FAQ’s

Many shops will hire equipment to sand your wood floors. However, this equipment is continually being used by amateurs and as a result, are usually unbalanced and far from the costly 'state of the art' floor sanding machinery used by Absolute Floor Sand Hire.

A quick look under your property before removing your floor coverings will give you an insight as to the condition of your sub-floor structure and boards. In fact, this will probably save you and us some awful surprises once the floor coverings are removed- particularly if you are purchasing a new property and intend to sand the wood floors. So, look for evidence of termites, water damage, presence of dampness etc. Please note that this is only a suggestion and that in most instances this process may not be necessary.

The cost will vary depending on:

• The size of your floor. You can estimate this by measuring the length and width of the room and multiplying the two together this will give you the square meterage.
• Type of floor finish to be used: polyurethane, stained, waterborne etc.

Sanding and refinishing a superb wood floor is a skill gained over many years. Bear in mind that, as all the work is done by hand controlled floor sanding machines and applicators, there can be evidence of this in the floor. Further as you live on the floor it will gain a character and feel that is unique to your home. This is all part of the beauty of owning a wood floor.

• Expert sanding and coating.

• Nails punched.

• Nail holes, knot holes and gaps at the end of boards to be filled with the appropriate filler.

• A coating that will provide many years of beauty providing it is properly maintained.

• A totally dust-free environment. Our floor sanding machinery is fitted with dust collecting equipment, and we will strive to clean dust away by wiping down surfaces and vacuuming. It is almost impossible, however, to completely eliminate all dust from a job which does have a couple of consequences:
  • There will be some dust particles that settle on the newly finished surface.
  • There may be a small amount of dust throughout the rest of the house.
• The removal of deep or heavy cuts such as those from carpet trimming knives or deep and intense gouges in the boards.
• Removal of extreme stains from within the boards and around nail holes such as watermarks and animal urine.
• Do not expect floorboards damaged by borer to have the same glossy look like those in good condition.
• Do not expect any areas filled with filler to have the same feel as the timber after application of coatings.

• Any type of silicone on a floor will usually cause rejection of subsequent coats of wood floor finishes. Silicone or silicone-based products also include hair spray, Fabulon, fly spray etc.
• 12-volt downlights can produce a cobweb effect on the coatings.
• You might get slight markings on the skirting boards from unavoidable contact with the Edger. This is why we recommended leaving the painting of any skirting until after the floors are finished.
• Black Japan (bitumen) or stain around the perimeter of some older wood floors may produce a two-tone effect.
• You are likely to get some variation in colour and grain between new and old boards.

As most coating processes require overnight dry times, the project will be a minimum of one-three days. The time frame may be extended depending on the size of the job. As an estimate, most floor sanders can sand on average 30/40 square meters per day. Please remember to add time for the coats to be applied and dry after that.

Yes, it will smell. Waterborne finishes are the most environmentally friendly, so they produce less odour. All other finishes usually require you to be in a well ventilated separate area if you are to stay in your home while the floor is drying. However, as every job is different, please contact Absolute Floor Sanding Hire for advice concerning your house layout or coatings used, to ensure they meet your requirements.

Polyurethanes are presently the most widely used floor coatings. They are exceptionally durable, readily available and come in a vast range of finishes from high gloss to matt.
If you are using new wood floors, we suggest you check with your wood floor supplier as to their advice for a suitable coating. Some recommend only waterborne or oil-base coatings to be used because of their flexibility should any movement in the wood floor arise.

The shine (sheen) level on a floor is a personal choice. Aspects which could influence your decision include the following:

Are there downlights in the area? - intense light on a floor with high gloss may cause glare.

Do you clean the floor regularly? - high gloss floors can show a lot of dust, due to their reflective nature.

Do you have pets inside - pet’s nails can quite easily scratch the harder finishes, causing them to look worn more quickly. Currently satin is the sheen level in highest demand on wood floors.

You can save yourself some money by simply removing all existing floor coverings including staples, tacks and any smooth edge carpet strips from the floor. Remove all furniture, including items on walls, or alternatively, hang a cotton sheet over pictures.

Most coatings will dry overnight if the weather conditions are mild (15 to 25 degrees C). However, it takes 7 to 14 days for full curing in the case of polyurethane; most manufacturers suggest this. Any usual traffic should be avoided during this period, just to be sure. Small items that reside in fixed positions may be put back in place, taking care to use protective tips underneath them. We suggest you do this within 3 to 5 days, but please check with the coating manufacturer or us first. We like to ensure that there is no misunderstanding on this matter as many floors are damaged in this crucial period.

Our floor sanders are 90% dust-free, however, there will be the remaining dust floating during the sanding process, which unfortunately cannot be avoided. However, if possible, we will leave the windows open in the rooms that we are working. We do this to allow for ventilation and release as much dust as possible. Also, we will continuously maintain a clean service, ensure that all furniture is covered and doors are sealed. We like to clean up as much as possible as we go along, and then a deep clean up once our work is finalised.

AbsoluteFloor Sander Hire has an exceptional, reliable and professional team. We pride ourselves on our high skill of work resulting in floors you will love! Every customer is important to us, and we like to treat each client as a top priority and nothing less. We aim to satisfy our customers 100%. Check out our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ pages to see customers who have tag themselves in our posts.

Absolute Floor Sander Hire covers London, Surrey, Sussex, and Essex, so this means that we can be in high demand. For this reason, we ensure that we have adequate floor sanding teams ready to take on every important floor project. We like to fit in with clients' busy schedules, so we aim to reach a time and date that's convenient for you.

We are one of the most reasonable and competitive floor sanding companies across the London and Essex region. We aim to beat any other quote that you have received from another floor sanding company. Our low-cost high-quality workmanship is what we focus on, every project is important to us.

Please take a look at our floor sanding cost's page for more info.

We like to assure each client that we take the utmost care of their possessions. However, we do require the wood floor clear for our floor sanding team.

We are more than happy to help in the moving of heavy furniture that you may not be able to manage to move yourselves. Alternatively, if any furniture cannot be removed from the room we are working in, no need to worry. Our team can carefully move it to one side and work around it; we have, on many occasions, had to do this. Also, we cover any furniture to prevent dust from getting into it from the floor sanding process.

That is 100% your choice, whatever colour suits your taste and property, we can match it. We like to show customers many samples which we will lay down on your wood floors to help you decide. We have a vast range of stains so plenty of options you can choose from!

Payment for our work is due on completion, we accept cash or bank transfers. We ask for a deposit on all work, (generally £100-£150) this is for our security on materials. Also if you require any flooring and require us to provide this for you, we ask for this payment upfront or on arrival of our work. We can then collect what is required from our supplier's efficiently and as quickly as possible.

We certainly do, Sunday's also. If we are half way through your work on a Friday but you would prefer us to come back on the Monday, let us know and this can be arranged.

We are more than happy to give you as many references as you require. We can also give you details of public places that you can visit which we have also done in many areas. This will demonstrate a fine example of our floor sanding work. Were also very social so why not ask some of our previous floor sanding customers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Google+

We in the office are here: Monday - Saturday between 8:30am - 7pm and Sunday 10am - 4pm. Our team of floor sanders work from Monday - Saturday 8:30am - 6pm and Sunday 10am - 4pm. If you require us to be with you at a earlier time start which is more convenient for you, this is not a problem.

As long as we can gain access, then no you can leave us to it. Absolute Floor Sanding only hire's its own team, we does not sub-contract our work out.

Generally speaking as we have much heavier floor sanding equipment to work with it nice for us to be in first. However if you are not planning on decorating then we use dust free floor sanding equipment, so its up to you!

Absolute floor sanding works in both domestic and commercial properties, often having to work along side many other trades.

Absolute floor sanding has undertaken many floor sanding projects, for commercial customers during the night, generally whilst the shop is closed. We have the area completely clear and clean ready for customers the next morning.