When thieves broke into Barugh Green Primary School in Barnsley and stole copper pipes, little did they know that their crime would lead to a floor refurbishment scheme.
Used for a wide variety of activities from morning assemblies to PE classes, the 160m2 hall acts as a central hub for the school and the damage affected everyday life for pupils and teachers alike.
Explains Tim Vaughan, director at A Cumberlidge: “When Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council approached us to assess the damage and ascertain what could be done to save the floor, we knew we had to pull out all the stops to refurbish and restore what is a beautiful hardwood floor finish, with a mix of oak, beech and cedar herringbone blocks.
“Two of our highly skilled team were keen to work on the project as they excel in restoring the integrity of wooden floors.
Continues Tim: “Meticulous preparation is key when working with any floor, but even more so in the case of wooden floors. Mick and Danny used both a belt and orbital sander with several grades of sandpaper from 40 to 120. They then thoroughly cleaned the floor to remove any remaining residue.
“Once the floor was completely clean, they applied two coats of Treatex Hardwax Oil, a product that contains beeswax and delivers an R10 slip resistant surface. This particular oil ensures the finished floor is durable, moisture repellent and easy to clean, a ‘must’ in any educational establishment.”
Danny and Mick from A Cumberlidge applying the Treatex Hardwax Oil
Waiting for the second coat of Treatex Hardwax Oil to dry!
Adds Tim: “As Mick and Danny were in the process of preparing the floor, they spotted a corner of a storage area covered in furniture. Within this room was a ‘missing’ section of wood block, only a small area and not in public sight, but the lads had three choices:
- Ignore it, sand and reseal (the easy option!)
- Source identical wood blocks (a discernible additional cost to the client)
- Infill the ‘missing’ area with a cementitious compound, allow to dry and template with wood blocks to run in tandem and create a replica of the existing, surrounding floor
“Needless to say Mick and Danny chose option 3 and you can see, below, how they delivered an intricate repair that you would be hard-pressed to guess was real wood block or compound!”
The intricate repair in the corner of the store room
Concludes Tim: “To complete operations we asked MJ Courtmarkers Ltd. to apply painted court markings to facilitate future sports classes. The finished result? A truly stunning floor that is fit for purpose and aesthetically pleasing. It will last for many years and continue to be a valuable school asset.”
The finished result, complete with line markings – stunning!
