Floor Sanding Dulwich

Floor Sanding and Wood Floor Restoration in Dulwich

QUICK QUOTATION

Floor Sanding Taunton

Floor Sanding Across Dulwich

Dulwich has some of the best-preserved Victorian housing in south London, largely because so much of it sits on the Dulwich Estate and has been managed under scheme of management rules that discouraged the worst of the 1970s modernisation. Original floors survived here that were ripped out elsewhere.

We work across Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, Herne Hill, Sydenham Hill, Forest Hill, Peckham Rye and Crystal Palace.

Quotes are free. We would rather come and look at the boards than price off a description, because Dulwich floors vary enormously between streets built only a decade apart.

Victorian Villas and What Lies Under the Carpet

The large villas around the Village and along the roads towards Sydenham Hill typically have generous baltic redwood boards, often eight or nine inches wide, over deep joists with a properly ventilated void.

These are among the nicer floors we work on. The timber is good quality, there is usually plenty of thickness left, and the width means fewer joints and a calmer looking floor once finished. What they do have is movement — wide boards shrink and swell more with the seasons, so gaps open in winter.

The later Edwardian and interwar houses in East Dulwich are narrower boarded and frequently have parquet in the hall and front room. Oak herringbone under carpet is a common and welcome find.

Floor sanding south east London
Commercial Hall Floor Refurbishment

Gap Filling on Wide Victorian Boards

Draughty gaps are the complaint we hear most in Dulwich, and the method matters more here than in most places because the boards are so wide.

Resin mixed with sanding dust is the quick option. It is cheaper, it goes in fast, and on wide boards that move several millimetres between February and August it cracks out within a couple of winters. You then pay somebody to do it again.

Timber slivers are the alternative. Each one is cut to taper, tapped into the gap, planed and sanded flush. It is slow, it costs noticeably more, and it lasts because the sliver moves with the boards rather than fighting them.

On a wide-board Victorian floor we will almost always recommend slivers, and we will tell you plainly that the cheaper option is a false economy here even though it means a bigger quote from us.

Estate Rules, Leases and Neighbours

Two local things are worth checking before booking work.

If your property is on the Dulwich Estate it may be subject to a scheme of management, which governs alterations. Sanding and refinishing an existing floor is not normally an issue, but it is worth a look at your paperwork if you are changing the floor rather than restoring it.

If you are in a converted flat, check the lease. Many carry a clause requiring carpet or a specified level of acoustic insulation on upper floors, and going back to bare boards can breach it. Where shared joists are being cut into or replaced, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may also apply.

None of this is a reason not to proceed. It is a reason to check first, and we are happy to talk to managing agents or provide a written specification.

Floor Sanding Essex
parquet floor restoration near me

Why Dulwich Customers Choose Us

Over forty-five years restoring wood floors, much of it period property. On a Victorian floor that experience mostly shows up as restraint — knowing how little to take off, and being willing to say that a floor needs a recoat rather than a sand.

Sealed dust extraction on every job as standard, which in a family house full of books and soft furnishings makes a considerable difference. Fixed written prices. Heavy furniture moved by us, the property protected, waste taken away.

Fully insured, and happy to give you addresses of recent work nearby to look at.

Arrange a Free Dulwich Floor Survey

Photographs and rough measurements will get you a sensible indication quickly. If you have gaps you are worried about, lay a tape measure across a few of them and include that in the photograph — it tells us a lot.

For whole floors, staircases or anything needing proper assessment we will come out at no charge and with no obligation.

Call 01823 674562, email info@ryansrestoration.co.uk, or use the form on this page.

Parquet Flooring Restoration

FAQ: Floor Sanding in Dulwich

Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, Herne Hill, Sydenham Hill, Forest Hill, Peckham Rye and Crystal Palace.

Timber slivers rather than resin. Wide boards move several millimetres between winter and summer, and resin cracks out within a couple of winters. Slivers are cut to taper, tapped in individually and sanded flush, and they move with the board.

Restoring an existing floor is not normally an issue, but if you are altering or replacing the floor it is worth checking your scheme of management paperwork first.

Check your lease. Many converted properties require carpet or a specified acoustic performance on upper floors. We are happy to talk to your managing agent, and where shared joists are being touched the Party Wall Act may also apply.

Yes, and East Dulwich has a good deal of it. Loose blocks are re-laid, missing ones matched from reclaimed stock, and the floor is sanded across several directions because the grain runs differently in each block.

It can if it is done heavily, which is why we do not. Over-sanding strips a century of colour depth. We take off the damage and leave the patina, which is what suits these houses.

Very little. Sealed extraction runs on every job as standard and captures the dust at the machine before it reaches the air.

It depends on area, condition and finish, and gap filling with slivers adds meaningfully to the price on wide-board floors. We give a fixed written price broken down by element after surveying.

A single large reception room is a day to sand plus a day or two to finish. A whole ground floor with a hall is usually four to five days, and we phase it so you always have somewhere to walk.

Furniture after three or four days with felt pads. Rugs after a fortnight — laid too soon they trap solvent while the finish cures and leave a permanent outline.

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, ..

Ryan's Restoration

Our Services

Contact Us

© Copyright 2018-2024 ryansrestoration All rights reserved.
Connect with us:
Facebook-f Instagram
Ryan's Restoration
4.9
Based on 114 reviews
×
js_loader