special. It has that heavy, rich, antique look and wouldn't look out of place in a country cottage or manor.

home-frosting.blogspot.com

Now, this is for the lads. After those hours of hard labour and graft, don't you deserve a treat too? And what could be better than to wipe the sweat from your brow with an ice-cold Cerveja? Take one table, slice two even holes, add deep receptacle, insert draining function (one assumes for when the ice melts) and deposit beer.

ana-white.com

And finally, possibly my favourite (seasonal too, given it's nearly Halloween), the pallett coffin. It explains why zombies and the skeletons in general escape so easily during the full moon. Note to self: use non-rotted pallets for coffin building exercise.

Here at Art of Clean, we don't actually make these things, but if we did (in the immortal, paraphrased words of a very well known beer company) they'd be the best pallett creations, ever. 

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

Pine, from green to grain

Ordinarily we wouldn't show quite so many photographs on a post, but on this occasion, we simply couldn't help it. There's even a video, no, two! The simple fact is, this job was a challenge. Just look at the green paint on the pine floor boards below and you'll see what we mean. You won't believe it, but there were (count 'em) 4 layers of paint on these pine boards. What that equated to was Paul - our head sander extraordinaire, getting down on his hands and knees for days, scraping, sanding and scrubbing these wooded marvels until they resembled something akin to their natural colour. 

If you look closely, you'll see some black stuff, that's the bitumen paint; something traditionally used as a protection for metal and concrete! So as you can imagine, Paul had his work cut out, but, being the professional that he is and we all are, he got his head down and tore that paint clean off.

Wood floor sanding goes in layers, like painting and there are often hidden extras involoved. As a result, Paul and his compatriots are often tasked with not only sanding, but also repairing damaged flooring. Our videos show the process of sanding the paint from the flooring (not a quite fix as you can see) and also Paul, cutting into the boards to create that even appearance so essential to all wood service professionals, as without it, sealing the floor would be a waste of their time.

To see Paul in action, strip filling a floor (as above) click on this link or his the play button below.

This photograph shows the result of days of worthwhile effort and an end product that illustrates the grain of the wood, the rich colour that can be brought forth and the strip filling down the centre.

For this and many other wood related services, call Art of Clean - Your Professional sanding is but a phone conversation away.

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

Strip Filled Floor

Friday just gone, Paul popped over to a client's house to strip and fill. Please, refrain from the jokes.

As you can see from the first photo, the black between the boards lends nothing to the overall appeal of a wooden floor. So, manned with his tools, Paul (and his assistant, Greg) stripped back the varnish and lacquer, and began the process of renewing this wooden floor.

before

during

after

It's not until you see the before and after images that you truly realise the difference between the two. How dated and worn your wooden flooring has become. Some people like the rustic look and that's fine, but upkeep is essential for any wooden floor. The filling, that once blended seamlessly into the grain, then effectively becomes dark track marks and do nothing but highlight the dirt that has accumulated over the years, sometimes, decades of neglect.

Too much repeated varnishing may look like it's protecting your floors, but all it's really doing is layering it and hiding the beauty below. 

Here at Art of Clean, we pride ourselves in the service we provide. The floors that benefit from the expertise of a specialist like Paul or Greg, will stand the test of time. They are cared for and guaranteed to last.

If you'd like to see a brief clip of the mighty Paul in action, click on the link below or go to our YouTube channel for more fantastic videos in the world of wood floor sanding and many other adventures.

For the best, happiest and most professional wood sanders in the business, just 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

Quendon, Saffron Walden, parquet floor sanding and oiling

We recently sanded and oiled a lovely kitchen floor in Quendon, Saffron Walden (see images here).

The floor was made of Canadian Maple which you don't see too often however it has become quite a popular floor in more modern high-end refurbishments.  It's chic look, subtle tones and cool light reflective qualities are a stark contrast to the more traditional golden rustic hues of Oak and Pine, and the deep auburn tones of Mahogany.

www.decobizz.com

There are 13 types of Maple grown in Canada and North America.  Hard Maple and Black Maple are very durable woods that rates highly on the Wood Hardness Scale, ranking above Oak,  making making them a great choice for both domestic and commercial flooring.

However, other species of Maple such as the Silver or Red Maple are classed as softwood and would not work well in a busy walkway as the wood would damage more easily.  Do be sure to check with your supplier what species of Maple they supply so you can make the best decision for your property.

The close uniform grain of Maple gives it it's beautiful soft & smooth finish that is so desirable.  Unfortunately, however, it is also also this quality that makes scratches and marks more noticeable.  Laquering a Maple floor would only highlight scratches even further, a matte oiled finish would be most suitable to keep maintenance costs down.

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

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.

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

Pallmann - for wood floor maintenance

As with all consumer markets markets there is a lot of competition when it comes to buying a product, and the wood floor care industry is no different.

Sometimes our customers request that we use a certain product in their homes as they have researched the options and decided this is what suits them, and we are only to happy to oblige.

Mostly, however, our customers put their trust in our professional opinion, so we make sure we do our homework, keep up to date with the products on the market, and assess what is best - for the wood, for the client, and for our team to work with.

We have been using Pallmann for a number of years now and we feel their products and ethos gel well with our own high standards and industry responsibility that we set for our own company.

PALLMANN summarizes their full range offer for the installation, renovation and maintenance of wood flooring with this motto. We are professionals in the area of surface refinement with a tradition of more than 110 years offer matching products for all aspects of floor construction – from surface treatment, cleaning and maintenance, down to wood floor adhesives, products for subfloor preparation and machines.

Sourced from www.pallmann.co.uk

The present and future mission of Pallmann:

Phasing out solvent based products - Pallmann are working to phase out high solvent based products and currently provide a large range of  low solvent water-based products.  High level solvent based products were regarded as industry standard in recent years, but it has now been proven that the fumes given off are potentially harmful to those working with them and for the people living with them in their homes and offices.

Pallmann proudly proclaimed last year that it provides:

The world’s first completely solvent-free coating system for wood floors

We strive to use the best products available so that we can provide the best service for our customers.  You can find some of the Pallmann range of floor cleaning and maintenance products for sale at our online store, visit www.artofcleanonline.co.uk .

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: 

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning,

Hardwood Floor Cleaning, 

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

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

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: