Floor Sanding Moretonhampstead

Floor Sanding and Wood Floor Restoration in Moretonhampstead and Chagford

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Floor sanding before and after

Floor Sanding in Moretonhampstead, Chagford and North Dartmoor

Moretonhampstead calls itself the gateway to the high moor and it earns the title. Granite and thatch around the Square and Cross Street, the almshouses on Cross Street among the finest in Devon, and beyond the town the moor proper, with Chagford, North Bovey, Lustleigh and Manaton all within a few miles.

These are old buildings in a National Park, and the floors reflect it. Wide elm and early pine over sleeper walls, often with very little void beneath, and hearth patches and repairs from several centuries in a single room.

We cover Moretonhampstead, Chagford, North Bovey, Manaton, Lustleigh, Dunsford, Doccombe, Throwleigh, Gidleigh and Drewsteignton, plus Bovey Tracey, Okehampton and Exeter.

National Park Rules and Listed Buildings

Almost all of this area sits inside Dartmoor National Park and a very high proportion of the buildings are listed. Refinishing an existing floor is generally acceptable, but lifting boards, replacing timber, altering levels or changing the character of a historic surface can need listed building consent from the Dartmoor National Park Authority.

With buildings of this age it is genuinely worth a call before anything begins, and we are happy to speak to your conservation officer.

Our default on historic timber is minimum removal. Finer grits, more passes, and no attempt to sand out centuries of settlement and wear. A floor that has been walked on since the sixteen hundreds should not lose material because somebody wanted it flat by the weekend.

parquet wooden floor sanding
wooden floor sanding

Moorland Rainfall, Granite and Damp

This is one of the wettest parts of southern England and the ground is granite with thin soil over it. Sub-floor damp is the single most common problem we find in these villages.

The symptoms are consistent: cupped boards near external walls, blown or milky finishes in the same band, and soft timber where a joist end bears into wet granite or cob. In houses cut into a slope, moisture through the back retaining wall is a frequent additional cause.

We take moisture readings before quoting and we will not sand a wet floor, because it will cup again and the finish will fail within a season. Where the cause is ventilation the fix is cheap. Where it is a retaining wall it is a bigger conversation, and one worth having before you pay for a floor.

Old Cottage Floors and a Light Hand

Moor cottages regularly turn up wide elm boards, thin from centuries of use and carrying repairs in whatever timber was to hand at the time.

They are lovely floors and they need patience. Elm is soft, so we measure before quoting and take off the minimum that will produce a sound, even surface. If there is not enough timber left we say so and suggest a screen and recoat instead, which refreshes the finish without touching the wood.

Where boards must be replaced we use reclaimed timber matched for age, species and section, so the repair sits into the floor rather than announcing itself in a lighter colour for the next twenty years.

flooring sanding company

Dust-Free Sanding in a Moor Cottage

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

In a granite cottage with thick walls, low ceilings, lime plaster and exposed beams that is not optional. Fine dust settles into every joint 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 to moor properties can be interesting, so tell us at survey what the lane and parking are like and we will plan the day around it.

Commercial Floors on the Moor

We work for pubs, inns, hotels, restaurants, cafes and shops across north Dartmoor, plus church and village halls, schools, nurseries, gyms, dance studios and sports halls.

Moor inns and village halls are a genuine speciality. Both take heavy, muddy, seasonal traffic and both need to be back in use quickly, so we work overnight or on closed days with fast-cure sealers, and complete village halls inside a single closed week wherever possible.

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.

Wood floor sanding company
Floor sanding taunton

Finishes, Costs and Booking

Hardwax oil suits old elm and pine in a sheltered interior and can be repaired in patches. Anywhere taking wet boots off the moor, which up here is most places, a two-pack water-based lacquer is harder and cures faster.

Generous coir matting at every external door matters more here than almost anywhere, because it removes the grit and water that would otherwise grind through any finish within a couple of seasons.

Sanding and sealing generally runs twenty-five to forty pounds a square metre, less for a screen and recoat, higher for parquet, stairs by the tread, repairs quoted line by line. The survey is free. Ring 01823 674562 or use the contact form.

Nearby areas we also cover: Bovey Tracey, Exeter, Okehampton and Axminster. There is a page for each, and the full list of towns is on our areas we cover page.

FAQ: Floor Sanding in Moretonhampstead

Moretonhampstead, Chagford, North Bovey, Manaton, Lustleigh, Dunsford, Doccombe, Throwleigh, Gidleigh and Drewsteignton, plus Bovey Tracey, Okehampton and Exeter.

Refinishing an existing floor is normally acceptable, but lifting, replacing or altering historic timber can need listed building consent from the Dartmoor National Park Authority. Always ask first up here.

Very high rainfall, thin soil over granite, and buildings often cut into slopes, combined with sub-floor voids that have stopped breathing because airbricks were blocked or buried.

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

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

A two-pack water-based lacquer anywhere taking wet boots off the moor, which is most places. Hardwax oil for sheltered interiors where the look and repairability matter more.

We use industrial extraction which captures the great majority of dust at the machine. In a granite cottage with lime plaster and exposed beams that makes an enormous difference.

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.

Yes. Tell us at survey what the lane and parking are like and we will plan the day around it. We work across the moor regularly.

Regularly, and they are a speciality up here. Inns are done overnight or on closed days with fast-cure sealers, and village halls we complete inside a single closed week wherever possible.

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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