Floor Sanding Services

Anyone who has tried to burn a green log on a stove or fire knows the value of seasoning...

The wood crackles, smoulders, gives off smoke - and also provides no heat and even makes the room colder. Not surprising from a fuel that begins as 45-50% water.

So seasoning or drying will bring that down to a handy 20% - over a period of six months to two years for softwoods; one to two years for hardwoods such as oak, ash and beech.

Still not dry enough for wooden floorboards...

Repairing a damaged floor with long-dried recycled timber is straightforward, but new boards need to have their moisture content reduced down to 6-8% - by being dried in a kiln.

Yet even the long, slow process of kiln-drying is not foolproof. Warped or curved boards among a consignment of new timber is a sign of uneven or inadequate drying.  

 The required time in the kiln depends on the species of tree; the degree of seasoning it’s already enjoyed; the cut of the timber; and its thickness and shape.  

Kiln drying also helps to stabilise volatile resins or esters and kills off any unwanted bugs lurking in the wood.

Water in wood is a key factor when laying a new floor. Keeping gaps between the boards and by the skirting board is vital. The boards tend to shrink in winter, as central heating sucks out moisture - and expand again in summer as it is reabsorbed.

Which tells us that timber retains its hygroscopic or moisture-retaining properties long after it’s been harvested from a living tree - even with boards hundreds of years old.

Within your property, this may be a nuisance or a delight depending on your own sense of aesthetics. The gaps may be filled - or allowed to behave in their own way in response to the seasons.

In today’s regulated, regularised and predictable world, where we crave control and instant response within our homes, it’s salutary to have the company of a traditional material that does what nature intended. Wood has retained its practicalities, along with its beauty, in the face of all our efforts to develop alternative building materials.

Of course, such naturalness comes with vulnerability - and maintenance is all part of the deal.
So celebrate your traditional wooden floors and show your appreciation by keeping them up to a worthy standard.
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Call on Floor Recondition Services!