Not all wood floors are equal. If a wooden floor hasn’t been installed correctly, it will have a serious impact on its longevity and performance. For our latest project we removed a damaged jatoba wooden floor from a house in Wimbledon, replacing it with a lighter pre-oiled oak floor. The new flooring was fitted in two reception rooms, three flights of curving stairs and the landings. Our clients were delighted with our attention to detail, passion, knowledge and the overall standard of the finished floor.
The newly installed oak wooden floor
The reddish tones of the jatoba timer were discoloured due to sun damage, (click for more information about wood flooring changing colour over time). The boards had also been badly fitted and were nailed to batons as a suspended floor for no apparent reason. This fixing method had caused the wood to shrink, creating draughty, unsightly gaps between the boards. Previous attempts to correct this hadn't worked, as the filler simply moved and cracked. To see our recommended fixing methods, click here.
The jatoba floor is discoloured and features large gaps between the boards
Unnecessary fixing with batons damaged the existing floor
The carpets from the landings were removed, along with all the old wooden floor and skirting boards. All the subfloors were made good - although eventually hidden, it’s vital to fix wood flooring to a sound and level base.
Once the stairs had been exposed, we were able to inspect the structure for creaking, damaged steps. These were either removed or repaired and fixed into place. We also had to remove the bullnose fixings of the stairs which left holes in the vertical stringers on the bannister. These were filled and prepped, making it easier for the decorators to achieve a flawless finish.
Once the old floors were removed the subfloor could be repaired
The exposed subfloor in the main living room
We had three flights of stairs to clad, which amounted to around 40 steps in total. In addition, we removed 12 doors to allow for the new level created by the wooden flooring. Each door had to be removed, trimmed, undercut and then refitted.
The stairs were clad in a modern style, with a seamless join between the tread and riser. We always spend time designing our stairs carefully to achieve the best possible look and functionality. More informations about our stair cladding work can be found here.
With three set of stairs and landings this was a complex installation
The flooring from the landing flows into the stairs
This staircase provided additional challenges as it curved round with small landings in-between. The final riser at the top was fitted in the same direction as the wood flooring on the landing, allowing the stairs to run seamlessly into the wooden floor for a clean, beautiful fit. This is a more complex process, but the attention to detail is evident in the finished floor. The clients were “delighted with the beautiful finished floor” and we were thrilled to have provided an impeccably installed floor that will last for years.
The twisting stairs clad in oak
An aerial view of the stairs and landings
Our glowing Checkatrade review
Location: SW19 Wimbledon, London
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