Edinburgh Floor Sanders -The Wood Floor Restoration Specialists!

Floor Sanding, Finishing and Sealing: A Step by Step Guide

2010-03-02T14:07:00.001Z

It is a fact that hardwood flooring will last a lifetime if properly maintained. In our last post we covered how to protect floors from damage, and how to keep floors looking beautiful with regular light cleaning, and occasional deep cleaning when necessary.

But what if its too late for that? What if the floor is damaged or simply loses its shine?

below we will cover how a floor can be sanded and refinished to make it look as good as new. Call it a DIY guide if you like, but more importantly it will give you the knowledge necessary to make an educated judgement about quotations, and whether or not it is worth attempting yourself.

Read More...

When Does My Wood Floor Need Sanding?

2010-02-26T13:38:00.001Z

This is a very difficult question to answer, because there is no set duration in which you should have your floor sanded. A floor’s life is determined by how many times it is sanded; when it has been sanded down till the point where one more sanding will expose take it past the grooves of the locking mechanism which holds the floor together, a new floor is needed. Therefore minimising the amount of times your floor is sanded is the best policy to prolong the life of a floor.

That being said one of the main reasons for buying wood flooring is because of its lustre and shine, which is ultimately gorgeous by anyone’s standards. So, when that shine starts to fade obviously it needs to be sanded and refinished. Another common reason that sanding will become necessary is when a floor gets badly scraped or scratched.

Floor sanding is not the big scary; to professional floor sanders it is a quick and easy job, which means inexpensive to floor owners. However, to ensure that floor sanding is kept to a minimum here are some steps you can take in caring for your floor, so as to maximise its life:

Protecting Your Hardwood Floors

Place mats at all entrances:

These are to trap dirt and dust which scrape and damage hardwood flooring.

Mop Up Water and Spillages Immediately

Any spillage on hardwood floors must be cleaned up immediately. On carpets spillages of water are not such a big deal, but on hardwood water can cause warping and damage to the finish.

Felt Contacts Under Furniture Legs

This one is fairly self explanatory: stick little felt mats underneath furniture legs so that they don't scratch your floor when being moved.

Sheer Drapes and Protection from Direct Sunlight

Direct sunlight is one of hardwood flooring's biggest enemies; one summer of direct sunlight beating down on a wood floor can discolour it badly enough that sanding becomes essential. Obviously this can be avoided by closing blinds and curtains, but if you want to let the light in, and keep your floors beautiful then sheer drapes are your best bet.

Cleaning Your Hardwood Floors (Regular Care):

Brushing:

Use a soft brush, preferably one with exploded-end bristles.

Vacuuming:

We recommend using bare floor attachments with brushes to avoid damaging the floor. Vacuuming in the traditional sense is very rarely a good idea on hardwood floors and can in itself make sanding neccesary.

Dust Mopping:

Dust mopping is a specialist way of cleaning hardwood floors. We recommend a large dust mop with a head of around 12-18 inches. This should be used with a specialist dust-mopping solution, which is applied to the mop 12-24 hours before mopping is carried out.

Cleaning Hardwood Floors (Deep Cleaning):

Damp Mopping:

Though some people will tell you that hardwood floors should never be mopped wet or damp, it is the easiest and most efficient way to deep clean hardwood floors. Damp mopping should only be done if the floors are properly and completely sealed; put another way it should not be done if there is any doubt about or damage to the floors finish.

Then you should use a ph neutral wood cleaning product, diluted with water as per the guidelines. The mop should be dipped in the solution and then wrung out so that it is half dry before mopping. I was in two minds as to whether to put this in the regular care section, because some households will need to damp-mop their floors up to once a week, which is perfectly fine, as I said, provided the floor is completely sealed.

Heavy Duty Mopping:

Again this sounds a disastrously bad idea, but again if the floors are properly sealed, the little extra water and solution will do them absolutely no harm. Done properly heavy duty mopping can really bring back the shine.

Waxing:

Also known as a maintenance coat, waxing is a sure-fire, quick and easy way to make damaged or worn floors beautiful once again, and it is something that a layman can do. A coat of wax provides a layer of protection on the wood, and it is the wax that you will be cleaning from then forward, it can also be reapplied as and when needed, keeping floors beautiful.

However, if you are having your floor professionally refinished, waxing should be avoided as a stop-gap measure, as it can lead to problems with adhesion and can limit your refinishing options.

Floor Sanding: Why Can't I Sand My Own Floors?

2010-02-26T13:20:00.002Z

In my time working in the flooring and floor sanding industry, I have come across many people who say: oh, it’s okay, I’ll hire a floor sanding machine and do it myself, and some who say: why can’t I sand my own floors?

The answer is simple...

Edinburgh floor sanders

2010-02-19T13:17:00.004Z

Edinburgh floorsanding

2010-01-22T13:01:00.000Z

Please visit our sister site for our floor sanding service in Edinburgh and Lothian. We undertake all works and specialise in domestic floorsanding services using the best machinery and craftsmen. Please phone 0845 602 7694 to arrange a FREE SURVEY and FREE QUOTATION.

Wood flooring Edinburgh

2009-10-22T13:24:00.000+01:00

McKay Flooring supply,install, sand and seal wood flooring in Edinburgh and Lothian. We have been established for over 37 years and do both domestic and commercial contracts.

enquiries@mckayflooring.co.uk
http://www.mckayflooring.co.uk
http://www.mckayflooringblog.com

Cheap Hardwood Floors

2008-08-13T11:00:00.000+01:00

Clearance Sale - Hardwood Flooring
10 days to go till our clearance sale at our Glasgow premises. The sale will open at 10am on Saturday 23rd August and continue on Sunday 24th (if there's sale stock left). The reason for this particular sale is that we will be moving premises later in the year and whilst clearing our storage area have discovered many smaller lots of wood flooring. We are keen to move this stock so definitely bargains to be had.
enquiries@mckayflooring.co.uk
http://www.mckayflooring.co.uk/

Sale 23rd - 24th August - Cheap Wood Floors in our Moving Premises Sale

2008-07-15T15:47:00.003+01:00

McKay Flooring will be moving premises (just across the road) sometime later in the year. Due to our move we would like to clear excess stock (end of line products/uncollected orders etc) from our current showroom at 8 Harmony Square, Govan, Glasgow. We will therefore be having a sale on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th August 2008 to clear these job lots. All these job lots MUST go so definitely bargains to be had!

Squash court renovation and sports courts

2008-07-10T21:46:00.001+01:00

If you have a squash court that requires new wood flooring or needs renovating please get in touch and we can furnish you with a price. We install Junckers Sylvasquash (we are Approved Contractors for this Junkers system). We also undertake all repairs to broken boards and carry out sanding and sealing to bring your court back to looking like new. We will then mark out, tape and paint the squash court line markings. Pleas email enquiries@mckayflooring for more details.

NWFA - Certificate of Recognition

2008-07-10T21:39:00.001+01:00

National Wood Floor Association
McKay Flooring Limited are very proud to have received a Certificate of Recognition presented by the NWFA for 5 years membership of the National Wood Flooring Association. The certificate recognises our strong support for the wood flooring industry and thanks us for our commitment to excellence!!

Architects & Designers

2008-07-10T21:15:00.000+01:00

Architects and Interior Designers
FAO Architects and Interior Designers :-

In order to assist you we can help with Specifications for all types of hardwood flooring installations and can recommend specific systems to suit your clients requirements. We also host a library of technical information within our Architects Area. To access this section of our website please send an email to

richardmckay@mckayflooring.co.uk

Insurance Works

2008-07-10T21:04:00.000+01:00

Wooden Flooring Repairs, Maintenance and Insurance Claims

McKay Flooring Ltd provide a full repair and maintenance service. From sanding and sealing to replacing damaged boards. We also undertake repairs and replacement of hardwood floors that qualify as Insurance claims.

Contact us today to arrange a home visit to assess your damaged or worn floors.

http://www.mckayflooring.co.uk/products_and_services/request_a_survey.cfm

Livingston, Bathgate, Livingston & Broxburn, Lothian wood floor sanding

2008-06-28T15:39:00.005+01:00

We have recently been involved in wood floor installation and sanding hardwood floors in Edinburgh and Lothian at Broxburn Academy
Regal Theatre, Bathgate
Bathgate Sports Centre, West Lothian
The Royal Bar, bathgate
Broxburn Academy
Broxburn Sports Centre
Broxburn Resource Centre
Broxburn Job Centre
Whitburn Academy
Craigshill Health Centre, Livingston
Healthlands Leisure Centre, Livingston
Livingston Football Club
Howden Park Centre, Livingston
Bubbles Leisure Pool, Livingston
LA Fitness, Livingston
Craigswood Sports Centre, Livingston
Bathgate Sports Centre, West Lothian
Broxburn Sports Centre, West Lothian
Broxburn Academy, West Lothian
Broxburn Resource Centre, West Lothian
Broxburn Job Centre, West Lothian
Whitburn Academy, West Lothian
Whitburn Leisure Pool, West Lothian
Hillcroft Hotel, Whitburn, West Lothian

Pearce Institute - floor sanding video.

2008-06-28T14:05:00.001+01:00

McKay Hardwood Flooring were contracted to sand the wood floors in the Pearce Institute in Govan. Please watch the video in the sidebar courtesy of the Pearce Institute showing some of the refurbishment works. Thank you to the Govan Story website for their info on the Pearce Institute (below).

http://www.thegovanstory.co.uk/theme.php?content=17&theme=4

William Pearce of the Fairfield Shipyard died in 1888. In his memory, Lady Pearce commissioned the erection at Govan Cross of a magnificent institute for the men and women of Govan, in a pastiche of a 17th century townhouse designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson. The first departments of the Pearce Institute first opened in 1904. It offered Govanites a men's and women's reading rooms and clubs, a library, a gymnasium, cooking and laundry departments, and a retiring room. The MacLeod Hall provided a grand venue for dances and social gatherings, with its organ, stage and gallery. On the wall at the entrance to the Pearce Institute is the welcome: “This is a House of Friendship. This is a House of Service. For Families, For Lonely Folk. For the People of Govan. For the Strangers of the World. Welcome.”

Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibition 2008

2008-06-23T09:17:00.002+01:00

Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibition 2008

McKay Hardwood Flooring are delighted to be exhibiting at this year's Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibition 2008 at Glasgow's SECC. Please find some info below from the Homes and Interiors Website. We will be posting more details as to our stand number and may be in the position to issue some free tickets to subscribers of this blog over the next two months. Watch this space!

http://www.homesandinteriorsscotland.com/exhibition/index.htm

Homes & Interiors Scotland exhibition is organised by Scotland's biggest selling home interest magazine, Homes & Interiors Scotland. Each issue features stunning lavishly photographed homes, interior design, architecture, property, art, news, views and exciting new concepts. It has been awarded 'Magazine of the Year' and picked up the much coveted 'UK Magazine of The Year' award at the PPA's Independent Publishers Awards.

Back for the forth year running, the Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibition is the only show in Scotland dedicated to quality interiors. Now well established and a key date in the diary of design conscious individuals from Scotland and afar it already boasts an impressive selection of leading interiors companies onboard for 2008.

Win Junckers Wood Floor Cleaner!

2008-06-22T13:32:00.000+01:00

Edinburgh Floor Sanders recommend Junkers Floor Cleaner to maintain your wooden floors. We have a bottle of Junckers Hardwood Floor cleaner up for grabs. To enter please answer the following question :-

Please name 5 previous contracts completed by Edinburgh Floor Sanders (McKay Hardwood Flooring Limited).

and email your answer, your name and address to enquiries@mckayflooring.co.uk.

All correct entries will be entered into a prize draw on Sunday 31st August 2008. The winner will be notified with 7 days of draw. Closing date for entries is Saturday 30th August 2008.

Hardwood Floor Sanding Contracts - Previous

2008-06-17T08:54:00.003+01:00

This is a list of some of the commercial contracts that we have sanded the wood floors. We have decied to omit the many domestic home customers for privacy reasons. Our intention with this blog is to create case studies for all our sanding and sealing contracts. Our operatives will be supplied with cameras so we can keep a photo record of their work whilst hopefully informing our readers of the type of work we do. Thsi is not an exhaustive list but merely highlights some of the work we've been involved in.

Royal Bank of Scotland HQ, Gogarburn, Edinburgh - we also laid Junckers flooring throughout the RBOS world HQ.
Linlithgow Academy
Storytelling Centre, Royal Mile, Edinburgh
Orwell School, Garvald Training, Edinburgh
Blackridge Primary School, West Lothian
Gin House Bar, St. Andrews
McLaren Leisure Centre
Nobles Bar Complex, Sunderland
Tarbrax Village Hall
Parklands, Alva
The Picture of Health Club, Dunfermline
Thurso Town Hall
Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling
Gilmostoun Primary Scjool, Aberdeen
Salutation Hotel, Perth
Morton Community Hall, Carlisle
Lockerbie Town Hall
Wamphrey Parish Hall, Lockerbie
The Club, Newarthill
Strathallan School, Perthshire
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Fringe Theatre
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Blackridge Primary School, West Lothian