Floor Sanding South Molton

Floor Sanding and Wood Floor Restoration in South Molton, North Devon

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Floor sanding before and after

Floor Sanding in South Molton and North Devon

South Molton was a wool town and the Georgian money is still visible in the Square, the Guildhall and the frontages along East and South Street. Behind them the buildings are often much older, with Georgian faces grafted onto medieval frames.

Beyond the town this is farming country running up to Exmoor, and the properties are farmhouses, longhouses and cottages of stone and cob with floors that can be very old indeed.

We cover South Molton, North Molton, Bishops Nympton, Chulmleigh, Witheridge, Filleigh, Swimbridge, Kings Nympton, Bishops Tawton and Molland, plus Barnstaple, Tiverton and Dulverton.

Georgian Town Buildings and Listed Consent

Much of central South Molton is listed or sits in the conservation area. 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 North Devon Council.

It is worth a call before work starts. Consent tends to be straightforward for sensible work and the conversation is far easier beforehand.

Our approach on old timber is minimum removal. Finer grits, more passes, and no attempt to level out centuries of settlement. Wear is character rather than damage, and once it is sanded away there is no putting it back.

parquet wooden floor sanding
wooden floor sanding

Farmhouse and Longhouse Floors

Out of the town the floors get older and more interesting. Wide elm and early pine laid over sleeper walls, sometimes over bare earth, with hearth patches, pipe runs and repairs from three different centuries in a single room.

They are lovely floors and they need a light hand. Elm is soft and often thin by now, so we measure before quoting and take off the minimum that will produce a sound, even surface.

Farmhouses also bring practical issues: dogs, wet boots, muddy yards and a back door that never stops. We take all of that into account when we specify a finish, and we would rather fit something that survives your life than something that looks perfect for six months.

Rainfall, Cob and Sub-Floor Damp

This is a wet corner of Devon and much of the older property is cob or stone, both of which need to breathe. Where cement render or modern paint has been applied at some point, moisture goes somewhere else, and often that somewhere is the floor.

What we find is cupped boards near external walls, blown or milky finishes in the same band, and occasionally rot at joist ends bearing into damp cob or masonry.

We take moisture readings before quoting and we will not sand a wet floor. With cob the fix is usually about breathability and ventilation rather than damp-proofing, and it is worth getting proper advice before spending money on a floor that will fail.

flooring sanding company

Dust-Free Sanding

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

In an old farmhouse with lime plaster and exposed beams that matters a great deal, because 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. Nearly all our customers stay in the house while we work, and we plan the room order so there is always somewhere usable.

Commercial Floors Around South Molton

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

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 inns are done overnight or on closed days with fast-cure sealers. School floors go into holiday windows booked a term or more ahead.

Wood floor sanding company
Floor sanding taunton

Finishes, Costs and Booking

Hardwax oil suits old elm and pine, keeps the grain visible and can be repaired in patches rather than requiring a whole room to be redone. For farmhouse back doors, family halls, rentals and pubs, a two-pack water-based lacquer is harder and cures faster.

Sanding and sealing generally runs twenty-five to forty pounds a square metre, parquet higher, stairs by the tread, and repairs quoted line by line.

The survey is free and takes about half an hour. We measure the remaining timber, take moisture readings, check ventilation and tell you what the floor genuinely needs. Ring 01823 674562 or use the contact form.

Nearby areas we also cover: Barnstaple, Tiverton, Axminster and Bideford. There is a page for each, and the full list of towns is on our areas we cover page.

FAQ: Floor Sanding in South Molton

South Molton, North Molton, Bishops Nympton, Chulmleigh, Witheridge, Filleigh, Swimbridge, Kings Nympton, Bishops Tawton and Molland, plus Barnstaple, Tiverton and Dulverton.

Refinishing an existing floor is normally acceptable, but lifting, replacing or altering historic timber can need listed building consent from North Devon Council. Ask before starting.

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.

A two-pack water-based lacquer, in most farmhouses. It is far harder wearing than oil and copes with wet boots and claws. We would rather fit something that survives your life.

It can. Cob needs to breathe, and cement render or modern paint often pushes moisture into the floor instead. We take readings first and will not sand a floor that is still wet.

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. In a lime-plastered farmhouse with exposed beams that makes an enormous difference.

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

Yes, and in old property we strongly prefer timber slivers to resin, because these boards still move seasonally and slivers move with them.

Yes. Pubs, inns, restaurants, cafes, hotels, shops, village and church halls, schools, colleges, nurseries, gyms, dance studios and sports halls including line marking.

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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