Pittwater Eco Floor Sanding Sydney
Pittwater Eco Floor Sanding Sydney offer a range of services guaranteed to add life back to your floorboards
Pittwater Eco Floor Sanding Sydney offers professional floor sanding & polishing services to clients throughout Sydney.
There are many different factors that can influence the floor sanding and polishing process and many of these factors are unique to Sydney, and even specific suburbs of Sydney.
For example, the suburb of Mosman is known for its sandstone, and many of the homes there are built on Sandstone foundations, with particular issues that we always look out for when inspecting a floor in this style of home. You can read more about this in the Timber Floor Installation page.
Factors Affecting the Floor Sanding Process in Sydney
Different types of timber floors can affect floor sanding
Timber floors can be hardwood or softwood. We have many excellent native hardwoods in Sydney including popular species such as Spotted Gum, Blackbutt, Bluegum, Brushbox, Jarrah, Turpentine, Ironbark, Victorian Ash, Tasmanian Oak, Tallowood, Blackwood, and many others.
All of these floors make excellent, long-lasting timber floors, but all have different qualities and suit different climates and regions.
Popular softwood floors of our Sydney customers include cypress pine, hoop pine, baltic pine, radiata pine, and kauri pine. Softwood timber floors are generally lighter in colour, and therefore are very suitable to staining and lime washing, for that coastal feel. As they are softer, they are more susceptible to damage, however, they are still a popular option for those who want a brighter look, and are much cheaper per linear metre than the hardwood flooring options.
Age of the floor affects how we sand and polish the floor
Timber floors that are more than 20 years old are generally always top-nailed, which means that they need to be punch-and filled prior to floor sanding. Floors that are 100 years old however, in their original condition, may not even be flat and were perhaps never sanded flat due to the technology not being available. These types of floors require many cuts of low grit sandpaper using heavy-duty professional floor sanders such as the Galaxy 12-inch, in order to make the floor flat before sanding it to a finer finish. Despite the work required to restore old timber floors, the results can be outstanding, with the character and history of the floor showcased for many years to come. The type of polish on the existing floor can also affect the floor sanding process, with stains needing to be sanded right back to the raw timber colour so that the original stain doesn’t impact the new finish. Thick tacky polish like old black japan can involve a lot of floor sanding to remove, as can glues from old carpet, vinyl and tiles. Once these residues are removed, the floors can be leveled and finely sanded in the same way as a new floor. For more information on repairing old floors with Pittwater Eco Floor Sanding Sydney click here.
New floors generally involve a much more streamlined process. If they are freshly installed, there is no need to remove the old finish. New technology means that most new floors are secret-nailed, tongue, and groove boards, which eliminates the visible nail holes on the top. If however the boards are 130mm wide or more, they should be top-nailed, which again would require punching and filling.
Damage to the floor – do we have to repair before sanding and polishing the floor?
Existing termite and water damage can also mean that the floor needs to be repaired first, and the source of the problem eliminated before any sanding works begin. The damaged boards are replaced by one of our flooring professionals, using a matching timber and precision cuts. The new boards are staggered to blend into the old floor as seamlessly as possible. Once the glue is dry, the floor sanders can begin.
Thickness of the floorboards – how much can we sand the floor?
The thickness of the floor and the amount of timber still left above the tongue and groove, dictates how much timber can be sanded back before the tongue or subfloor starts showing. It’s important for us to know as best as possible how many times the flooring has been sanded in the past and to take care of a freshly sanded floor to minimise the need to completely resigned the floor and therefore prolong the life of the timber floor. Rejuvenating the floor every few years to maintain the protective coat also helps to prevent the need for unnecessary floor sanding. Some old floorboards are over 25mm thick, however as mentioned previously, they also may have never been sanded and will, therefore, need a fair bit of timber removed in order to bring them to a flat finish. New engineered floorboards have between 4 and 6mm of timber on top, and therefore if too much timber is sanded off then the ply base can begin to show. This is why it’s so helpful to know the origin and history of your floorboards to get the most life out of them.
Environmental Effects on floor sanding in Sydney
The natural environment of Sydney such as humidity, direct sunlight, and dampness can all have an effect on timber floors and can create issues such as cupping, gapping, expansion, and shrinkage. It’s a good idea to discuss all of these factors with us prior to choosing your finish and considering time frames. Our experience with Sydney’s climate, high rainfall, exposure to moisture particularly from landscaping and water runoff around areas like the base of Collaroy plateau and all of the sandstone cliff areas of Sydney’s coastline, means that we have already seen what can go wrong, and we are well prepared with sanding techniques and systems to create an outcome that will last for many years to come.
If you have any questions about the process or the costs involved, don’t hesitate to get in touch through the contact form below or by calling our professional team. Be sure to check out our Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest pages for inspiration!
