Floor Sanding Somerton

Floor Sanding and Wood Floor Restoration in Somerton and Langport

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Floor Sanding in Somerton

Ryan’s Restoration provides complete wood floor sanding and refinishing throughout Somerton, Langport and the surrounding villages, including Curry Rivel, Long Sutton, Keinton Mandeville, Kingsdon and Compton Dundon. We are a family-run firm with over 45 years’ experience, working from our own workshop in Wellington.

Most of our work here involves stripping back tired pine, elm or oak boards to clean timber, then sealing them with a finish matched to how the room is used. The lias-stone cottages and Georgian frontages around Somerton’s Market Place tend to hold original boards that respond very well to careful machine sanding, and we always keep as much of the old surface character as the customer wants.

Every full sand follows a staged grit sequence rather than a single pass. We open up with a coarse abrasive to strip old seal and level worn areas, then step through medium and fine grits until the timber is smooth enough to take a finish evenly. Skipping a stage leaves scratch marks that only show once the seal goes on, so we never rush it. Before the first cut every nail head is punched below the surface, and between passes the floor is vacuumed and inspected so loose grit from the previous stage cannot score the boards.

The belt machine handles the main field of the floor, always run with the grain, while a separate edging machine works the perimeter. Corners, thresholds and the awkward spots under radiator pipes are finished by hand, because a machine forced into a tight space will gouge. Sealed dust extraction runs on both machines throughout, which is why customers in occupied houses can usually stay put while we work through the rooms in sequence.

Wood Floor Repairs and Board Replacement

Sanding is only half the job on an older floor. Before any machine touches the surface we carry out wood floor repairs: refixing loose boards, dealing with squeaks, sorting deep scratches and burns, and cutting out timber that is beyond saving.

Where boards need replacing we supply floorboard replacement from our own stock of reclaimed timber, so a new board in a Victorian or Georgian room blends in rather than shouting for attention.

Matching a replacement board is about more than species. We look at width, thickness and the way the original surface has aged, then pull the closest candidate from our reclaimed stock, because a century-old pine board carries a tightness of grain that new timber simply does not have. Where only part of a board has failed we piece in a short section rather than replacing the full length, keeping as much original timber down as possible.

We are also straightforward about what cannot be rescued. Boards sanded too thin by previous refurbishments, or timber with rot or worm damage deep into the section, are safer replaced than patched. Squeaks are usually a fixing problem rather than a board problem, so we trace them to the loose nail or the joist beneath before deciding on the remedy.

Gap Filling Between Floorboards

Draughty gaps are one of the most common complaints we hear from owners of period property in Somerton. Our gap filling service closes them using either resin mixed with fine sanding dust, which colour-matches the floor, or solid timber slivers glued into the wider gaps. Filling cuts draughts noticeably, keeps dirt from collecting between boards and gives the finished floor a tidier, more continuous appearance.

The choice between resin filler and timber slivers comes down to gap width and movement. Narrow, fairly consistent gaps suit a resin bound with dust from your own floor, because the fill flexes slightly with seasonal movement. Wider gaps need glued pine slivers, planed flush once set, since resin across a wide gap will eventually crack out. On most Somerton floors we end up using both methods in the same room, judged gap by gap rather than applying one system throughout.

Parquet Floor Restoration

We restore herringbone and block floors across the Somerton and Langport area. Parquet floor sanding is slower, more exacting work than sanding straight boards: loose blocks are lifted and re-bedded, missing blocks are replaced with matching timber, and the whole floor is then sanded flat and sealed. Old bitumen adhesive, uneven wear and decades of polish build-up are all routine for us, and the result is usually a floor that looks better than the day it was laid.

Parquet takes longer than plank flooring for a reason. The blocks sit in a pattern, so the machine cannot simply follow the grain; we sand at an angle across the design on the early cuts and finish with a multi-directional pass so no single row shows cross-grain scratching. Old bitumen beneath lifted blocks has to be scraped clean before re-bonding with modern adhesive, and the whole floor is filled with a dust-and-resin slurry before the final cut so the joints between hundreds of blocks read as one continuous surface.

Staining, Sealing, Oiling and Waxing

The finish decides how a floor looks and how it wears. We offer staining where a colour change is wanted, always with sample patches on your own boards first, plus lacquer sealing for hard-wearing family rooms, hardwax oiling for a natural, repairable surface that suits older buildings, and traditional waxing where a soft period sheen is right. We will explain honestly which system suits your room rather than pushing one product.

It helps to understand the difference between drying and curing. A water-based lacquer may take light foot traffic within hours, but full hardness builds over several days, so rugs and furniture go back in stages rather than all at once. Hardwax oil behaves differently: worn patches can be re-oiled locally without sanding the whole room, which makes it a sensible choice for hallways and kitchens that take concentrated wear. Sheen matters too. We finish floors in matt, satin or gloss, and on older boards a lower sheen tends to flatter uneven timber where a gloss would highlight every ripple.

Commercial Floor Sanding in Somerton

Our commercial floor sanding service covers pubs, cafes, offices, village halls and churches around Somerton and Langport. We work overnight and at weekends so trading floors are back in use without closing, and we supply method statements and insurance documentation where site rules require them.

We also refurbish school halls, gym and sports floors with line marking to governing body specification, and restaurant and shop floors using fast-curing sealers.

Commercial work starts before any machinery arrives. We survey the site, agree a programme around your opening hours and supply a method statement covering access, dust control and drying times. Larger floors can be phased behind barriers so part of the space stays in use, and we plan the sealer around your deadline; some commercial lacquers accept foot traffic quickly while others need longer to reach full chemical resistance, and we will tell you which applies before the job starts, not after.

Get a Floor Sanding Quote in Somerton

The quickest way to start is to send us two photographs: one of the whole room and one close-up of the worst area. We will give you an honest opinion on what the floor needs and a fixed written quotation. If you would rather we looked in person, the site survey is free and carries no obligation.

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

All services available in Somerton: floor sanding, parquet restoration, repairs, board replacement, gap filling, staining, oiling, buffing and recoating, stair sanding and new floor installation.

Nearby areas we also cover: Glastonbury, Taunton, Yeovil and Burnham-on-Sea. There is a page for each, and the full list of towns is on our areas we cover page.

A survey visit is quick. We measure the rooms, check board thickness and condition, note any repairs or gap filling needed and talk through finish options, then confirm everything in a fixed written quotation so there are no estimates that drift later.

FAQ: Floor Sanding in Somerton

What floor sanding services do you offer in Somerton?

Everything from sanding and sealing original boards to parquet restoration, repairs, board replacement, gap filling, staining, oiling, waxing, buffing, stair sanding and new floor installation.

Can you sand a commercial floor without us closing?

Yes. We schedule pub, shop and office work overnight or over a weekend and use fast-curing sealers, so the floor is ready for trade the next morning.

Do you repair damaged floorboards as well as sand them?

We do. Loose or squeaking boards are refixed, damaged sections cut out, and replacements supplied from our reclaimed timber stock so they blend with the originals.

Can you restore an old parquet floor?

Yes. We re-bed loose blocks, source matching replacements for missing ones, remove old bitumen and polish build-up, then sand the floor flat and seal it.

Can you change the colour of our floor?

Certainly. We stain floors darker, lighten them, or tone them with tinted oils, and we always test sample patches on your own boards before committing.

Can engineered or laminate floors be sanded?

Engineered boards can usually be sanded once or twice depending on the wear layer, which we measure first. Laminate cannot be sanded, but we can advise on replacement.

Is the process really dust free?

Our machines run sealed extraction that captures the overwhelming majority of dust at source, so rooms stay clean and most customers remain in the house throughout.

How do I get a quotation?

Send two photographs of the floor for an honest opinion and a fixed written quotation, or book a free no-obligation survey. Call 01823 674562 or use the form on this page.

How long before we can walk on the newly finished floor?

Most sealers accept careful foot traffic in socks the same evening or the following morning. Furniture goes back after a few days once the finish has hardened, and rugs should wait until full cure, which we confirm for the product used on your floor.

What should we do before you arrive?

Clear the room of furniture and anything fragile where possible; heavier items can be discussed at the survey. We handle everything else, including punching down nails, repairs and all preparation of the boards.