Parquet Flooring sanding in St George's Church in Chesterton Cambridge

We sanded wood floors at the vicarage of St George’s church Chesterton a few months ago. Following this work we were asked if we could help with a problem Parquet floor made of pine in the Church hall. When we first looked at the floor it was not clear if we will get the desired effect on the parquet pine floor. The wood floor was extremely worn in places and we could not work out why some blocks in the parquet floor was so badly worn down while others right next to it where still in good order. The whole wood floor was very dark and very dried out. The floor was laid in the 1940’s so we knew it was exposed to a lot of wear and tear.

We determined it was a tong and groove wood block floor and we had to be extremely careful not to sand too much wood away otherwise the blocks will come lose.

We also noticed a thick layer of build-up along the sides of the wood floor in the hall. It did appear to be old wax residues though we had to be sure. Some older floors laid between 1940 and 1970 and sometimes even later can contain asbestos. We therefore called in an asbestos testing firm to test the floor for the presence of asbestos. It is not only to safeguard our floor sanding crew but also to ensure a safe environment for the people who use the church hall.

We started the sanding of the wood floor and immediately discovered why some blocks worn so fast. Repairs were carried out on the floor and the replacement blocks that were used was a soft pine whereas the original floor is made up of Douglas fir wood blocks. Douglas Fir is a harder and more dense type of pine. It also appears as a darker orange brown coloured wood. In the after photos you will notice lighter blocks in the floor that are the blocks that got replaced.

To secure the future of the parquet wood floor in the church hall in Chesterton Cambridge – we applied Pallmann Magic Oil to the Parquet wood floor.

This will allow for minimal future sanding on the floor as it can be cleaned back and re-oiled to give it a new lease of life. The parquet wood floor can also be lightly sanded back and re-oiled if it starts to wear out. Another benefit in oiling parquet wood floors like this one in Chesterton Cambridge is that localized repairs can be carried out. If an item of furniture gets dragged on the floor and cause a deep scratch – this can be sanded out and a fresh coating of oil can be applied over the area. There will be no need to sand the whole floor again.

Always call the professionals.