When to save a stone floor and when to simply cover it over....

We recently had a call-out to help a client save a floor in a listed building.

It raised the question – When can a floor be saved and when is it best to rather cover it over or replace it?  Renovating a stone floor is obviously preferable, but there are limitations....

Because the floor we looked at was in a listed building and there are limitations on what can be done, all the actions the home owner wants to take has to be approved.

Here are some basic guidelines – please note if the home or building is listed you will require consent to carry out works:

Background:

The old carpets are lifted from the floor and a beautiful clay tile floor is exposed. Here are a few things to consider....

How old is the home? – if it was build prior to 1875 it will not have a damp proof membrane and the floor will require to be open and beatable to allow for the moisture to evaporate. In some cases homes built up to 1980 and later can have damp problems due to incorrectly installed Damp proof membranes or DPC’s.

In a case where moisture is a problem (many time the smell in the room will give this away) the following should be considered:

Lift the floor and install a good quality DPM / DPC – get a builder with experience in the field.

Or the floor can be cleaned and a impregnating sealer can be applied to allow for moisture movement through the floor. Avoid waxes and topical sealers – this will mean the floor will not have a shine finish.

Do Not place rubber matting over the floor as this can cause moisture to get trapped under the rubber and it can turn into a very smelly room – remember that carpet underlays will in most cases act as a barrier and this can cause the same problem. It is sometimes better to do what is required to fix the problem than to simply cover it over.

If you choose to lift the floor and install a DPM – you can opt to keep the original floor tiles and re-lay then after the DPM is installed – ensure your builder is aware of this so he lift the tiles with care.

If you would like some more information and advice about our professional wood and stone floor services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.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

Brick flooring in London Town

Last week we sent the lads south of the Watford gap to have a look at a few bricks laying around on a client's floor. Turns out, the home was being renovated by a rather successful architect and rather than employ the local boys to clean the floor, he called the professionals...from Cambridge.

So, they hopped in the van and headed down the M11.

Now, I wasn't there and the lads'll deny it if I ask, so I have to assume they listened to ABBA and Dancing Queen most of the way and once they arrived, gruffed it up and put on their best Landana accents, so as best to fit in.

This is what they found.

On the surface of it and to an untrained eye, you might think, OK, it's not so bad, all it really needs is a good mopping and a decent scrubbing....but you'd be wrong.

This delightful image below is in actuality, just a fraction of the dirt, old sealer and general rubbish that the boys found themselves scouring from the brickwork.

NOTE: Sealer is NOT easy to remove!

After a darn good scrubbing (and I'm talking, without exaggeration - 15 washes), soaking, agitating, aggravating (generally annoying the floor) with rotary steamers and with six fans going, the brick floor began to dry and take on a completely new lease on life.

Praise from our client: "I've never seen the floor look so good, even after it was first lain and sealed".

As ever and case in point. If you want the job done fine, call your buddy Frank, if you want the job done right, 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

Stone floor cleaning Cambridge

Stone floor cleaning Cambridge

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet, Rug, Hardwood floor, Stone floor, Upholstery and Leather cleaning for domestic an commercial clients.

 For more information about our services contact the team on 01223 863632 or at www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.

Brick floor Cleaning - Ely

Pictures of a Brick floor we have cleaned in Ely:

Brick floor Cleaning and Sealing - Cambridge

In Cambridgeshire, we see a lot of brick floor! They are beautiful but they need regular maintenance to keep them clean!


We have recently cleaned a brick floor. See how the colours reappeared after the clean.


Before:

Cleaning:

After: