Wood Floor Sanding Wiveliscombe Project Overview
When I arrived at this beautiful house which was built in 1850’s with many original old features and low lighting, I was taken aback at how the traditional oak and pine flooring were in such good condition, the client expressed to me that their main concern was that the flooring was covered in a black polish which was impossible to clean and maintain but also the polish was hiding all the floor’s natural features.
Client Expectations
Our client wanted their floors brought back to life without losing the features of the grain and the character of the wood.
We discussed the possible need for colouring the wood to try and match all other wood features in the house such as the wood panelling and the wood stairs.
Wood Floor Sanding Process
I started by applying a standard wood stripper everywhere to try and weaken the polish, after this had soaked in for a few hours, I then started sanding the floor with the main sanding machine from 40 grit through to 80 and finishing in 120grit. This was a very hard sand, so I went through several sanding belts to try and get back to raw wood.
Once I had completed the sanding process on the higher grits and all the edging was done, I used the finishing machine on an area to apply different colour samples.
Whilst the client was deciding on a colour to go with, I started working on a few wood floor repairs, there were a few joists that had slipped away from the brickwork in the corner of the room.
I proceeded with this by removing some boards to gain access and then wedged new pressure treated timber to support the joists and level the floor above. All held tight with expanding foam and adhesive.
Colouring and Sealing
After everything was hoovered and prepared to 120grit on the flexisand and the edges with a palm sander, the medium oak wood stain was poured into a tray and applied one board at a time with a painting pad, with the excess of the stain removed with lint free clothes.
The stain is alcohol based and dries within 5 minutes, so I was able to apply 2 coats of the silk lacquer very quickly. When a solvent based colour is applied rather than a water based primer it doesn’t raise the grain of the wood, so buffing the grain back isn’t always necessary.


Wood Floor Sanding Wiveliscombe Challenges and Result
This has been a hard sand due to the think polish but the end result is that our clients where very happy with the transformation and it felt great to do justice to such an old floor that hopefully stays in the hands of the home owners for many years to come.
Client Testimonial
James has done a really fantastic job with our floors. Clean, courteous, reliable and really listened to and understood what we wanted. Great communication. Couldn’t recommend more!