Shine!

It has been a while since we last wrote a blog entry but every so often there is a new product that we just have to write about. Every since the Domotex trade show last year our directors have been talking about a new ultra high gloss floor from Kahrs. The showroom staff found these hard to imagine from the descriptions given, even the images that Kahrs taunted us with did not show off these floors well enough.

The collection consists of - Ash Black Silver, with a silver metallic finish and black stain; Ash Black Copper, with a copper metallic finish and black stain; Ash Retro, with a rich conker-coloured finish; Beech Bacarat, with a semi-transparent black stain; Beech Opaque, with a semi-transparent white stain; Oak Pearl, with white shimmer; Oak Fumoir, with a distinct lively grain and grey/brown finish and Oak Tabac, with a deep brown finish.


We have since had to Black Copper fitted in our showroom, in a high traffic area to test the durability of the high gloss lacquer. As of yet we are to find a mark on it, even stiletto heals have not made a mark on it (mind you, those stiletto heals are attached to a very petite woman). Until recently the favourite floors of all of our staff have been matt lacquered. We have now been  converted, Shine is now the the first choice for the majority of our staff!

Spring Cleaning

We are coming round to the time of year when we start to think about having a good clear out. It is also a good time to consider giving your hardwood floor the love and attention it needs after a hectic festive period. Whether it is having it sanded or just giving it a bit of TLC yourself, now is the time to get the best out of your floor.

If your floor is still looking in reasonable condition with no scratches, good coat of lacquer and no bare patches, it probably just needs a good clean and some lacquer refresher.

Firstly, hoover the floor to remove any grit. Then use a dry mop or dust mop to pick up any dust that may have settled, allow some time between hoovering and dry mopping to allow the dust to settle back onto the floor. Use a dust mop with electrostatic properties to more easily draw the dust towards it. After dusting use a specialist hardwood floor cleaner such as our E-Zee Clean or Bona's Hardwood Floor Cleaner, both of these are "spray and wipe away" cleaners using no water what-so-ever. Never use water on a hardwood floor as this removes the lacquer over time leading to having to get the floor sanded and resealed. For an extra layer of protection we suggest using a lacquer refresher or polish. A lacquer refresher has a small amount of lacquer that coats the floor giving it a renewed finish and a level of protection. The polish works in a similar way but has to be applied with more care as it can pool and leave marks on the floor. A polish also has to be removed, with polish remover, prior to sanding works being carried out.

We have recently been trying out the Bona cleaning system on our floors in the showroom using the new Bona Spray Mop. Which is a dry mop with built in spray bottle making it easy to clean the floor using one hand. The mop is currently on offer at £25.00 including VAT with spare and different heads and spare cartridges also available. It really does make cleaning our floors quick and easy.