Hardwood floor repair and restoration in Cambridge

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:

Wood Floor Sanding and Sealing at the British Racing School Newmarket

Art of clean were recently asked to visit the prestigious British Racing School in Newmarket to renovate the wooden floors in the bar area.  Due to years of frolicking at the bar, spilt beverages and lots of foot traffic had left the usual wear and tear on the beautiful hardwood floor.

Finished with lacquer and Pullmann extreme with hardener:

Upon inspecting the job we found that the previous floor sanding company had cut a few corners to make life a little easier perhaps, or because they didn't have the training and experience to know better.  Either way, were told they charged  a very low price, so it's true "you only get what you pay for".

Spotting poor craftsmanship on wooden floors:

• Chatter - Ruts along floorboards due to machine being unbalanced due to poor machine maintenance
• Drum marks - Grooves at the edge of boards due to poor machine control using a drum sander.
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The main issue we had, as can be seen in this image, is the drum marks around the edge of the room, especially around the radiator.  The previous "technicians" didn't sand anything beyond this point so this area of the wooden floor was not refinished along with the rest, leaving a shoddy finish to the room.  At Art of Clean we use a belt sander to ensure we have more control sanding the floorboards, and on those hard to reach areas we use a long nose edge sander so that the whole floor is prepared for refinishing.  The results can be seen in the image below.

Our highly trained technicians took extra care on these spots to ensure that the entire floor was fully cared for.  We are proud of the results they achieved.


For further information on our floor sanding service, or any of the other services we provide please contact us on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

Renovate hardwood floor without full sanding

Your lovely hardwood floor may look like it needs reviving and you may be thinking “how do I sand floor boards?”, or “where can I hire a floor sander?”  But restoring wood floors can involve a laborious process sanding floorboards using a drum or belt sander followed by rotary sander. This process completely removes all old finishes from the floor and is a lengthily and messy procedure.

But this process is though not always necessary!

Do you need to sand your floor first?  A light sand and re-coating on your wood floor will enhance the finish and add a protective layer to the floor, without the mess and expense of a lengthy sanding process. There are some requirements though:

• The floor cannot be badly worn
• The floor has to be smooth and even
• This process will not remove deep scratches or fix colour variation


There are key questions should you ask a wood floor company before you let them re-coat your wood floor:

• Have you carried out re-coating work on wood floors many times before?
• How would you prevent the fresh coat of finish to adhere to the old coat?

It is sometimes hard to tell if the finish will adhere and, we here at Art of Clean have access to a great product in the Pallmann range that gets applied to the floor prior to the fresh coat and this give full adhesion.

We completed a re-coat on a wood block floor and you can see the improvement.....

These improvements are not as drastic as full floor sanding though the benefits are vast and include:

• You do not sand your wood floor away every time - only a very light "key back" sand is required It takes much less time and usually dries faster than a full sand and seal.
• A fresh protective barrier gives your floor full protection.

For best results this service should be carried out on your wood floor BEFORE your floor starts to show a lot of wear. Once wear has caused the lacquer to break in you are through to bare wood you will require a full sand and re-finish.

A question we get asked a lot is "can an oiled floor be re-coated?"

Yes a wood floor that was oiled before can be re-coated with either a fresh coat of oil or it can be pre-treated with a product where after we can apply a coating of lacquer to the floor to give you a sheen

For more info on how to protect and care for your wood floor investment contact Art of Clean on 01223863632 or visit our website at www.artofclean.co.uk