How we sand and refinish wood floors

Saul at Cornwell Services will adapt the refinishing process for you. This is based upon the condition of the floor, the direction of the grain and the type of wood. This is a general guide.

Preparation for Wood Floors

Creating wonderful wood floors. Saul at Cornwell Services will inspect the floor to ensure all nails are well below the wood surface. Furthermore he will identify any loose boards, dents and gaps. Then it is important to apply a protective covering to mask off walls.

Wood floor sanding and restoration

Repairs for Wood Floors

Loose floorboards must be secure. Furthermore, damaged wood is replaced or repaired. It is important to fill any serious dents in the floorboards and also gaps between them. Depending on the severity of the gaps we use a sawdust resin or finely cut wood wedges to make additional repairs. This mixture fills any gaps between floorboards. Light scratches don’t generally need specific repair as these will sand away during the process.

High filtration vacuum

Dry dirt and particles that might cause damage to the wood during the floor sanding process are removed from the floor’s surface.

Sanding the main floor area

The system we use is 99.9% dust free as we use an advanced extraction system. We use different gauges of grit sander to ensure a high-quality finish.

Edges and detailed sanding

Our edging sander delivers a uniform finish to your wood floor including all edges and hard to reach places such as under fixed furniture and radiators.

Final finishing: rotary sanding

A fine grit floor sanding system will deliver a superior and even finish to the whole floor area. This is done by means of a rotary sander.

Fine dust removal

We use a highly efficient vacuum system for the thorough removal of any dust particles from the freshly sanded wooden floor. Therefore, no particles offer challenges to the process.

Wood stain

In the majority of cases a natural finish is required. But where a different wood colour is preferred, we can also treat the clean and smooth wooden floor with a wood stain to create a pale look right through to a dark tone.

Choice of finish with oil or lacquer

OIL

For an oil finish we use two applications of hard wax oil on your wooden floor. This delivers a beautiful natural finish that is also moisture and dirt resistant. Be aware that it will take at least 4 hours for the floor to cure enough to allow light foot traffic.

LAQUER

For a lacquered finish, primer is applied to the sanded floor followed by one coat of water-based lacquer. Once the first coat has cured, the floor will be prepared for a further 2 coats of lacquer. Be aware that it can take up to 8 hours for the floor to cure enough to allow light foot traffic.

Furniture can be moved back 24 hours after foot traffic has begun. Always avoid dragging furniture on a freshly oiled or lacquered floor surface.  Curing and drying time also depends on weather conditions and air flow.

Saul at Cornwell Services uses his in-depth experience and technical expertise to ensure that your get the best results possible for your wood floors.