The ChallengeHaving a treasured painting fall of the wall and smash is bad enough, but in the case of one couple in Peterborough, the loss was made far worse by the damage the broken glass and frame caused to the oak floor in the hall below. Thankfully, however, one of Plastic Surgeon’s highly trained Finishers was able to effect permanent repairs to the surface, and match these in with the wider area which totalled more than 30 square metres.

The homeowners, a Mr and Mrs Wright, naturally contacted their insurance provider whose assessor duly called in one of the general building contractors the company uses on a regular basis. It was quickly established that normal carpentry skills could not offer a repair solution as there was no possibility of replacing sections to the oak strip flooring without taking up the entire area. And even then the new sections were likely to stand out from the original due to the amount that daylight streaming through the windows had mellowed the colour.The building contractor, Gelder Construction, had in the past called on the services of Plastic Surgeon with the full approval of the insurer involved, and decided to consult the repair specialist again.

Client: Gelder Group Ltd Sector: Insurance: ResidentialRepairs: Wooden floor repair, oak floor repair, scratched wood

Site: Residential property Peterborough

Plastic Surgeon Case Study:

Gelder Group Ltd

The SolutionThe Southern Regional Operations Manager for Plastic Surgeon, Colin Tommins, takes up the account saying: “When we were called in by Gelder Construction the extent of the damage to the floor was immediately evident. A large heavy painting had fallen from the wall over the staircase and crashed across the hall floor. As well as the initial impact having caused quite deep dents and scratches, the homeowners’ efforts to clear up the debris had left a series of other smaller marks across a wide area.

“With my training from Plastic Surgeon and my background in carpentry I realized that repair was not only possible but would be far cheaper than replacing the 32 square metre oak floor, and therefore submitted a quote for three to four days’ work to put right the damage. Also with Dan Boyes, the Finisher assigned to do the job, we worked out a method of addressing the floor in sections which would allow Mr and Mrs Wright to still be able to access the half dozen rooms and the staircase that led off the hall.”

The approach taken by the Finisher was to treat each of the sections of damage using the specially formulated weld product that all members of Plastic Surgeon’s team carry in their van stock. This acts as a very strong bonding agent for the actual repair which was made using the company’s Premium two pack filler.

After carefully sanding the area back flush with the surrounding floor using a graduation of abrasives, Dan then painted in all the detail of the grain pattern to conceal the repair. Finally the entire surface of the floor – including the cloakroom that the oak strip extended into – was treated with two coats of a wood lacquer, ensuring that whatever angle the sun shines in through the hall windows, the repairs remain unoticeable.

The Result

Colin concludes saying: “Despite the extent of the damage the repair took our Finisher just three days to complete and the client was delighted with the outcome. They said that the floor actually looked better than when it was new.” The repair of the wood floor is typical of the contracts carried out by Plastic Surgeon, not only saving the client – in this case the insurance company – a lot of money, but also greatly reducing the disruption and waste that total replacement would have involved.

Sustainable RepairsAt the same time as providing clients with a comprehensive cosmetic repair service addressing virtually every type of product and substrate, Plastic Surgeon is also addressing important aspects of the sustainability agenda. For while the company’s ethos of ‘repairing rather than replacing’ represents a saving of approximately £3 for every pound spent, this approach also significantly reduces waste going to landfill and therefore helps cut a customer’s carbon footprint.

Blue Waters House, Pottery Road, Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9DSTel: 0845 141 0000 Fax: 0845 143 0000 Email. priority@plastic-surgeon.co.uk www.plastic-surgeon.co.uk

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7.60 kilogramsTotal Landfill Savings for this project: