Our PS327 Looks amazing in this beautiful Retro London Apartment

This is our brand new Hardcore high end Vinyl range

What makes us unique

Acorn COREtec Herringbone

New Hydroloc has just arrived

Our master sander Kieran has kindly took some photos of his recent jobs.

We often get asked how to clean and maintain or protect your newly fitted flooring. So today we have tried to give you as much information as we can to help make your floor last a life time Cleaning and maintaining oiled or lacquered flooring It is important to understand what your wood floor is as it will affect the way you clean and maintain the surface. Lacquered or varnished floors will not need maintaining with oil but special care should be taken to avoid scratching as it can be more difficult to repair. Oiled floors will need periodic oil maintenance and can be commissioned with an extra coat of maintenance oil for areas of high traffic and areas where spills are more likely. Keep a record of your floor's finish as this will be useful for maintaining your floor in the future Regular cleaning Daily/weekly cleaning consists of sweeping and vacuum cleaning. Sweep with a soft broom or dust- attracting flat head mop. When choosing a vacuum cleaner make sure it has a hard floor or parquet setting. Before you vacuum make sure this setting is selected and check the vacuum end for debris which could cause scratches. Floors can be periodically damp cleaned with an appropriate spray cleaning and mop pad or a well wrung out mop, avoiding use of excess moisture. NEVER WET MOP OR STEAM CLEAN WOODEN FLOORS. All spills should be wiped up immediately with a absorbent kitchen towel. Avoid abrasive microfibre cloths and wet wipes, which can react with the lacquer or oil and remove the finish. Using the right type of floor cleaner Both lacquered and oiled finishes are semi permeable allowing the wood to breathe. This means you should avoid using harsh chemical and abrasive cleaners on your hardwood or laminate wood floors. Many supermarket including brands claim to work well on all surfaces wood floors but most should be avoided as they contain high acidic or caustic ingredients that will quickly compromise the lacquered or oiled surface of your floor, destroying the water and stain resistant properties. We would highly recommend Treatex to help clean and maintain your floors, we stock Treatex cleaning and maintenance products and kits. Wipe up spills Avoid standing water or liquid. Wipe up any liquid spills quickly and never allow spills to stay on the surface for any length of time. If moisture ingresses into the surface of your floor it may cause lasting damage Oil and oil fried food can react with oiled surfaces and should be wiped up directly. Correct ambient conditions During the life of the floor ambient humidity must be maintained within the range of 45% to 65% RH and 18 to 24°C. This includes during periods when the property is unoccupied such as during holidays. Please note that high humidity may lead to warping and other issues, whilst excessive drying caused by high temperature &/or low humidity may lead to splits and warping. Avoid rapid changes in temperature. Foot traffic When possible, avoid wearing outside shoes especially if wet or muddy. Stiletto heels may damage wood floor finish and cause compression marks on some wood species, and are not recommended for use on wood floors. Avoid heavy work boots with abrasive soles and thick treads which can retain abrasive objects such as gravel stones. In areas of high foot tone traffic pay special attention to daily cleaning and where possible use protective rugs and matting. Kitchen floors Lacquered wood floors are a good choice for Kitchens as they provide a surface that is stain resistant without the need for regular maintenance. Alternatively oiled wood floors also perform well in kitchens but should always have an extra coat of maintenance oil applied after installation. This commissioning coat is buffed into the surface after installation and ensures that the oil is evenly redistributed in the wood's surface, it also adds a water-resistant seal between the joints of each board. Entrance matting Always have internal and external entrance matting at all entrances to the property; this will help prevent abrasive particles being carried onto the floor, and will extend the life of the floor finish. Protect from furniture Use self-adhesive felt pads on flat furniture feet to protect the floor from excessive scratching, and usefelt based castor cups under wheeled furniture. A purpose made polypropylene floor mat must be used below wheeled office chairs. Heavy scratching will break the surface causing damage to the timber by ingress of moisture from cleaning. Sunshine Wood is a natural material and is affected by UV light. Oak will mellow and become darker and richer in tone. Each species will react in different ways to UV light. In rooms with large windows, especially those which are south facing, special care should be taken to reposition furniture and rugs to ensure an even colour across the floor. Household plants Take care when watering not to spill water around the base of any planter and avoid using metal trays as these can react with water and the natural tannins in oak to produce black watermarks A planter with soil soaked in water can cause the underside to be cold which can lead to condensation, so it is a good idea to use protective non-reactive plastic mats beneath pots and trays. Pet care Keep pets' claws well-trimmed to avoid scratches and protect areas where they sleep and feed to avoid damage from moisture and spills. Always protect flooring around your pet's food and water bowls from spills and standing water. Protection whilst decorating When protecting your floor, where possible avoid covering with plastic sheeting or any material which excessive scratching, and use does not breathe as it can form condensation. Instead use card or fabric dust sheeting. When using masking tape to paint round architrave airs. Heavy scratching will and skirting, DO NOT leave tape on the floor longer than it takes to paint each coat. If left for more than a couple of hours, tape adhesive can react with the floor finish causing damage. If paint is spilt remember that cleaning fluids may damage the floor so avoid, if possible, instead use mild soap and a nylon brush to work away the paint. If you have any questions that we have missed please do get in contact.

A recent job we done for a great customer of ours, a natural oiled engineered oak flooring with a matwell, creating a flush finish with the surrounding floor not only does it serve a purpose but looks great too. If you are planning a new floor do consider a Matwell they help keep your floor clean and tidy and also look great oo

As I have said many times every type of flooring has its own pros and cons. Today we look at Laminate flooring, which was very poplar 10 plus years ago but has slowly dwindled in to the back ground due to reasonable price engineered oak flooring and Vinyl. But recently we have noticed an increase in people choosing laminate flooring, so we will look at the pros and cons of Laminate floors. First, we will look at how laminate is made. Laminate is made up of four layers, 1st a transparent, wear-resistant overlay 2nd a design layer this is the layer that defines the actual look of your floor. 3rd a moisture resistant glued HDF core board 4th is the backing plate below it guarantees that the core cannot warp or collapse. The positives of Laminate The reason we feel that laminate flooring is becoming more popular is due to the fact that you can now get a waterproof version, so Laminate floors can be used in every room, even for kitchens and bathrooms, before water was a big problem for people with laminate floors. Highly durable especially Quick Step laminate they offer a minimum 20-year warranty on all its laminate floors. Thanks to the extremely strong core panels AND the patented 'Scratch Guard' upper layer, they are exceptionally durable and hardwearing. The laminate floors are able to cope with scratches, playing kids, stiletto heels. You also don't need to worry about spilling water or other liquids, Quick-Step floors keep their original color year after year even when exposed to sunlight. Easy to maintain Thanks to the protective top layer, laminate floors are very easy to keep clean. Dirt cannot penetrate the wood and a regular clean with a dry or lightly dampened fiber cloth will suffice to keep your floor in perfect condition for decades. You don't need to sand, scrub or oil laminate floors. Black marks or stubborn stains can easily be removed with Quick-Step clean. Inexpensive relative to other types of floor coverings so if you are on a budget laminate could be perfect. The Cons of Laminate If you would have said the cons 10 years ago the list would be Moisture can swell the laminate floor base Chips easily Not suitable for bathrooms or laundry rooms But now the above is a thing of the past. The main Cons today would be they cannot sand or refinish damaged planks, or change the stain or look as you could with real wood. Sometimes it can be slippery. Also, resale value compared with oak floors. Its not real wood, which to some people is a factor. But overall, we feel Laminate is a good choice in todays market hence why we stock one of the best manufacturers of laminate flooring Quick Step, we have a big stand of there laminate flooring, so if you feel laminate flooring is for you, pop in to see our great range of flooring