Adding simple architectural features to your home

Adding architectural detail to your home is an easy DIY project and inexpensive.  Here are some simple tips and hints, which you could do in your home.

Using artificial bricks, simple moulding and a warm white paint on the walls on the chimney breast, and then place a fireplace in front of it.

In front of the fireplace, how about adding a deep crimson rug and use that colour as accents around the room, especially on cushions, throws and ornaments on the fireplace. 

Wood work around a window can be quite basic.  How about adding a sash but that could possibly need you to take out the existing moulding and spending a lot of money. The alternative would be to take a stencil of a window sash you really like and then trace that on the wall and fill it in with paint.  Not to forget adding a faint outline in a slightly darker colour, to suggest shadow.

The next cheat is really inexpensive to do.  Instead of opting for a hardwood floor, use plywood.  Check out below some local stockists for prices.    Think about painting the plywood a dark colour, it will hide any imperfections that’s often found in plywood.

Another way to add architectural detail is painting up skirting board.  Most heights of skirting boards are about 2400mm.  So instead of removing them, you can add to them.  Measure up about two inches and add a piece of trim and paint it all the same colour.
Taking on renovating projects doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money but by taking on this basic tips you can really transform your space.

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

 

Useful guide to wood floor restoration | Art of Clean

The thing about old houses is that they have a patina that you're unable to recreate and you already have a basis to accentuate the old and bring in the new.  All sounds really perfect, doesn't it?  But one of the biggest issues in old houses is natural light.

If you have just completed on the purchase of your dream home and you cannot wait to start the renovation project.

First day on site the trade’s people lift the old carpets and you find a lovely wood floor hiding under there. What a find!

Restoring the wood floor can sometimes be a more sensible approach and by sanding and sealing the floorboards, this will help in distributing more light around the room, so before you cover it over with carpet again though here are a few things to consider:

• Be clear on your objectives and the atmosphere you would like to create in the rooms. Ensure you are clear on your colour schemes. 

• You could sand your own floor, however this can be a difficult, messy and laborious task. Connect with a floor sanding company that have a good track record in restoring wood floors. Make sure your floor sanding company offer several finishing options on your wood floor. Watch out – some floor sanding companies will only offer sand and lacquer service on your wood floor and do not offer the option for other finishes. 

It is strongly advised you establish a relationship with your floor sanding company early on in the renovation project. This will help you plan the schedule of restoration works end ensure different trades are not in each other’s way. 

Be clear on what type of wood floor you have and what is required to restore your wood floor. Here are a few pointers on what we usually find wood floors in Cambridge are made of:

• Most wood floors hiding under carpets are found in Victorian style homes are pine boards. Many of these floors are Pitch Pine and it is a fair quality. Sadly we find that over the years trades people have hacked through the boards to access what is under the wood floor. This leaves scars for the rest of the life of the wood floor. Pine floors can sometimes be very light in colour – Make sure you are clear on how this will fit in with your décor.

• Other floors in homes in the Cambridge area is parquet block floors – They are usually made of teak or oak – sometimes pine. What to watch out for here is lose blocks – If you count 100 lose blocks it is the norm to double this and assume 200 will be lose. Ensure your wood floor restorer knows how to secure these lose blocks – it will require a special type of glue.

No what about colouring your wood floor? You might want a darker floor. The key here is to know the limitations on staining your wood floor. Soft woods (Like Pine) do not always look good when stained and wears through fast. Better wood floors to stain will be hard woods like Oak and Beach. 

You have 2 options when staining your wood floor – The floor can be stained using a coloured wax oil like Pallmann Magic Coloured Oil or your can have the floor stained using Pallmann Pall x Colour - http://www.parkettkomplett.com/references/details/residential-house-villingen-74/  and then apply Pallmann Lacquer over the 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, 

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

Whitewashing floorboards: useful guide to what you should know

At the Art of Clean we receive a lot of questions about our range of finishes for wooden floorboards.

So, let's get started and share with you what we know.

White painted floors are just plain beautiful but when we’re choosing types of finishes on wooden floorboards we tend to go for the slightly softer appearance of whitewash, which allows some of the grain of the wood to show through.  

Whitewashing refers to the technique of mixing lime and water, milk paint or some other concoction together, which gives a look that has been around for hundreds of years in Sweden and Scandinavia and because of their dark winters, whitewashing floors helped to lighten the room.  

Several years ago whitewashing was the chosen method of finishing floors and the look is currently making a comeback amongst decorators and interior designers because of its versatility, it goes with modern and contemporary furniture.

Previously to achieve this finish, the floor was treated with wood lye, which was used to give the wood a weathered look and bleach out the colour of the wood.  Afterwards, a white oil was applied and the floor was maintained using a boil soap, these types of finishes were not very hard wearing.

As in contrast to that ineffective alternative, Pallmann introduced PALL X PURE - this amazing product gives the hard wearing finish with the look of a white washed or bleached floor.  

In the photos below you can see sample boards I was preparing for a client.

Maintenance is high on the traditional way of finishing the floor in this finish meaning using a light to bleach the floor and then using a soap to keep the floor clean… But with the Pallmann system the floor maintenance  is much less time consuming.

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

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

What Causes a Creaking & Popping Noise in Hardwood Floors?

 One advantage of a creaking floor is that it warns you of approaching bears.

Creaking, popping and snapping sounds can emanate from a hardwood floor that has been nailed to a wood sub-floor as well as one that has been glued to concrete. In either case, strategies for eliminating the noise exist, but they don't always work.

Nail-Down Floors

Squeaks and creaks in a nail-down floor usually come from the nails; a board pops loose and the nails rub against the subfloor when you walk on it. You can fix this by driving screws from underneath to anchor the loose boards. A more serious cause of creaking is wood movement, which can be a problem if you install the floor without acclimating it or without a moisture barrier. Spacing nails too closely can also create squeaks. These problems require partial or full replacement of the floor.

Glue-Down Floors

When you glue a hardwood floor to concrete, the subfloor must be completely level. If there are voids, the boards can flex into them and make creaking sounds as they rub together. You may be able to stop creaking by injecting epoxy through a small hole in the board that's directly over a void. This doesn't work for large depressions, however, and when it doesn't work, you'll probably have to remove the squeaky boards, level the subfloor and lay new boards.

Written by:
Chris Deziel
 http://homeguides.sfgate.com


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