Blog Archive | July 2012

How to go about polishing your hardwood flooring (Part 2)

As we have already stressed in the previous article, what you get from polishing your floor certainly outweighs the work you have to put in – although the task needs to be carried out in the right way for the finish to look professional and not the work of an amateur.

Despite the fact you don’t need to prepare the floor in any special way, you will need to buff it first. The professionals will have this equipment already, but for householders doing DIY, the buffer may have to be rented out. When buffing the floor, always refer to the instructions supplied with the machine.

For waxed floors, it is advisable to have the finish removed before a fresh coat is applied. Wax strippers can be used to do this, while mineral spirit products will also produce the same results.

Before any new layers of wax are applied, the floor has to be completely dry first. Try opening any windows to speed up the process. Apply the wax to the floor using clean rags, working it in small areas, in an outwards direction starting from the inside of the room.

After the wax has completely dried, the floors can be buffed again to give it a real shine. While this work can be done yourself, it is recommended you consider the specialists as they can ensure this work is done properly and to the highest possible standard.

How to go about polishing your hardwood flooring (Part 1)

The maintenance and general upkeep of your beautiful hardwood floor is what ensures it is always looking its best when guests come round to your home, or you simply want to enjoy some quality time in the room where it has been installed.

As well as cleaning the floor, you can also polish it so that it does not become dull over time. Homeowners often have their own ideas about how to perform this task and unless they bear in mind the guidance from the manufacturer, this can sometimes result in a damaged floor.

Therefore, it is important to do this properly and with the right level of care. In these two articles we will consider how to polish the fitted hardwood flooring once it has been thoroughly cleaned using appropriate methods (as mentioned in our previous blog posts).

It is vital to polish the floor in the right way so you can set the mood in the room and enhance the level of ambience. To maintain the elegance of a wooden floor, you need to keep it from losing its shine. This can be achieved without too much effort, although the steps described in the next article do need to be followed very carefully.

Why wooden flooring often needs to be buffed and recoated

For hardwood flooring to remain at the exceptionally high level it was when it was first fitted, this does take some effort and dedication. This is because, like any other type of floor which is used frequently, dirt and dust can gather on it, plus the effects of time also have an impact on its appearance.

To keep the floor looking so divine in your home, whether it is installed in the bedroom, living room or kitchen, you will have to be strict with yourself when it comes to the floor maintenance.

While cleaning is an activity which can be carried out on a regular basis, should you notice that the floor has lost some of its original gloss and its shine has now diminished somewhat, it is probably the right interval to consider having it buffed and then recoated.

This work can be carried out by the specialists, or you can decide to perform this work yourself. For those that do settle on trying to bring the beautiful finish back themselves, it is worth noting that this needs to be done properly for it to prove effective. Specific instructions will need to be followed, which is why many people find it more cost effective to leave this restoration work to the professionals.

Wooden flooring made sound-proof

There are still many people out there who see hardwood flooring as being very noisy as well as being cold and uninviting. However, this could not be further from the truth as while the old wood floor boards of the past may have created these assumptions, the modern designs are ideal for the home and boast excellent acoustic and heat conserving properties.

The latest wooden flooring, as installed by the wooden flooring specialists in Sussex, is now fitted perfectly in place so that the boards are positioned firmly together, with fewer gaps that used to allow the breeze to pass through. Any drafts originating from the sub floor are now eliminated, while providing the required level of insulation too.

As long as the flooring is installed by the professionals you can expect the noise from the wood panels to be minimal. They always use the right type of underlay, so there is no longer a hollow void left below the new floor and the sub floor.

In fact, contemporary wood flooring is a natural sound insulating choice in any case. Whether using solid wood flooring or an engineered product, you should have no worries about the floor making too much noise, or being too cold for that matter either.

Deciding on real wood flooring for the home

There are many options nowadays when it comes to choosing wood flooring for one or more rooms in your house. As well as the various laminate and engineered wooden floor choices available, many people still opt for solid wood flooring.

People will have their own reasons for going for solid wood as their desired material for the flooring in their home, but what exactly is it, and why is it so appealing?

With solid wood flooring, each individual board is made out of a single piece of wood and then installed using tongue-and-groove. When considering the type of wood to go for, you can check out its hardness score – assessing its ability to withstand damage such as dents, plus general usage.

A great thing about solid wood flooring is that its finish can be restored once it starts to dull. It can also be sanded back a number of times during its lifetime.

This natural and beautiful looking flooring option is suitable for installation anywhere where the atmosphere is relatively constant, such as in living areas and hallways.

Speak to the wood flooring experts about how real wood flooring, when fitted properly, is incredibly appealing and able to truly enhance the look of the home.

Can hardwood flooring be restored to its former elegance?

Many householders have become so accustomed to their once-great wooden floors now looking so dull and devoid of life they just assume this is just something they have to put up with. However, any specialist hardwood flooring company will tell you that restoration not only is achievable, but the original brilliance of the floor can be returned too.

In fact, once restoration work has been carried out on the hardwood flooring then this state can be preserved for a very long time to come. We will be using the rest of this article to explain how the floor can be polished and made to look great again.

Sand the floor to a fine finish going through a minimum of three different grades of paper to achieve a high quality finish, both on the edging machine and the main floor sander. Scrape out the corners and around the radiator pipes etc. by hand.

When the floors have been sanded but prior to applying the finish, screen the floor with a mesh pad on our floor buffer to achieve grain uniformity in order to absorb the lacquer/stain evenly. This is especially important on patterned parquet flooring to ensure any cross grain marks are removed. Vacuum, and apply one coat of primer lacquer. When this has dried, apply first top coat, buff the floor to remove any raised grain. Vacuum, and apply a further one coat of lacquer, giving a total of three coats.

The wooden flooring experts in Hampshire can be relied upon to ensure this is the case and the re-sanding and re-finishing work they carry out is of the highest standard. As well as this, you can also do your bit to keep the floor in such a prime condition looking ahead into the future.

Cleaning and polishing the floor on a regular basis is how you can maintain the exceptional work the engineers have performed on the floor to keep it at that esteemed level of grandeur.

Advice on cleaning a pre-finished hardwood floor (Part 5)

In our last article on this topic, we will be explaining how householders can go about cleaning pre-finished hardwood flooring which has been installed in a kitchen environment.

To maintain hygiene, a kitchen floor should always be kept clean in any case. However, if a wooden floor has been fitted in this room, it may need to be mopped more than once per week (as you would usually expect to do with floors in other rooms of the home). This can be done with a damp mop, or you could opt for a floor cleaning product (after considering the guidance in our previous blog posts).

As well as mopping, the kitchen floor can also be swept with a broom to stop dirt from being able to build up on the surface of the floor.

For stains which are harder to remove, you may wish to use a small amount of undiluted cleaning product and gently rub this on the stain using a cloth. It should gradually disappear without any excessive pressure being added.

The final option would be to purchase a comprehensive kit, designed for use with pre-finished hardwood flooring to make this task much easier to complete.

Advice on cleaning a pre-finished hardwood floor (Part 4)

As we near the end of this series of blog posts on the best way to go about cleaning pre-finished hardwood flooring, it is worth reiterating the fact that the advice given by the floor fitters, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, should always take precedent over any other tips you should pick up relating to the cleaning of your beautiful new floor.

One option in maintaining your wooden flooring is to contemplate using a floor refresher. This can assist you in reviving any areas of the floor which may possibly have dulled.

Steam cleaning is yet another method of cleaning such a floor that has been found to be quite effective, but with caution as it can leave excessive moisture on the floor.

A piece of advice about the floor itself is to be careful not to miss the corners of the room as they are frequently forgotten about during a weekly cleaning routine.

Be careful when moving furniture around though as you would not want the bases of these household items to drag and scratch the surface of the pristine floor.

Check out our previous articles on how to deal with furniture in a room where hardwood flooring has been fitted.

Advice on cleaning a pre-finished hardwood floor (Part 3)

We have now looked at the different types of floor cleaners that householders can consider using on their newly-fitted hardwood floor. However, it should be pointed out that it is always best to check what is contained within the solution as anything other than a balanced pH cleaner could damage your investment.

In addition to this advice, it is also necessary to add that this cleaner should not be used before the finish has been cured. A polyurethane coating can take about 8 days to cure, you should also allow similar time with respect to a hardwax oil finish.

Some people prefer not to use a floor cleaner at all. This is perfectly understandable, especially when the condition of the floor takes precedent over anything else; you wouldn’t want to risk using an unsuitable solution on the floor that could adversely alter its look.

If you are one of those concerned about using such a method, try using a damp mop instead. Simply dip the mop in some water, before ensuring it has been completely wrung dry and then apply it to the floor as you would do normally.

In the next article we will think about a few other cleaning methods open to you.