Frequently asked Questions:

1. Do you require a deposit?
No. However, we do require full payment of cash / cheque upon completion of each room. We do not take credit cards.

2. Are there any hidden costs?
No, all the costs plus extras are in the quotation. This is the price you pay.

3. Do you charge V.A.T?
No, we are not V.A.T registered.

4. What time to you arrive?
We usually arrive between 8am and 8.30am.

5. Can you move the furniture?
Yes we can. The cost is the usual hourly rate of £20.00 per hour / per employee. Please let us know if pianos are to be moved in advance. All small items including curtains are to be removed by the customer.

6. There is nowhere to put my furniture. Can you sand the room in two halves?
Yes, we can sand / varnish half the room one day, then come back on the second day move the furniture to the other half and complete the job. An extra charge is made to cover the extra work.

7. Can you remove the carpets and carpet grips?
Yes we can. The cost is usually £20.00 per room, and we put the old carpets at the front of the house. We can not dispose of carpets.

8. Under the old carpets there is hardboard, can you remove it?
Yes we can, the cost is £20.00 per hour to remove the hardboard. We put the rubbish at the front of the house.

9. In kitchens, do you remove the appliances before sanding?
No. If you need the appliances moved you will have to arrange for a plumber to remove them before we arrive.

10. The alarm / electric wires need to be removed / replaced before you start. Can you do this?
No. We do not remove or replace any wiring.

11. Can you sand down a floor without any open windows?
No. We need at least one open window for ventilation.

12. What types of floors can be sanded down?

• Old pine floorboards
• Parquet wooden flooring
• hardwood strip flooring
• oak floorboards
• prefinished wood floors
• herringbone wooden flooring
• basket weave wooden flooring
• laminated floors

13. There is black paint around the edge of the room. What is this?
The Victorians, and people generally up until the 1930s, used to paint black around the edges of the rooms and place a rug in the middle. This was the fashion of the day. We can usually sand 99% of this out of the floor. If the whole floor is painted black, an extra charge is made to cover the extra work.

14. The whole floor is painted white. Can it be sanded and varnished?
Yes, we can usually sand out 99% of the white paint. An extra charge is made to cover the extra work (usually £4.00 per square meter).

15. The floor is in a very poor condition with many repairs. Can it be restored? Yes, most floors can be restored. This is our main business.

16. Do you fix down loose floorboards? Yes, we allow for fixing down loose floorboards in the price. We use reall floorboard nails, in the traditional way.

17. I can see some concrete in the floor in front of the chimney breast. What is this?
This is the concrete hearth built into the floor so that if burning coals spill over onto the floor they do not cause a fire hazard.

18. What can be done with the concrete hearth?
Some people paint them matt black to make a feature of the hearth and the fire breast. This looks nice with a stripped pine floor. If the concrete is cracked and broken we can fix this using floor levelling compound. The cost is usually £50.00.

19. The floor might be draughty. Can you fill in the floorboard gaps?
Yes. We use fine sawdust with resin glue made into a paste and spread over the whole floor filling all the gaps. The quick drying filler is then sanded and varnished for a quality finish to the wooden floor. The cost is from £80.00 per room.

20. Are small repairs included in the price?
Yes. However, any other major repairs, including replacement timber, is an extra cost. This is usually £5.00 per foot / 300mm for new or reclaimed timber.

21. Can you sand and varnish stairs?
Yes, we only sand/varnish the treads (not the riser as most people paint the riser matt black). The cost is usually £25.00 per tread.

22. Can you sand and varnish skirting, doors and banisters?
No, we do not sand any of the above items.

23. Can you do any carpentry work?
No, not at the moment. We just renovate floors.

24. Can you stain the floor?
Yes, we can stain the floor in light oak, dark oak or antique pine (softwood only). We would advise you not to stain hardwood, pre-finished and laminate floors.

25. I want you to use clear varnish. However, there are some new boards in the floor. What can you do?
We can stain the new boards to match the existing ones as best as possible, then varnish the complete floor with clear varnish.

26. What type of varnish do you use?
We use an acrylic lacquer which has a satin finish. It is user-friendly, hard-wearing and quick drying. Gloss and matt lacquer can be ordered on request.

27. What are the maintenance requirements for my new wooden floor?
Other than regular cleaning with woodfloor cleaners, and depending on the amount of traffic walking across the floor, every couple of years a very light sand down and a two coats of lacquer is recommended. This can be done by you, or you can phone us for a competitive quote.

28. How long will my floor last?
If you look after the floor, there's no reason why it shouldn't last a lifetime. Things to watch out for are: stiletto shoes, furniture legs, dragging heavy furniture such as pianos across the floor.

29. Is the job dusty?
Yes. Even though our sanding machines use dust bags, a certain amount of dust is spread around the working area. On older Victorian properties this is worse due to the age of the floors. However, we close and tape up all doors in the working area to stop the dust from spreading to the rest of the house. In hallways we sheet up the stairwell. The room will need a spring clean after completing the work.

30. Do you vacuum upon completion?
Yes, we vacuum twice before varnishing.

31. When are the decorations best completed?
It's best to leave the final phase of decorating until AFTER the floors have been completed. This is due to the fact that sometimes we can scuff walls and skirting boards with our heavy sanding machines.

32. When can I walk on the newly varnished floor?
It's best to wait until the next morning. However, the varnish should be touch dry in about three hours and it's safe to walk across the floor at this time, as long as it's only light foot traffic.

33. Parking
Our tools are very heavy so we need to park as close as possible to the job. Can you save a place for us on the morning of arrival and also provide a parking permit if this is required.