What Lies Beneath, The Importance of Thorough Floor Inspections Before Sanding and Sealing

When quoting for wood floor sanding and sealing, it’s not uncommon to encounter a scenario where the customer’s beautiful hardwood floors are hidden beneath a layer of carpet, lino or even carpet tiles (Trust me, I’ve seen carpet tiles glued straight over 5 finger teak mosaics before!)

At first, glance, pulling up just a corner of the carpet might reveal what appears to be a pristine, well-preserved floor, still a little dull and tiered in need of some tlc, leading both you and the customer to believe that the job will be straightforward and a standardised quote.

However, this assumption can lead to very many costly mistakes, unexpected delays, and dissatisfied clients. The truth is, what lies beneath can be full of surprises—some of which may turn a simple sand and seal job into a much more complex and time-consuming project. 

The Dangers of a Partial Inspection 

Many customers are eager to have their wood floors restored and may even assist by pulling up a corner of the carpet to show you what’s underneath. While this gesture is well-intentioned, it often gives a misleading impression of the floor’s overall condition. What’s visible in one corner may not be representative of the entire floor. Hidden issues, only revealed when the entire carpet is removed, can include: 

Mismatched Wood Species or Grades: Over the years, repairs or extensions to the floor may have been made with different types of wood or grades and species, which can affect the consistency and appearance once sanded and sealed. Many lacquers and primers in the uk market rely on bringing the natural tone out of the wood once applied, and an oak block can stick out like a sore thumb in amongst a crown line of Panga Panga. You might find a patchwork of wood species that require different sanding approaches or even a complete replacement of certain sections.  

Carpet and Adhesive Residue: One of the most common and frustrating problems is adhesive residue left behind from the carpet and underlay spray. This sticky substance can be hard to remove and may clog up your abrasives, significantly increasing the time and cost of the job. In some cases it is best to have a Diamabrush Softwood tool on the van that used to remove this type of residue without clogging up abrasives. Or something similar without damaging the wood. 

Severe Damage and Repairs: Floorboards hidden beneath carpets can sometimes have severe damage that’s not immediately visible. Water damage, rot, or deep gouges may necessitate more extensive repairs than initially anticipated. These issues can go beyond simple sanding and may require board replacement, extensive filling or replacing of the floor entirely. With this being the case sometimes your best option is to know when to say no and if the replacements are small enough try and find an inconspicuous aread you can remove and replace boards from. 

Loose or Unstable Parquet Blocks: For parquet floors, the stakes can be even higher. If the subfloor has issues, such as moisture or structural instability, entire sections of parquet blocks can become loose. This situation requires not just sanding and sealing but also re-laying parts of the floor—a process that is both time-consuming and labour-intensive. Some blockwork floors have in the past been laid on a bitumen base, which, as a wood floor sander, we are finding the bitumen is breaking down over time, making these loose blocks more common. Keeping a suitable adhesive that works well with bitumen bases is great to have on the van, but only for patch repair! There are other ways to stick down larger areas that we will dive into in another blog post.  

The Solution: Conducting a Comprehensive Site Survey 

To avoid these pitfalls, a thorough site survey is essential. Here’s how to ensure you uncover all potential issues before providing a quote: 

Insist on Full Carpet Removal: Before you provide a final quote, it’s crucial to request that the entire carpet be removed. This allows you to inspect the entire floor surface and identify any potential problems. If the customer is hesitant, explain that this step is vital to avoid unexpected costs and delays later on. Another option for this is to put in your t’s and c’s about not being liable for any additional costs towards quoting for sand and seal without seeing the whole floor.  

Assess the Subfloor: Particularly with parquet or engineered wood floors, it’s important to check the condition of the subfloor. Look for signs of moisture, unevenness, or damage that could affect how stable the floor above is. A quick knock around the parquet block over the floor to get a feel for the loose blocks can save you time on the job and help you prepare for the work and load on the van what is needed. Moisture meter readings are crucial too to find out the cause or possible damp weather it is residual moisture. 

Detective Work: Engage with the customers and ask about the history of the floor. Have there been any previous repairs? Were there any known issues with the subfloor? The more information you can gather, the better prepared you’ll be to address any surprises. This can sometimes come across to your customer a bit like an interrogation, but it is about extracting the information and keeping your client’s best interests at heart and their expectations to an agreeable level. 

Prepare for the Unexpected: Even with a thorough inspection, some issues may only become apparent once work begins. It’s important to build a contingency plan into your quote and timeline, allowing for the possibility of additional repairs or more intensive cleaning. It is also important to have tooling and equipment on the van that can help get you out of sticky situations, for instance. Always have low grits for the belt sander. It is never known when you’re gonna need that 24 grit. But best to have it. Diamabrush wood tool. For those carpet adhesive sets that save you money on boxes of abrasives. Adesvies, A solvent-based adhesive that reacts with bitumen bases in the instance that you have loose blocks. Hand tools and a drill. For those pine boards that you need to remove, replace, or fix back down.  

I always remember a job that I completed a few years back. A pine floor was not covered in carpet. But a thick paint. Once it was sanded back in the middle of the floor, there were brand new pine boards running along older ages pine boards. Which would have shown up and looked out of place in the final piece. We had no choice but to involve the customer in the discovery and explain that the outcome that the customer had expected had now changed thanks to this finding.  

When quoting for a wood floor sanding and sealing job, never underestimate the importance of a full inspection. What lies beneath that seemingly perfect corner of the carpet can turn a simple project into a complex challenge. By taking the time to thoroughly inspect the entire floor and engaging in a bit of detective work, you can avoid costly surprises and ensure that both you and your customer are satisfied with the final result by preparing for the worst. Remember, in the world of wood floor restoration, it’s always better to uncover the truth early than to deal with the consequences later.