Your Questions Answered

A typical room takes one to two days, including finishing. Larger areas, repairs or extra coats add time, and we set out a clear schedule with your fixed quote.

Very little. Our dust-free sanding systems capture around 99% of dust at source, so your home stays clean while we work. We also sheet off doorways and protect adjoining rooms before we start.

Yes — every job starts with a free survey and a fixed written quote. The price on the quote is the price you pay, unless you ask us to add extra work. You can book a survey online in a couple of minutes.

Yes, we carry £5m public liability insurance. Certificates are available on request, which facilities managers and landlords often need before work starts.

Our floor restoration comes with a 3-month service guarantee. If something is not right with our workmanship in that time, we come back and put it right. Gap filling is excluded, because wooden floors move with the seasons — see our service guarantee for the full terms.

No. We work room by room, and nearly all our clients stay at home throughout. Our water-based lacquers and low-VOC oils have very little odour, and we plan the order of rooms around you.

Light foot traffic in socks is usually fine after a few hours. Furniture can go back after 24–48 hours, and rugs are best left off for around a week while the finish fully cures.

Our team works across Cobham and the neighbouring towns and villages. Not sure if you are covered?, send us a message — we can usually help for larger jobs.

Parquet runs in several directions, so we sand it in stages at different angles. Finishing with a planetary or buffing machine removes swirl marks and leaves an even surface ready for oil or lacquer.

Black bitumen was a common adhesive for parquet laid before the 1970s. It is not a problem for sanding, but loose blocks need cleaning back and re-fixing with a compatible adhesive. We look at it at the survey and include it in the quote.

We fill narrow gaps with a resin and wood-dust mix that matches the boards. Wider gaps get thin pine slivers glued in and sanded flush. Our gap filling guide compares the two.

Gap filling is excluded from our service guarantee. Wooden floors expand and shrink with the seasons and with movement in the building, which can open small cracks in the filler. We use the most suitable method for your floor to keep this to a minimum.

It usually makes a real difference. Gaps between floorboards let draughts rise from under the floor. Filling them makes rooms feel warmer and helps keep dust out.

We do. After sanding we apply test patches on your timber so you can see how each shade looks in the room before we commit. Find out more about wood floor staining.

Oak, pine and other woods all react to stain in their own way. A colour that looks warm on a card can turn out much darker on pine, so testing on your own boards is the only reliable way to choose.

We strip and restore staircases, including treads, risers and handrails. Stairs are sanded mostly by hand, and we finish them with a durable finish that copes with daily use. See stairs stripping and restoration.

Yes. We work on every other step so you can still get up and down, then complete the rest the following day. We agree the plan with you before we start.

A standard staircase usually takes two to three days. Heavily painted stairs or ornate spindles can add a day, which we include in your quote.

Yes — we plan school and public projects around term dates, events and opening hours. Large halls are often completed within a week, so the space is back in use quickly.

Yes. After sanding we apply sports-grade lacquer and can repaint court markings to your layout between coats so they are sealed in. Read more about our school floor restoration.

We provide risk assessments, method statements and insurance details before work begins. Our team is used to working on occupied sites with strict safety rules.

We can work evenings, nights and weekends so the office stays open. Our dust-free machines and water-based lacquers mean staff can be back at their desks quickly.

We have restored many church and community hall floors. We take care with historic timber and choose finishes suited to busy halls. See churches and community halls.

Prices depend on the floor area, condition, repairs needed and the finish you choose. Our price list shows typical starting prices, and the free survey gives you a fixed written quote.

Often, yes. Photos of the floor plus rough measurements let us give a guide price within a working day. We confirm it with a short visit before work starts, so the final quote is fixed.

Oil soaks into the timber for a natural look and is easy to spot-repair. Water-based lacquer sits on top as a hard-wearing film that copes well with spills and busy households. We recommend the right one at the survey — or read our guide to oil and lacquer.

Yes. We use low-VOC oils and water-based lacquers that are safe for children and pets once fully dry. We suggest keeping pets out of the room for the first 24 hours, and trim claws to help the finish last.

We usually apply two coats of hardwax oil or three coats of lacquer. Busy hallways and commercial floors can have an extra coat for added protection.

In most cases, yes — as long as the top wear layer is 3 mm or more. We check the wear layer during the free survey, often by lifting a threshold strip or a floor vent. Our guide to sanding engineered floors explains more.

A solid wood floor can be sanded many times over its life. Each sand removes only a fraction of a millimetre when done properly, which is why period floors are still going strong after a century.

Almost always. We re-glue loose blocks, replace missing ones with matched or reclaimed timber, then sand and finish the whole floor so the repairs disappear. Find out more about parquet floor repairs.

Yes — original boards often hide beautiful timber under old paint and varnish. We punch down nails, replace split boards and sand back to fresh timber. Read our guide to Victorian floorboards for what to expect.

Empty the room where possible and take down curtains that reach the floor. If you need help with heavy pieces, let us know when booking. Our preparation checklist has more tips.

We need access to a standard power socket and, ideally, parking near the property. Everything runs from your normal sockets, and we bring all tools, materials and dust sheets.

In most cases, yes. We clean, sand and treat the boards with a UV-resistant decking oil that brings back the colour and reduces slipperiness. See our decking restoration service.

Late spring to early autumn is ideal. The timber needs a few dry days so the oil can soak in properly. Our guide to decking after winter explains how to prepare.

Once a year is a good rule of thumb. South-facing decks in full sun may need it sooner. Regular oiling stops the wood drying out and greying.

Yes — we replace rotten or split boards before sanding. New boards are blended in once the whole deck is oiled.

We match the species, width and age of your boards wherever possible. After sanding and finishing the whole area, repairs are very hard to spot. Learn more about wood floor repairs.

Squeaks usually come from loose boards rubbing against nails or joists. We screw loose boards down into the joists and fix any movement in the joists below. Read about why floors squeak.

Often, yes. Surface stains can usually be sanded out, while badly swollen or stained boards are replaced and blended in. The floor must be fully dry first, so we may check moisture levels before starting.

When wear is only in the finish, a deep clean and fresh coat can bring it back. It takes a fraction of the time of a full sand and keeps the floor protected. See re-oiling.

Busy areas like hallways and kitchens usually need a maintenance coat every one to two years. Bedrooms often last several years. Our maintenance guide helps you judge.

Yes — as long as the wear has not reached the bare wood. We screen the surface, clean it and apply a new coat of lacquer, restoring the sheen without a full sand.

Vacuum or sweep regularly and mop with a damp, well-wrung mop and a pH-neutral wood soap. Avoid steam mops and bleach or multi-surface sprays. Read our care guide for a simple routine.