F. A. Q.

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• Is it dusty?
  

  The simple answer is yes! Although the professional sanding machines that we use collect about 98% of the dust produced, they can never be 100% efficient. To counter this we will bring dust sheets and masking tape to seal up any spaces and openings that need to be kept dust-free. We will also vacuum the floor several times during the sanding process. However, you will need to remove any items from the room that you do not want to have to clean afterwards. This is particularly recommended for any electronic equipment present.
  

• How long will it take?

Never less than a full day. Large areas or multiple rooms may take several days. You will need to ensure that the area to be sanded will be free of traffic for this period. We will discuss approximate timings with you when we give you your free consultation.

• Do I need to move the furniture?

Areas to be sanded is good  to be clear of all furniture before we start, as well as for 36 hours after the final coat of varnish is applied (to allow the finish to reach full strength). If you need help with this we can move them for you.

• Is it noisy?

The preparation (knocking in nails) and the sanding process is very noisy. The sanding machines we use have powerful electric motors and are far louder than ordinary D.I.Y. power tools. The manufacturers recommend that the operators wear ear protectors. Obviously the application of stains and varnishes is quiet, except maybe for some out of tune whistling!

• Should I have my floors sanded before or after I decorate the rest of the room?

We prefer to be the last stage in the interior decoration process. It is much easier to remove a little sanding dust from a freshly painted wall (as long as it is completely dry) than it is to remove paint from a freshly finished wooden floor. Gravity prevails!

• Do you use any harmful chemicals/products?

Unless otherwise requested, we use water based varnishes that are odour free and non-toxic. If gap-filling is required, then we will use a solvent based resin which needs careful handling. Good ventilation is important at this stage, as the fumes can be fairly strong.

• What about dust mites?

Dust mites are considered to be the most common cause of asthma and allergic symptoms worldwide. They thrive in our houses because in nature they are killed by predators and by exposure to direct sun rays. They love carpets and underlay because they can find protection in the depths from sunlight, predators and vacuum cleaners. A sanded wooden floor is as hospitable to a dust mite as the surface of the moon is to humans!

• Why do you use a stain and a varnish? Why not use a coloured varnish?

We get asked this a lot. If you visit your local DIY super-mega-store, a lot of the floor varnishes on offer have a colour included, such as teak or oak. The advantage of this is basically time and convenience during application. The disadvantage is that, with each coat you apply, the colour changes and darkens. You are guessing what the final appearance will be. More importantly, as a coloured varnish wears with traffic, the colour starts to be affected immediately. With our process, the seal is protecting the wood and the colour stain, ensuring that the stain remains the same for many years. When we get to the staining stage, we can apply 2 or 3 different options to a small section of the floor for you to choose from. We simply sand these samples off once you have decided and apply your choice.

• Who pays for parking facilities?

If the parking facilities in your area are free of charge, we kindly ask you to secure parking space for a SWF vehicle in front of your property and if necessary, provide us with a valid, temporary parking permit. If it is not possible or convenient for you to make the necessary parking arrangements, the relevant parking fee will be added to your bill. SWF covers congestion charge fees in case you are based within London congestion charge areas.

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Our Floor Sanding Services are 98% Dust Free !

EAST LONDON AND CENTRAL LONDON EC1 Shoreditch EC2 Bishopsgate EC3 Fenchurch Street EC4 Fleet Street -------------------------------- WEST LONDON AND CENTRAL LONDON WC1 St Pancras WC2 Strand -------------------------------- NORTH LONDON FLOOR SANDING N1 Islington N2 East Finchley N3 Finchley N4 Finsbury Park N5 Highbury N6 Highgate N7 Holloway N8 Hornsey N9 Lower Edmonton N10 Muswell Hill N11 New Southgate N12 North Finchley N13 Palmers Green N14 Southgate N15 South Tottenham N16 Stoke Newington N17 Tottenham N18 Upper Edmonton N19 Upper Holloway N20 Whetstone N21 Winchmore Hill N22 Wood Green -------------------------------- NORTH WEST LONDON FLOOR SANDING NW1 Camden NW2 Cricklewood NW3 Hampstead NW4 Hendon NW5 Kentish Town NW6 Kilburn NW7 Mill Hill NW8 St John's Wood NW9 The Hyde NW10 Willesden NW11 Golders Green -------------------------------- EAST LONDON FLOOR SANDING E1 Wapping E2 Bethnal Green E3 Bow E4 Chingford E5 Clapton E6 East Ham E7 Forest Gate E8 Hackney E9 Homerton E10 Leyton E11 Leytonstone E12 Manor Park E13 Plaistow E14 Poplar E15 Stratford E16 Victoria Dock E17 Walthamstow E18 Woodford -------------------------------- WEST LONDON FLOOR SANDING W1 Westminster W2 Paddington W3 Acton W4 Chiswick W5 Ealing W6 Hammersmith W7 Hanwell W8 Kensington W9 Maida Vale W10 North Kensington W11 Notting Hill W12 Shepherds Bush W13 West Ealing W14 West Kensington -------------------------------- SOUTH EAST LONDON FLOOR SANDING SE1 Southwark SE2 Abbey Wood SE3 Blackheath SE4 Brockley E5 Camberwell SE6 Catford SE7 Charlton SE8 Deptford SE9 Eltham SE10 Greenwich SE11 Kennington SE12 Lee SE13 Lewisham SE14 New Cross SE15 Peckham SE16 Rotherhithe SE17 Walworth SE18 Woolwich SE19 Upper Norwood SE20 Anerley SE21 Dulwich SE22 East Dulwich SE23 Forest Hill SE24 Herne Hill SE25 South Norwood SE26 Sydenham -------------------------------- SOUTH WEST LONDON FLOOR SANDING SW1 Belgrave SW2 Brixton SW3 Chelsea SW4 Clapham SW5 Earls Court SW6 Fulham SW7 South Kensington SW8 South Lambeth SW9 Stockwell SW10 West Brompton SW11 Battersea SW12 Balham SW13 Barnes SW14 Mortlake SW15 Putney SW16 Streatham SW17 Tooting SW18 Wandsworth SW19 Wimbledon SW20 West Wimbledon -------------------------------- GREATER LONDON FLOOR SANDING -------------------------------- BROMLEY FLOOR SANDING BR1 Bromley BR2 Keston BR3 Beckenham BR4 West Wickham BR5 St Mary Cray BR6 Orpington BR7 Chislehurst -------------------------------- CROYDON: CR0 Croydon CR2 South Croydon CR4 Mitcham CR5 Coulsdon CR7 Thornton Heath CR8 Purley CR9 Croydon -------------------------------- DARTFORD FLOOR SANDING DA14 Sidcup DA15 Bexley DA16 Welling DA17 Belvedere -------------------------------- ENFIELD: EN1 Enfield EN2 Enfield Town EN3 Ponders End EN4 Cockfosters EN5 Barnet -------------------------------- HARROW FLOOR SANDING HA0 Wembley HA1 Harrow on the Hill HA2 Harrow HA3 Wealdstone HA4 Ruislip HA5 Pinner HA6 Northwood HA7 Stanmore HA8 Edgware HA9 Brent -------------------------------- HERTFORDSHIRE FLOOR SANDING Baldock Berkhamsted Bishop's Stortford Borehamwood Cheshunt Harpenden Hatfield Hemel Hempstead Hertford Hitchin Hoddesdon Letchworth Garden City Potters Bar Rickmansworth Sawbridgeworth Stevenage St Albans Tring Ware Welwyn Garden City -------------------------------- ILFORD FLOOR SANDING IG1 Ilford IG2 Gants Hill IG3 Seven Kings IG4 Redbridge IG5 Clayhall IG6 Barkingside IG7 Hainault IG8 Woodford Green IG11 Barking -------------------------------- KINGSTON UPON THAMES FLOOR SANDING KT1 Kingston KT2 Norbiton KT3 New Malden KT4 Worcester Park KT5 Berrylands KT6 Surbiton KT9 Chessington -------------------------------- ROMFORD FLOOR SANDING : RM1 Romford RM2 Gidea Park RM3 Harold Wood RM4 Havering-atte-Bower RM5 Collier Row RM6 Chadwell Heath RM7 Rush Green RM8 Becontree Heath RM9 Becontree RM10 Dagenham RM11 Emerson Park RM12 Hornchurch RM13 Rainham RM14 Upminster -------------------------------- SUTTON FLOOR SANDING SM1 Sutton SM2 Belmont SM3 Cheam SM4 Morden SM5 Carshalton SM6 Wallington -------------------------------- TWICKENHAM FLOOR SANDING: TW1 Twickenham TW2 Whitton TW3 Hounslow TW4 Hounslow West TW5 Heston TW6 Heathrow TW7 Isleworth TW8 Brentford TW9 Richmond TW10 Ham TW11 Teddington TW12 Hampton TW13 Feltham TW14 Hatton -------------------------------- UXBRIDGE FLOOR SANDING : UB1 Southall UB2 Norwood Green UB3 Hayes UB4 Yeading UB5 Northolt UB6 Greenford UB7 West Drayton UB8 Uxbridge UB10 Hillingdon -------------------------------- OTHER AREAS: AL - St Albans FLOOR SANDING BR - Bromley CM - Chelmsford FLOOR SANDING DA - Dartford FLOOR SANDING HP - Hemel Hempstead LU - Luton FLOOR SANDING SG - Stevenage WD - Watford FLOOR SANDING -------------------------------- Avon FLOOR SANDING Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire East Sussex Essex FLOOR SANDING Hertfordshire FLOOR SANDING Kent FLOOR SANDING Middlesex FLOOR SANDING FLOOR SANDING LONDON Oxfordshire FLOOR SANDING Surrey FLOOR SANDING West Sussex FLOOR SANDING  

 

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