Finding the boards in older Soham houses
Lifting a corner of carpet is the easiest way to see what's there. Old pine boards can carry dark stain around the edges, patched sections and gaps between boards, and most of that blends in once sanded and oiled. Terraced houses make up about 21% of Soham's homes, and their living rooms and bedrooms are typical of the floors we're asked to sand.
Before any figure goes in the quotation, Chris, our wooden floor specialist, looks at what your Soham floor is actually made of. Engineered boards can only take limited sanding, and laminate none.
From bare boards to an oiled finish
Chris works across the room with a belt sander and along the skirtings with an edging sander, filling gaps with the floor's own sawdust and Induro Morrells Mix & Fill. A Mirka dust-free sander gives the final pass. We finish in Osmo Polyx oil, clear or tinted, as on the Gold-oiled floor in our Haddenham restoration near Ely.
If you're decorating the room too, we sand first so dust doesn't land on new paint, and touch in the skirtings afterwards.
Soham at a glance
- 15 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 23 minutesOSRM routing
- 15%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 6%date from 1919 to 1939VOA Council Tax stock
- 21%are terracedCensus 2021
- 49listed buildingsHistoric England
- 5,236householdsCensus 2021
How we approach floor sanding
Loose boards are secured and nails punched below the surface so they don't tear the paper. Chris sands from coarse to fine grades, fills gaps with a sawdust mix, and smooths with a dust-extracting sander. Osmo oil goes on in thin coats with drying time between. Doorways are sealed off to keep dust in the room. The full method, products and FAQs are on our floor sanding page.