How do I get my floor sanded?
Once we have inspected your floor and arranged a price and timescale for carrying out the work, we will proceed as follows. We ask that you are well prepared for us coming and read our section on Frequently Asked Questions in order that we can start straight away. We also recommend that as a courtesy, you inform your neighbours that we are carrying this work out.

Stage 1 - Sanding - Day 1
Firstly, the wooden floor is sanded three times to produce a fine finish and remove any scratches. We primarily sand with a very course sanding disc, then a medium one, and finally a fine one. Any cracks or holes are filled before the final sand off. Being a specialist company we only use the latest floor sanding machines These achieve far better results than any hired sanding machines as they are bigger and have more powerful motors. After sanding we will vacuum scrupulously and then leave the site for a bit to let the circulating air dust settle. Opening all the windows helps to draw the dust out.

Stage 2 - First Coat of Seal or Stain - Day 1
Before applying any seal or stain we will again vacuum to remove as much dust as possible. There are several options for sealing a floor.

Stage 2-1 - Staining - Day 1
If you would like your floor stained, this is something that needs to be discussed prior to us starting work. We use Colron Wood Dye (available in a variety of shades) to stain the floor to your colour choice. If you are looking to attempt to match an adjoining previously stained floor then we can try to achieve this for you but an exact match is rarely possible. We can do patch tests for you of various stains on a board in the room to give you an idea of how the finished stain will look. If you are at all unsure about the stain colour then please do not go ahead with it. If you decide that you don't like it once the floor has been coated then we have to charge you to sand the floor back again. Once the floor has been stained then it will take between 3 - 8 hours to dry, depending on the environment and the porosity of the wood.

Stage 2-2 - First Coat of Seal - Day 1
The flooring seal that we would recommend for all sanded floors is a product called Granglaze. Granglaze is an oil based seal that leaves a tough professional finish. For newly sanded floors we will apply the first coat and then return 24 hours later to apply the second (or when floor is dry). Drying time can vary so please look at our FAQ section if you have any queries about this. Oil based seal has quite a strong chemical smell to it. If you wish us to use a water based seal which has a lower odour then please let us know before commencing the work. Water based seals dry slightly faster but will require 3 coats rather than the 2 required by an oil based seal and is a slightly more expensive option. The water based seal that we use is a product called Bona Mega. Water based seals will give a lighter finish to the floor compared to the oil based equivelent.

Stage 3 - Second Coat of Seal - Day 2 or 3
Once the floor has dried (normally anything after 24 hours later) we will coat it again with a second application of oil based seal. At this point we would recommend that you leave it as long as you possibly can before walking on it. It should dry within 24 hours but really needs a further 72 hours to cure and dry out properly before you put the furniture back on. Sanding and sealing is a job best done when you are on holiday and you don't need to live in the house.