Floor Finishing
Sand floor to required finish working up in 40, 60, 80, 100 grit abrasives.
Apply floor finish.
Ensure all expansion gaps are free of any obstructions before fitting skirtings etc.
Do not place cork in expansion gaps.
Protect new floor if required.
Do not fix down any part of the floor to the sub floor if you are laying a floating floor.
Thresholds are usually made on site from the boards being used to suit.
Purpose made thresholds can be supplied on request.
Sanding and finishing Cathedral Oak
Cathedral floor is pre-sanded and filled at the factory.
This finish in most cases will be acceptable to DIY users.
A minimal sanding is required on the job for the best finish.
This can be done with orbital sanders for DIY.
Only experienced and skilled professionals should use Drum sanders if they wish.
An excellent and dust free finish is achieved with the industrial Laiger Trio Disc sanding machine working through 60, 80 and 100 grit discs.
The floor can then be finished in a variety of colours and finishes.
We would strongly recommend Danish Oil as a low maintenance and natural finish. Unlike linseed oil Danish oil drys to a hard finish and does not stay "sticky".
The floor will change darker in colour when sealed. This is due to the way light is reflected out of the timber and not to any colouring in the natural oil.
Danish Oil can be mixed with compatible wood dye to produce many colours and shades within the first one or two coats if required. We would recommend doing test samples and then when you are happy with the stain appearance - thin it down even more. You can always add a second coat but you can not take one off! If using it as a colour oil at least two coats of clear oil must be applied over the top.
Water applied to the bear timber will give the same colour appearance when wet as Danish oil. This is one way of testing in a small area the colour the floor will be when oiled.
If a more contemporary look is required an acrylic (water based) lacquer can be used.
After drying the floor will return back to a close likeness of the floor as it looks when bear.