Floor Sanding Shaftesbury

Floor Sanding and Wood Floor Restoration in Shaftesbury, Dorset

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Floor sanding before and after

Floor Sanding in Shaftesbury and the Blackmore Vale

Shaftesbury sits on a greensand ridge two hundred metres above the Blackmore Vale, which makes it unlike anywhere else in Dorset. Gold Hill and the streets around it are stone cottages built into a steep slope, the town centre is largely Georgian and Victorian, and out in the Vale the villages are brick, cob and thatch.

The floors follow that split. Old elm and pine on sleeper walls in the hill cottages, Georgian and Victorian boards over joists in the town, and everything in between out in the villages.

We cover Shaftesbury, Motcombe, Gillingham, Compton Abbas, Fontmell Magna, East Stour, Melbury Abbas, Cann, Todber and Stour Provost, plus Sturminster Newton, Blandford and Wincanton.

Hill Cottages and Historic Timber

The cottages around Gold Hill and Park Walk are built into the slope, which means back walls are often partly below ground and floors sit close to the earth with very little void beneath.

What we find is wide elm and early pine, thin from centuries of use, with a great deal of previous repair. Hearth patches, pipe runs, and boards from three different periods in a single room.

We measure before quoting and take off the minimum needed. Finer grits, more passes, no attempt to produce a factory-flat surface. Many of these buildings are listed, and while refinishing an existing floor is normally acceptable, lifting or replacing historic boards can need consent from Dorset Council. Ask first rather than after.

parquet wooden floor sanding
wooden floor sanding

Greensand, Springs and Sub-Floor Damp

The greensand that Shaftesbury sits on holds water and releases it through springs along the escarpment, which is why the hill has been unstable in places and why damp is a persistent theme in the older buildings.

In floors it shows up as cupping near external walls, blown or milky finishes in the same band, and occasionally soft timber where a joist end bears into wet stone.

We take moisture readings before quoting and we will not sand a wet floor, because it will move again and the finish will fail within a season. Where the cause is ventilation the fix is straightforward and cheap. Where a back wall is retaining a hillside, that is a bigger conversation, and one we would much rather have before you have paid for a floor.

Dust-Free Sanding in an Old Cottage

Our machines run to industrial extraction rather than the cloth bags on hire equipment, capturing the great majority of dust as it is created.

In a hill cottage with small rooms, thick walls and low ceilings that is not optional. Airborne dust has nowhere to go and settles on every surface in the building, and lime plaster does not take kindly to being scrubbed.

We sheet doorways, protect what stays in the room and clean as we go. Access on the hill can be awkward, so tell us at survey where we can park and unload and we will plan around it.

flooring sanding company

Commercial Floors Around Shaftesbury

We work for pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels and shops in the town, plus church and village halls, schools, colleges, nurseries, gyms, dance studios and sports halls across north Dorset and the Vale.

Sports halls and dance floors are sanded back to clean timber, re-marked to the correct governing body specification for badminton, netball, basketball or five-a-side, then sealed with a proper sports system that keeps its grip.

Village halls we normally complete inside a single closed week, which suits committees who cannot lose a month of bookings. Pubs and restaurants are done overnight or on closed days with fast-cure sealers. School and college floors go into holiday windows booked a term or more ahead.

Finishes and Colour

Hardwax oil suits old elm and pine and is what we fit most in the hill cottages. It penetrates rather than forming a film, which is right in a building that needs to breathe, and a scuff can be repaired in place rather than requiring a whole room to be redone.

Where a floor takes heavy traffic, a family hallway, a rental, a shop, a two-pack water-based lacquer is harder, cures faster and does not yellow with age.

Very old boards take colour unpredictably, especially where generations of wax have soaked in. We lay trial patches on your own floor and leave them a full day. Finding blotching on a test patch is far better than finding it across a whole room.

Wood floor sanding company
Floor sanding taunton

Costs, Timings and Booking

Sanding and sealing in Shaftesbury generally runs twenty-five to forty pounds a square metre. Parquet is higher. Stairs are priced per tread, and gap filling, board replacement and repairs are quoted line by line so nothing is hidden.

The survey is free and takes about half an hour. We measure remaining timber, take moisture readings, look at ventilation and access and tell you what the floor genuinely needs.

Ring 01823 674562 or use the contact form. Send a wide photograph of the room, a close one of the worst area and a note on parking, because access on the hill is rarely simple.

Nearby areas we also cover: Sturminster Newton, Blandford Forum, Bournemouth and Bridport. There is a page for each, and the full list of towns is on our areas we cover page.

FAQ: Floor Sanding in Shaftesbury

Shaftesbury, Motcombe, Gillingham, Compton Abbas, Fontmell Magna, East Stour, Melbury Abbas, Cann, Todber and Stour Provost, plus Sturminster Newton, Blandford and Wincanton.

Refinishing an existing floor is normally acceptable, but lifting or replacing historic boards can need listed building consent from Dorset Council. Check first and we will talk to your conservation officer if it helps.

Generally twenty-five to forty pounds a square metre for sanding and sealing, higher for parquet. Stairs are per tread and repairs quoted separately. Survey and quote are free.

The greensand ridge holds water and releases it through springs along the escarpment. Combined with back walls retaining a slope and poor sub-floor ventilation, that is what causes most floor damp here.

No, and we will tell you so. It will cup again and the finish will fail. We take readings first, explain what needs fixing and come back when the floor is ready.

Usually beautifully, but they need a light hand. Elm is soft and often thin by now, so we take off the minimum needed rather than chasing a flat surface.

We use industrial extraction which captures the great majority of dust at the machine. That matters a great deal in a small cottage with lime plaster.

Not if we know in advance. Tell us at survey where we can park and unload and how many steps are involved, and we will plan the day around it.

A single room is about two days and a small cottage three to four. Oil wants a day before light use and a week before rugs. Lacquer is quicker.

Usually yes, including sanding, any line marking and sealing. We plan hall work around a single closed week wherever possible so bookings are barely interrupted.

Case Studies

Once your floor has been professionally sanded and finished, it is important to take steps to maintain its appearance and durability.

FLOORING GUIDES

Once your floor has been professionally sanded and finished, it is important to take steps to maintain its appearance and durability.

Our company provides professional wood floor restoration services and floor installations for both commercial and domestic clients across the UK. With more than 30 years of experience under our belts, ..

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