As a person who may not be knowledgeable in the process of wood floor restoration, floor sanding. You may not be aware that there are two types of restoration. We take pride in our knowledge and are more than happy to pass down some of this to our clients as we believe a client who is more in the know is more likely to appreciate their wood flooring as much as we do.
As a client you may be looking at either complete restoration or a partial restoration job. If it is the latter it is paramount that the old finish is identified and if this not done correctly, or undertaken by substandard workers you run the risk of damaging a perfectly good finish or wasting valuable time and money on a technique that simply won’t work. This is knowledge that all of our employees have and is incredibly helpful when you are matching one finish to another. For the process of restoration the only distinction that really matters is the difference between the three basic natural or clear finishes: shellac, lacquer and varnish. Other finishes that may be encountered are oil, wax and penetrating sealers and it takes a soft touch and years of experience to identify these, and we have both in abundance.
Before any work is done the finish needs to be expertly identified and tested. No mistakes can be made and the biggest mistake you can make is to hire a company with little experience in this. Using denatured alcohol and light application you can decipher what needs to be done next. If the finish dissolves, it is shellac, if it partially dissolves; it is probably a combination of shellac and lacquer. To confirm, it will be tested again with a mixture of denatured alcohol and lacquer thinner which should completely dissolve the finish. If alcohol does not affect the finish of the wood we will just rub a small amount of lacquer thinner on an inconspicuous finished section of the wood. If the area turns rough and then smooth again the finish is lacquer but if it crinkles and does not get smooth again it is a type of varnish. If neither alcohol nor lacquer thinner affects the wood, the finish is varnish.
This may all sound complicated but no need to worry, our team have gone through all the necessary training so you don’t have to! After the finish has been identified it is ready to be restored. Whether the problem you are encountering is dirt, cracks, discolouration or overall wear and tear through the years it can be solved with many wood restoration techniques and nobody does this better than West End Flooring Masters.
In the case of complete wood floor restoration, full sanding would be necessary and to learn more about this, just click the floor sanding link.
Our service of complete flooring restoration includes:
§ Block repair and replacement with the same or the nearest match, finished to a near perfect look.
§ Old reclaimed planks of any type of wood, Pine, Oak, Exotic wood, Miranti, Mirabeau, Panga Panga Wenge, sourced from only the best salvage yards and finished by hand for an identical match.
§ Repairing dents, cracks and splits.
§ Replacing floorboards damaged beyond repair.
§ Repairing bowed or warped wooden planks due to flooding, condensation, humidity or any other reasons.
§ Gap filling both mass and partial.
§ Finishing with an identical match every time.