Hardwood Floor Cleaning & Waxing South London

Real wood has distinctive look and can evoke feelings of warmth, comfort and quality. It will make a beautiful and long-lasting floor (even in very busy properties) so long as well-informed and appropriate decisions are made regarding its maintenance.

For Your Home or Business

We regularly clean and polish hardwood flooring in residential properties. We’re also familiar with the extra demands involved in protecting and preserving large ‘high traffic’ areas of hardwood flooring in company buildings, performance venues, conference rooms, places of worship etc. We are able to offer all our cleaning services in the evening to work around busy daytime schedules.

Varnish vs Oil/Wax

Assuming you’re positive that you do actually have a hardwood floor, the key thing to understand is that there are two very different types of products that can be used to seal it and protect from moisture and dirt.

This difference doesn’t matter much (if at all) when it comes to cleaning and polishing or buffing, and even sanding or stripping. But it matters a great deal when an existing seal needs to be added to, because the two types of products are completely incompatible.

Please note that you are not stuck using either varnish or oil/wax for ever. In almost all circumstances you can switch from one to the other, and even back again. The only absolute rule is this:

1. oil/wax cannot be used with varnish; so
2. to switch, you must completely remove all trace of the old seal from your floor.

Apart from that, there is only one other key difference to be aware of:

• varnish seals a hardwood floor, with polish applied as a further layer; whereas
• if you use oil/wax then it is both the seal and the polish, all in one.

Which should you use?

Varnish can last a lot longer than oil/wax, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice. Any part of the floor that starts to become more worn or damaged (for instance entrances/exits, the middle of corridors/staircases etc) cannot be repaired separately. The busier your property is, the more the appearance of different areas on your floor will change – and the only way to remedy this is to strip the entire floor.

This is why we usually recommend oil/wax (and one product in particular). Your floor is likely to need re-sealing more often, but this can be done far more quickly, and spot repairs can be done.

* We use solvent-based waxes. The solvent makes the wax liquid (i.e. permeable) so it penetrates hardwood fibres. After application and buffing, the solvent evaporates, leaving the wax behind and the wood sealed.

Hardwood Floor Wet Cleaning (all types, all finishes)

A dirty hardwood floor that has a damaged seal can’t be wet cleaned; the wood will absorb liquid and swell. Instead, it should be carefully sanded to remove any engrained dirt from the fibres.

If the seal is intact then the following method is effective for any type (and any wood species) of hardwood flooring: solid or engineered; plank, panel or block (e.g. parquet / herringbone).

1. Vacuum to remove any loose debris or dust (if necessary);
2. Dilute professional degreasing detergent in warm water and apply to a small area (we usually use Clover UBIK 2000 – great on everyday soiling e.g. mud, food & drink spills);
3. Scrub with rotary floor machine (240rpm, medium coarse pad) to gently break down the grease and grime;
4. Remove dirty solution with our wet-vac before it can seep back into the wood and start to dry;
5. Mop with clean water or (if the floor is especially dirty) a mild rinse detergent to remove any remaining residue.

We have a range of different size rotary machines to clean floors of all shapes and sizes, plus hand tools to reach difficult areas (under radiators, staircases, or tight spaces).

Difficult substances (gum, paint, glue etc)

Attempting to remove problem materials with DIY methods could damage your flooring. Depending on how old/dry they are, we may be able to loosen and lift at least some (if not all) with normal rotary scrubbing.

If there are still remnants after professional rotary scrubbing, we can apply alcohol to re-liquify the soiling and then remove it. Unfortunately, cleaning alcohol is very likely to dissolve pretty much any floor finish (wax/oil and varnish/polish alike). With precise application and swift removal we are usually able to avoid damage, but this is another reason to use wax/oil as a sealant – we can repair the finish on a small area if it is damaged, rather than have to redo the entire floor for the sake of a single patch.

Protecting / Finishing Hardwood Floors

Polishing & Buffing

A hardwood floor that has an intact seal and is only slightly tarnished can be cleaned and polished at the same time. We use a combination of maintenance detergents and soft buffing pads on high-speed rotary machines to gently remove light dirt and surface scuffs and also enhance the colour / shine.

Light but regular maintenance is quicker to carry out, and it’s also the cost-effective way to keep your hardwood floor looking better for longer. The old proverb ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ applies here. Don’t assume that booking our services a little more often will you cost more in the long run: talk to us about maintenance contracts.

Sanitising & Disinfection

A sealed, clean hardwood floor can be treated to kill bacteria and viruses. We use a Prochem detergent called ‘Microsan’ for this purpose, which is effective against a huge range of health threats and certified to both BS and EN standards.

Waxing

Floor wax protects against dirt and spills whilst enhancing the colour and natural grain of the wood. We usually use a clear/colourless wax (wood is beautiful enough in our view), but if you have a lighter wood floor such as Oak that you want to look more like Cherry or Walnut then there are good quality products available that can be applied as both a colour tint and sealant. For darker colours, staining is necessary.

Waxing can also help to disguise/blend areas of discolouration or worn patches that occur in high foot traffic areas – up to a point. If you have a floor where the colour has become too patchy because some areas are very much over-used, then sanding and staining the floor to a darker colour can help.

Floor wax (like any other finish) must be applied to a clean and dry floor. We work on a small area at a time, applying an even coat of the wax by hand and then using our high-speed rotary floor machine to work it into the wood and buff to a rich shine.

Varnishing & Polishing

Depending on the type of floor you have (and the type of property), varnish might not always be your best option. That said, in some circumstances it is a good choice, and this is why we do provide a range of services for varnished floors (covered on a separate page).

Sanding

Sanding should be regarded as a drastic step, but it’s sometimes the only way to turn back the clock and restore a floor that has:

• a very uneven or damaged surface (i.e. deep scratches or dents);
• heavily engrained grease/grime that even chemical stripping cannot remove;
• been damaged by spills from problem liquids (nail polish remover, vinegar, ammonia, wine).

Our sanding machine allows us to use different grades of sandpaper from coarse to fine to achieve a smooth finish, and we use it connected to a wet & dry vac to collect dust as we go for fast, efficient sanding.

Do note that there can be a limit to how many times some engineered wood floors can be sanded, especially if sanding is not done carefully. Even careful sanding, when it is done to remove dents and scratches, is going to reduce the thickness of the top layer – and cheap engineered flooring can have a very thin top layer (as little as 1mm).

Staining

A completely clean and wooden floor with no finish (it must be completely stripped or sanded) can be treated with a wood stain to make it a deeper/richer colour. We apply with a sponge applicator to work the stain into the fibres of the wood. Any excess stain is wiped away and the floor allowed to dry fully before sealing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of floor do I have?

There are two types of hardwood floor: solid and engineered.

Solid flooring planks (or blocks such as parquet) are one piece of wood – very often Oak, but many other species have been used. If your floor predates 1960 then it is almost certainly solid.

Engineered hardwood flooring as we know it today started to be manufactured at scale in the 1960s. It consists of a bottom layer of moisture-resistant plywood (Birch ply is generally agreed to be best), with a layer of hardwood (again, usually Oak) on top. The plywood base makes the plank far more resistant to changes in humidity, so it is a better choice. Please note that you can get engineered parquet or other block / panel designs.

Both solid and engineered hardwood flooring can be sanded, stripped, stained and finished (by any method).

A note on laminate flooring

If you do not have either solid or engineered flooring, then your ‘wood’ flooring is laminate (compressed wood fibre with a printed surface depicting wood or stone). Any wet cleaning or polish stripping could lead to permanent swelling or warping of the fibre board, and we can’t help you. If you have this kind of floor, then it should just be regularly vacuumed (or swept) and mopped / wiped with a very well wrung-out mop or cloth and dried with a towel or floor cloth.

How can I care for my hardwood floor between professional cleaning?

There’s a lot you can do: little and often – using the right methods – will help you the most.

Regular sweeping and vacuuming will remove dirt before it can be trodden in, and get rid of tiny abrasive items before they can cause damage to the finish.

Mopping (or wiping with a soft cloth) using a mild, neutral pH floor cleaning detergent is also advised. Talk to us and we’ll recommend (and source) a suitable cleaning product for your floor: we’ve been supplier to the trade for over 30 years and can tell you which products are the best for you.

Even a well cared for hardwood floor is likely to need buffing with a high speed machine every 3-6 months, depending on usage.

My floor looks dull and patchy, what can be done?

The most likely reason is that the floor seal has worn away. Even professional cleaning / scrubbing cannot help if dirt has become too engrained in the wood fibre. Sometimes it is possible to use stripping chemicals to remove an old and damaged finish, but if a hardwood floor has been neglected for too long the only option is sanding.

How long does professional cleaning take?

It depends on the level of dirt that has built up, but it usually takes about 30-60 minutes to clean a 5 metre square area of hardwood flooring.

Should I empty the room of furniture?

If we are only carrying out light cleaning or buffing on your floor, we can work around larger items of furniture and move smaller/lighter ones as needed.

If we are stripping, sanding or staining then the room needs to be completely empty or we cannot do a proper job.

If in doubt, please call us in advance. We’re always pleased to discuss and agree a plan for your exact needs.

Will polishing/buffing my hardwood floor make the surface slippery?

No. The ‘floor maintainer’ detergent we use for this is slip-resistant to both shoes and bare feet.

Our Prices

WE COVER CENTRAL & SOUTH LONDON WITHIN THE M25 AREA, INCLUDING: