REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE

We welcome all customer enquiries from the smallest scratch repairs through to large water damaged projects that require removal, disposal, supply and new install of any timber or cork flooring, stairs and decking systems.

No job is too small for us to care and help you with. Sadly customers inform us all the time our completion are only interested in large jobs and do not offer the less costly and more appropriate options only total replacements or fully re sanding their entire home, so it’s no wonder we are required to travel long distances on a very regular basis to help many home and business owners, as well as tenant worried about getting their bond back.

Scratches

In most cases with a maintenance coating scratches can be 100% removed and the floors restored to a like new appearance, which also lengthens the lifespan of the polished or oiled timber and cork flooring. Depending on the age of the damaged finish sectioned off touch ups may also be possible to further reduce the repair expense.

To check if a maintenance coating or sanding back to bare timber is required simply wipe the damaged area over with a moist rag or cloth. If the damage looks worse the damage has gone through the protective coatings into the timber, and if it appears better or vanishes whilst wet the damage is slight and only in the top coating so a touch up or maintenance coat is all that is required.

Most deep scratches can be easily filled with a variety of coloured filling compounds to disguise very well or become almost invisible without having to sand the entire area back to bare timber. Sometimes the scratches and other markings will need to be removed with a special sanding tool back to bare timber and then the section sealed and coated.

Water damage

Moisture, flood and water damage is the number one cause of problems for timber flooring. Once the cause has been detected and fixed timber must dry out to less than twelve percent. Also, if there is cement underneath the timber, tests will be done to ensure it’s moisture content is less than five percent. If the moisture content in the cement is high or likely to get effected again we can use moisture barrier coatings to help ensure the water damage does not occur again, and only then can we proceed with the repair using newly purchased or salvaged timber.

Sun

Sun damage to floor coatings can happen if the direct sunlight through a window continually occurs on a section of inside timber flooring or outside timber decking. Direct sunlight on timber flooring and decking will overtime discolour the coatings and can slowly blister or wear away the coatings to possibly even damage the timber. Sun damage will require sanding the timber floor or deck back to bare timber over a large area to ensure a consistent colour is produced when re polished or oiled.

Renovations

During renovations walls and kitchen benches are often moved, removed or new rooms added leaving an area that is missing timber or cork flooring. If this happens we can source or customise a match to produce a seamless floor that blends in with the old areas.

Recoat and Maintenance Coatings

The maintenance coating system to apply another coating to a timber or cork floor is a totally dustless process and in most cases floors can be used again within twenty-four hours or less. Depending on the amount of foot traffic on a polished or oiled timber floor, stairs or deck and the amount of dirt that is scuffed across it, the average timber and cork floor should have a maintenance coat every five to ten years and decks every nine to twenty four months.

The Maintenance Coating Systems we recommend involves lightly sanding, buffing, chemical washing and applying another appropriate coating containing special anti rejection fluids.

If the original coating wears off a section of your timber floor, steps or decking it may require sanding back to bare timber on a section or the whole flooring area. This full sanding process takes a lot longer, is more expensive, creates some dust and more hassles so it worth investing in some maintenance work from time to time.

Joist Sinking

Older building stumps can sink lower and create dips in the flooring over time. In some cases the joists can come loose from the bearers or stumps and cause a bouncy effect across sections of flooring as it is walked on. Although we can help you fix some of these minor issues, when it comes to large-scale issues we recommend engaging the services of a specialist in this field. They can normally jack up sections of flooring to totally fix the issues.

Noisy Floorboards

If you find that the floorboards are creaking or making noise as they are walked on, the problem would have almost always have occurred from moisture at some point of time. If timber is exposed to moisture it will expand and can pull loose from its nails, screws, sub flooring or base.

The noisy flooring problem can normally be repaired or dramatically reduced by eliminating the movement between the pieces of flooring, ensuring expansion areas are created and refit timber with glue and sometimes nails or screws if necessary. If access is not possible from underneath we may need to take up a section of the flooring to fix any sub floor issues. Gaps and holes can normally be disguised with specially coloured filling compounds that can handle movement without cracking and coming loose.

Termites

It’s no secret how much termites love timber and if found a Registered Pest Controller should be contacted immediately. These days Pest Control Professionals have special equipment to see the heat trails of these tiny monsters to ensure they are no longer present. Once the all clear has been given we can proceed with the repair process.

DIY Disasters

Renovation television shows have given many Home Owners the false confidence to attempt their own home renovation work. Unfortunately the timber flooring often ends up looking very average and does nothing to enhance the look of the house as the secrets are in the skillful details and knowhow.

I don’t think it’s wise to think that you should be a master at everything in life. Another problem that occurs for the do it yourself home renovator is to actually find the motivation and time to properly focus on completing a job once it’s begun as we all need time out to relax and we can sometimes get side tracked with more important things happening in life.

If this sounds familiar call us to get things back on track and save the project, or if you are on a tight budget we may still be able to work together on an hourly rate to move the project along by providing you with a some consultation and advice services to use the correct tools and tricks of the trade.

0416 934 843