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Latest posting in Wood Floor Finishing & Staining

Do you have a question about floor sanding?

Hi, I am Mr Sanders and I would love to answer any questions you may have about wood floor restoration or maintenance.

  • C Ellis

    Barnet, 2019

    What Is the Best Sealant for My Pine Floorboards?

    Should I use varnish or oil for my pine floorboards?

    • Mr Sanders

      Hi and thank you for the question regarding the choice of sealant for pine floorboards.

      Pine is soft wood and while it is possible to seal pine with both laquers and Harwax Oils, we would always recommend the use of hardwearing varnish when sanding and sealing this type of flooring. The reason for this is that pine tends to absorb oils, which means that pine floorboards sealed with hardwax oils will have lower level of protection and durability compared to those sealed with varnish. This is particularly the case where staining is required. Therefore we would recommend stained pine floorboards to be sealed with hardwearing varnish.

      We hope that the above helps.


  • J Clarke

    Bormley, 2016

    What is Whitewashed Effect on Wooden Floors and How to Achieve it?

    Hi,

    I see alot of whitewashed wooden floorings on th market and I wonder if I can achieve similar effect on my engineered flooring which is due for resanding soon?  Can you tell me how whitewashed effect can be done?

    • Mr Sanders

      Hi and thank you for your question regaring whitewashed effect on wooden flooring.

      Whitewashed effect can be achieved on engineered wood flooring during floor restoration service with the use of either stains and lacquers or by using precoloured oil-based products. However, you need to be aware that there will be a slight difference in the appearance of the whitewashed effect depending on whether it has been achieved by lacquers or oils. tresults.

      If you decide to seal your floors with laquers, whitewashed effect can be done in two ways. You can either mix white colourant with a clear vrnish and apply it on the sanded timber, or you can first apply white stain on the sanded floors and then coat it with multiple coats of clear varnish. For our wood floor restoration service where staining is involved, we rely on some of the most popular products such as Bona Create Ice, followed by the application of three coats of waterbased Bona Mega Varnish in either matt, satin or gloss finishe.

      If you prefer to achieve the whitewashed effect using oil-based products, then you need to be aware that this will achieve less uniform appearance.  


  • N Braxton

    Dagenham, 2017

    What Does Clean and Polish Mean and Can It Be Done on Engineered Flooring?

    Hello,

    My engineered wood flooring is quite scratched and damaged and it needs some restoration. Can you tell me a bit more about your wood floor cleaning and polishing service as I would like to avoid sanding and varnishing if possible.

    • Mr Sanders

      Hi and thank you for contacting us with your question about cleaning and polishing of engineered wood floors.

      The first thing that you need to be aware of is that cleaning and polishing service is not applicable for floors which are badly damaged and where the existing sealant has worn out. It is rather a service that is performed on wooden floors which are ina relatively good condition without any parches that do not have any sealant left and is merely done to provide an exrea coat and extra protection to the existing sealant. By doing this, cleaning and polishing can prolong the life of varnished floors before they need to be sanded and revarnished. Cleaning and poslishing can be done on any wooden floors which have been sealed with varnishi, including engineered wood flooring, parquet flooring and any solid wood floorings.

      Having said that, if the sealant on your floors has already worn out, then cleanign and polishing will not be possible and in this case a torough sanding and revarnishing will be required in order to completely remove the existing sealant and to apply new varnish on top of the sanded floros. 

       


  • C Broody

    Watford, 2017

    What Can Go Wrong with DIY Floor Sanding and Varnishing?

    I have some parquet flooring which I have decided to sand and varnsh myself. However, I have seen that sometimes blobs appear on some wooden floors so I would appreciate it if you could advise on how to avoid this. Many thanks

    • Mr Sanders

      Hi,

      Doing floor restoration yourself might be a tricky thing to do unless you have some sanding experience and knowledge. Floor sanding requires particular skills which can only be obtained through experience. Therefore, we always recommend leaving the sanding of your parquet flooring to the experts like FloorWorks, who are experienced in sanding different types of flooring nad have the skills to avoid costy mistakes.

      However, if you are certain that you want to give it a try, make sure that you do some research about parquet floor sanding. One particular thing that you need to be aware of is the technique of proper allication of the wood floor finish. Once floors are sanded to a smooth finish, carefully apply the first coat of varnish, allowing sufficient time for it to dry before the next application of the following coat. Sometimes, when when the floor surface was not perfectly smooth and clean before the application of varnish or in cases where the existing sealant has not been entirely removed, blobs can appear after the sanding. This might be a very expensive thing to ractify as it would require an entire re-sanding and re-varnishing of the floors. Bear in mind that if your parquet flooring has already been sanded in the past, there might be a limited opportunity to re-sand agai, which may mean that an overall replacement of the flooring might be required.

      Therefore, it is always recommended to leave the parquet floor sanding to a professional sanding company like FloorWorks.

       

       From what you are describing it sounds like there was not sufficint and perfect bonding between the different coats of floor varnish or between the first coat of floor varnish and the timber. This usually happens when the floor surface was not perfectly smooth and clean before the application of varnish or when the previous sealant was not completely sanded down before the new varnish was applied. The only solution would be to re-sand and re-varnish the flooring again to ensure a smotth sanded surface and a proper application of the coats of varnish on top. However, you need to check to make sure that your floors have sufficient tichness of solid wood as a top layer to allow for additional sanding to take place.

       


  • T Harrison

    Croydon, 2018

    Should I Use Varnish Or Oil for My Parquet Flooring?

    What is the best way to seal parquet flooring - should I use varnish or will I be better off using hardwax oil? Thank you in advance.

    • Mr Sanders

      Thank you for your question regarding parquet floor restoration.

      Both hardwearing varnishes and hard-wax oils can be used to seal parquet floors. However, there are some significant differences between the two types of wood floor sealants that you need to be aware of before you make up your mind.

      Wood floor varnishes are more hard wearing and durable sealants providing long lasting protection for parquet floors. Theay are highly recommended for floors which are subject to high level of foot traffic. Some popular products, which we regularly use for our parquet floor restoration services include Bona Mega, Bona Traffic, Loba and Junchers HP Commercial varnishes. There are also solvent based varnishes on the market, which also provide a thick layer and higher level of protection. However, they emit strong odour and are therefore a less popular choice for residential properties.

      In comparison, oil-based wood finishes such as hardwax oils are less hard wearing and require more frequent maintenance. However, they make the floors look and feel more naturally and less shiny.  Some of the most popular products that we use for our wood floor re-oiling products include Osmo Polyx hardwax-oils.


  • P Lacey

    Barking, 2018

    Is It Possible To Sand and Oil My 3-Strip Engineered Wood Flooring?

    Hi. I have 3-strip engineered oak floor, which I am plannind to sand and re-oil. I wonder if this is possible at all as I am not sure if it has been sanded before or not. I am also considering staining it to a different colour. Thank you

    • Mr Sanders

      Hi and thank you for contacting us regarding sanding, staining and re-oiling your three-strip engineered wood flooring.

      Most three-strip engineered floorings come with 3mm top layer of solid wood, which means that they can be sanded only once. So the first thing that you need to do is make sure that your flooring has never been sanded before.

      Given that your floors would allow for another sanding, it is perfectly possible to change the colour of the natural oak by using coloured oils. A huge variety of colours are available from the Osmo Oils range, which we highly recommend and which we regularly use for our restoration of oiled floors services.