The Beauty of Options
In our current fast paced world we all want it easy and we want it now. We also want it cheap and we want it to be good and we of course want it to last a long time.
In the Art of Wood floor sanding these few factors do not romance together well. In the world of wood floors and wood floor restoration, to get it good and last a long time this is not fast nor it is cheap.
To get the best result for your wood floor restoration project it is always best to be as well informed as possible before you get the professional wood floor sanders in to provide you with advice and costings.
This article is to help you choose the right finish for your newly restored wood floor.
As the owner of Art of Clean in Cambridge I am lucky to have seen many floors and finishes as well many standards to which floor sanding professionals work to.
One of the factors clients are most let down on is providing clients with options as to what finish will be best for their newly sanded wood floor.
Before we set out the guidelines on what finish to consider for your wood floor I would like to explore with you why so many floor sanders do not offer their clients enough options to the right finish for their floor.
Here are a few reasons:
Lack of knowledge. It is true that there are some very talented wood floor sanders around. It is also true that there are some floor sanding contractors that does not have the required knowledge. Many of these floor sanders might have been trained in a hands on fashion, working with other floor sanders, basically learning on the job. Though a floor sanding professional may have many years’ experience it does not mean they have the required knowledge. Due to the fast-moving pace of the technology and science in the floor sanding industry it is more beneficial for a floor sander to expand his/her knowledge by attending industry recognised training than to use the “slow lane” by learning from other floor sanders on the job.
Lack of Experience It is fair to expect that if a wood floor sander know and trust a wood floor finishing product that he will use the product more if he has the option. This means that once he has to advise on the best product for the floor that he/she will naturally have a bias towards the product he is familiar with.
This is no problem until… new technologies offer products that outperforms the product the floor sander prefer. Would he/she not get the opportunity to use other products he will keep using and recommending the product even if the newly develop product/s can be much better.
Pressure to meet budget requirements. Like I mention at the beginning of the article we see many clients have a budget to meet and therefore it push many floor sanders to offer a lower cost finishing product.
Though this meets the budgetary requirement for the client it is plausible that due to the lower cost the quality of the product will have to pay for meeting this requirement.
Now let’s move on and explore what options you can expect when choosing a finishing product for your wood floors.
Water Based VS Solvent Based.
In the quest to be as environmentally friendly as possible many floor finish manufacturers push for water based finishes and floor sanding professionals worth their salt will aim to provide you with a water based finish where possible.
It is a fact that water based finishes are better for the environment and better for your health, your family (domestic) your staff or clients (commercial) and the health of the person applying the product.
Single component VS Two Pack To increase a wood floor finish’s durability the finish is manufactured as a 2 component product. This means mixing 2 components together and a reaction between the products cause the finish to be much harder wearing than a single component. Your floor sanding professional is obliged to offer you the best finish for your floor. For floors with standard to lower use a single component product will be a good choice of finish though it will be beneficial to choose a 2 component finish for your high traffic areas or areas where the floor is possibly exposed to higher levels of moisture or spills or other chemical spills, examples include, Bathrooms, Kitchens, hair dressers floors and sport’s halls to name a few.
Oil Vs Lacquer More recent developments in the finishes of wood floor oils offer the option to get floors finished with an oil that provides a more natural finish (very good for older style homes) to compliment the feel of the premises. Penetrating oils like Pallmann Magic Oil also offers end users the choice to have localised repairs carried out on their floors. This eliminate the need to have floors fully sanded back in the future if only a small part is worn or damaged.
If a lacquer is used on a floor it will offer the option to give a matt, semi sheen or a high shine finish. This gives a polyurethane protective coating on the surface of the wood floor. Your wood floor restoration professional will be required to advise what finish will be best for your floor.
Benefits of choosing a wood floor contractor:
Ultimate Floor Sanding Affiliates are professionals that can discuss your floor sanding and finishing requirements and link this to the correct product for your need will save you time and money in the following ways:
The right product will mean the wood floor will last longer, the room will not be out of use for that long. It is also a well-known fact that a wood floor can only be sanded so many times before it needs replacing. Sanding a wood floor prematurely means it will require replacement much sooner.
Where to find the right wood floor sanding contractor Choosing a Ultimate Floor Sanding Affiliate will mean you get access to a floor sanding professional that will have attended training on an annual basis and is up to speed with changes in our industry.
For wood floor finishing advice and getting the most for your wood floor including getting advice on what finish is best for your wood floor please contact Art of Clean who is a proud affiliate of Ultimate Floor Sanding. Learn more about who we are, what we do and what we stand for by visiting www.artofclean.co.uk.
You can also give us a call on 01223 863632
Areas covered by Art of Clean for wood floor sanding and restoration and wood floor sanding and polishing include: Ely, Newmarket, Cambourne, Huntingdon, Godmanchester, Papworth Everard, Royston, Cambridge, Saffron Walden, Taxted, Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds, Red Lodge, Newport, St Neots
