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Engineered wood flooring comes in various thicknesses of the top layer, ranging between 3mm and 6mm, which defines the number of times it can be sanded. You mention that your floors have already been sanded once, which means that if your flooring has the thinner top layer there might be a limited opportunity to sand it again. Having said that, if the previous sanding was properly done by a professional sanding company, this means that another sanding should be possible.

Because your floors are in a bad condition, as you describe it, cleaning and polishing might not be applicable. This is a service that is used to maintain the existing sealant in order to extend its life until another sanding is required. Unless this is done before the condition of the flooring gets really bad, and before the sealant is actually worn out, it is not recommended. Cleaning and polishing is done to apply an extra coat of sealant, where the new coat bonds to the existing varnish and not to the bare wood. If the existing sealant has disappeared, then a proper sanding and re-varnishing will be required.

Hi and I am sorry to hear that you didn't achieve the effect that you wanted. Floor restoration can looks easy before you start doing it and later you may realise that it actually requires previous experience to avoid situations like yours.

From what you are describing it sounds like there was not sufficient and perfect bonding between the different coats of floor varnish or between the first coat of floor varnish and the timber. This usually happens when the floor surface was not perfectly smooth and clean before the application of varnish or when the previous sealant was not completely sanded down before the new varnish was applied. The only solution would be to sand and varnish the flooring again to ensure a smooth sanded surface and a proper application of the coats of varnish on top. However, you need to check to make sure that your floors have sufficient thickness of solid wood as a top layer to allow for additional sanding to take place.

Installation of reclaimed parquet blocks, particularly ones that have been previously installed using black resin are very difficult to re-use and re-install. They also need a fair amount of parquet blocks restoration and preparation work to be done to clean them and prepare them before they can be re-fitted. This makes the whole process very time consuming and hence very expensive.

Therefore, you might be better off buying and getting new parquet flooring installed.

Also, bear in mind that installation of reclaimed parquet flooring may not result in the same smooth and uniform appearance, which you get with new parquet blocks.

Therefore, while we can install reclaimed parquet flooring, we would strongly advise you to first consider the option of having new parquet blocks, which may be cheaper and better option.

Hi Richard,

Engineered wood flooring comes in three standard thicknesses: 20 mm, 18 mm, and 14/15 mm. The top layer, made of materials like oak, walnut, beech, or maple, varies between 3 mm and 6 mm. Each sanding process removes about 1 mm of the top layer, with an additional 1 mm needed for factory defects and floor leveling. Consequently, a 3 mm top layer can only be sanded once, while a 6 mm top layer can withstand 3 to 4 restorations.

Hi James,

For regular recoating of engineered wood flooring, maintenance oil is recommended as it contains fewer solids than regular hardwax-oil products, making it easier to apply. However, using normal hardwax-oil for re-oiling is also common and effective. Popular and user-friendly products include Osmo Polyx and Bona Hardwax-Oil.

These products typically have slow drying times, ranging from 4 to 8 hours. For a quicker option, Osmo offers the Polyx Rapid, which dries a few hours faster.

Hi Jim,

For higher traffic areas like hallways, kitchen / dining room, living room re-oiling of the wooden floors is recommended every 18 - 24 months. For bedrooms, upper landing and areas with less use, this can be every 4-5 years.

Hi,

Restoring your floor can be challenging without prior sanding experience and knowledge. Floor sanding requires specific skills that are typically gained through experience. Therefore, it's advisable to leave parquet floor sanding to professionals like FloorWorks, who have expertise in handling various flooring types and can prevent costly mistakes.

If you decide to proceed on your own, research parquet floor sanding thoroughly. Key points to consider include the correct technique for applying the wood floor finish. After sanding the floors to a smooth finish, apply the first coat of varnish carefully, ensuring it dries fully before applying subsequent coats. Imperfections like blobs can occur if the surface isn't perfectly smooth and clean or if the old sealant isn't completely removed, necessitating an expensive re-sanding and re-varnishing.

Additionally, note that if your parquet flooring has been sanded before, there might be limited chances for re-sanding, possibly requiring a complete floor replacement.

Therefore, it is always recommended to leave the parquet floor sanding to a professional sanding company like Floorworks™ Sanding Co.

Thank you for your question regarding parquet floor restoration.

Both lacquers and hardwax-oils can be used to seal parquet floors, but there are key differences to consider:

Wood Floor Lacquers:

• Durability: More hard-wearing and durable, providing long-lasting protection.

• Ideal Use: Recommended for floors with high foot traffic.

• Popular Products: Bona Mega, Bona Traffic, Loba Viva, Junckers HT700.

• Solvent-Based Varnishes: Offer a thick layer of protection but emit strong odors, making them less suitable for residential use.

Oil-Based Wood Finishes (Hardwax-Oils):

• Maintenance: Less hard-wearing, requiring more frequent maintenance and recoating.

• Aesthetic: Provide a more natural look and feel to the floors.

• Popular Products: Osmo Polyx hardwax-oils.

Choosing between the two depends on your specific needs for durability and aesthetic appeal.

Hi and thank you for your question regaring whitewashed effect on wooden flooring.

Achieving whitewashed / nordic finish on engineered oak flooring during floor restoration service with the use of either stains, lacquers or by using precoloured oil-based products. You need to be aware that there will be a slight difference in the appearance of the whitewashed effect depending on whether it has been achieved by lacquer or oil.

If you decide to seal your floors with lacquer, whitewashed effect can be done in two ways. You can either use white pigmented primer like Bona White, or you can first apply white stain on the sanded floors and then coat it with multiple coats of clear lacquer. For our wood floor restoration service where staining is involved, we rely on some of the most popular products such as Bona Create Ice, followed by the application of three coats of waterbased Bona Mega lacquer in either matt, satin or gloss finish.

If you prefer to achieve the whitewashed effect using oil-based products, then you need to be aware that this will achieve less uniform appearance.

Hi and thank you for the question regarding the choice of sealant for pine floorboards.

Pine is a softwood, and while it is possible to seal pine with both lacquers and hardwax oils, we always recommend using a hardwearing varnish when sanding and sealing this type of flooring. The reason is that pine tends to absorb oils, resulting in lower protection and durability for floorboards sealed with hardwax oils compared to those sealed with varnish. This is especially important when staining is required. Therefore, we recommend sealing stained pine floorboards with hardwearing varnish for better protection and durability.

We hope that the above helps.