When we arrived in the heart of Epping Forest, unloaded our floor cleaning machines and surveyed the condition of the oiled wooden floor. A knowing looked passed between my partner Tony and me.
We deal with many heavily soiled wooden floors but that old catchphrase {when the going gets tough the tough get going} immediately sprang to mind.
The going would definitely be tough.
The Larder at Butlers Retreat is one of the few remaining Victorian retreats built in Epping Forest. It is a busy hub with many daily visitors and the owner couldn’t afford to have the prestigious Grade II oak framed first floor area out of action for too long.
Wood Floor restoration by sanding was not an option
The dusts created by sanding machines would have meant the entire restaurant would need to be closed.
When an oiled wooden floor loses protection soiling quickly penetrates the surface of the wood. In the middle of Epping Forest and with direct access from the forest to the upstairs dining area, our customer had little chance of minimising the mud that had been tramped in.
The staff’s bold daily efforts to keep the flooring clean just couldn’t cope with the ingrained soiling after the oil protection had worn away from high footfall.
We started work at 8.30am on stage one of the deep cleaning processes. Using controlled volumes of a solution mixed with warm water we emulsified the flooring and machine cleaned it to break down the compacted soiling.
It is essential with wood floor cleaning to minimise the exposure of moisture upon the flooring to avoid any swelling or damage to the wood.
Stages of cleaning oiled oak flooring
Stage 1 heavily soiled oak flooring
Dirty oiled oak flooring
Stage 2 Mechanical Wood Floor Cleaning
Wood floor cleaning process
Stage 3 Freshly Oiled Wood Floor
Brush applied Osmo Hardwax Oil
When an oiled wooden floor loses protection soiling quickly penetrates the surface of the wood. In the middle of Epping Forest and with direct access from the forest to the upstairs dining area, our customer had little chance of minimising the mud that had been tramped in.
The staff’s bold daily effort to keep the flooring clean just couldn’t cope with the ingrained soiling after the oil protection had worn away from the high footfall.
We have perfected our method of cleaning and know exactly the right combination of moisture, chemicals and mechanical cleaning that is required to get the job done safely.
The method of work is tightly controlled and on the heavily soiled wooden flooring we repeated the entire process three times before we were confident that we had cleaned, captured and extracted the maximum possible amount of dirt from the floor.
The staffs at The Larder were great and provided a fantastic lunch, A West-African style peanut and chicken stew, which was delicious and highly recommended.
With our own resources replenished we commenced stage two, neutralisation of the wooden floor to remove any remaining residue from the cleaning process. Satisfied the floor was prepared; with our mechanical drying equipment we dried the flooring ready for stage three.
Stage three, although challenging because the application of the oil has to be measured and even, is a pleasure to reach, especially on a floor that challenging.
Working methodically with the grain of the flooring Osmo hardwax oil was applied by specialist brushes and worked into the bare flooring.
It is important during the application to monitor the rate of absorption as the wood can often absorb oil at varying rates.
When stage three of the task was finally complete it conveniently coincided with closing time and we packed up our kit about 4.30pm.
Not a bad days work and it left plenty of time for the drying period of eight hours before The Larder was due to open its doors again for the next days trading.
