[Paul Simpson]

Done some carpet cleaning for a customer at the weekend. Neighbour asked me if I would be interested in giving a price for stripping and varnishing floorboards in his lounge (just taken up old carpet).

I remember this type of work was mentioned on a carpet cleaning course I did 18 months ago and they briefly went over the procedure to use, but have had no requests for it to-date.
Quite eager to do this for him as he says he will be doing the rest of the property in the next few months.

From what I've got in my notes it says, Strip/sand using black pad with rotary, apply sealant and allow to dry for 20-30 minutes, then apply polish using kentucky mop, pour polish directly onto mop and some splashes onto floor, allow to dry 20-30 minutes then apply a second coat in opposite direction.

All sounds straight forward but I'm sure its not quite as simple as that..........is it???

I have the rotary but no pads or chemicals, so would need to cost part of that into the price.

But just unsure of the step-by-step procedure, my notes don't say alot and I never see an example of how it should be done.
Anyone done this type of work before??? Any hints or tips?
Thanks
   


 

[Fox]

Hi

Does he want this floor actually varnished or polished?  Have you looked at the floor boards condition.  They may need actually sanding and a rotary machine with a black pad won't do this, you would need to hire a floor sander and an edger, make sure where you get it from show you how to use it properly otherwise you could end up with dips.

I don't know what course you went on but I would never pour directly onto the floor or the mop!  The polish should be put into a clean bucket and the mop eveningly coated from this.  If you use a kentucky or standard wool mop always rinse it first to get rid of the loose fibres.  I tend to use a synthetic mop such as vileda as you get a smoother coat.  Polish in thin layers going the opposite way each time, ensure enough drying time between coats and when finished it is best to leave 12 to 24hrs before placing furniture.

Hope this helps somewhat although advice like this is never the same as doing the job, if poss I would sub this work out to an experienced person and work with them on this one to learn.

Fox 

[Paul Simpson]

Thanks for the reply Fox.
I have seen the floorboards, and apart from a few nails that will need flushing the boards are in good condition so don't think they will need sanding.

Thanks for letting me know about the polish. That is exactly how they said to do it on the course , as I wrote it down word for word.
Always better to hear how to do it from some who has actually done that type of work.

Can you tell me how coarse the black pads actually are?
Do they create a fine layer of dust for instance? Or are they purely for removing old polish?

I did think he said he wanted them varnished, but I could be wrong, maybe he mean't polished. Is this a completely different kettle of fish then?

Either way would I need to apply a sealant first?

Thanks in advance.

[Jonny jones]

hi paul,

if you can get your hands on an airflo with a hoover attached, you will have a cracking finish,  have a lookat my website and tell me if they are as bad as those,  they would need sanding if they were,

anyway use the airflo with a scotch mesh,  grit 60, then hoover the floor from the fine dust,  then apply a good varnish maybe for a domestic put three coats of ronseal varnish you can get it at b&q, or hss,  you will get a lovely finish,

if it just needs polishing use a good detergent maybe taski energy then let it dry then aply carefree emulsion polish about two coats should be ok


thanx and good luck jonny

let castle take the hassle

[Fox]

Hi Paul

The black pad for a rotary is the harshest grade and it can be used dry before polishing to 'flatten' the exsisting polish and give a good base for the new polish, or wet with a stripper chemical to strip the exsisting polish from the floor.   It will produce quite alot of fine dust so if you use it you will have to ensure the floor has been vacuumed well and mopped with a slightly damp mop (hardly any water to be used to protect the wood) and plain water before treatment.

If it is a varnish the customer wants then follow jonnys advice.  The difference I find is that varnish is a much harder job to maintain and if a different effect is wanted you can't get rid of it without sanding the entire floor, however this is a much more resiliant finish for a longer period.  With polishing the floor can be buffed on a regular basis and repolished when required.

It really depends on the state of the boards whether you need apply a sealant, have they been polished previously? If they have you may just be able to repolish.  If they have been varnished previously and are not too patchy and worn through to the wood in places you may still get away with the rotary and another coat of varnish.  If they are bare boards you will need to seal before a polish.  It's very difficult to say without seeing them.

Fox