Did you know that you can achieve the look of a brushed wooden floor, without actually brushing the surface of the wood? This is exactly what we did for a project in a Victorian home in Shepherd’s Bush, London. The client was delighted with the end result, especially as our methods make the floor so easy to maintain. “I can’t recommend Fin Word highly enough. Extremely high standard of work, conducted efficiently, politely and extremely professionally.”
Brushing a wooden floor creates a very special effect, but to achieve this look, hard wire brushes are used to scratch grooves into the timber. These run deeper than the surface of the wood, which creates a problem. The deep grooves become a dust trap, and it’s very difficult to remove the dirt. The only way to clean the floor is to remove the deep scratches by sanding the wood down. This obviously removes the brushed effect and results in a thinner wooden wear layer, so is not recommended.
The brushed effect created without damaging the wooden floor
Our bespoke finish with a contrasting white oil
We can achieve a very similar look without resorting to such harsh techniques. Our approach is to pop the grain. This is achieved by applying water to a freshly sanded floor, which makes the grain expand and become slightly raised. The water also opens up the pores of the wood, so it’s able to absorb a coloured oil. In this case we used Osmo 3111, which is white. Once dry, we lightly sanded the floor to remove the white oil on the surface of the wood. This creates a two-tone effect, which enhances the grain, creating a brushed look. A clear oil is then applied to protect the floor and the finish. Our specialist methods don’t interfere with the structure of the floor, so the wood’s longevity isn’t compromised.
The untreated oak parquet wooden floor
Our bespoke finish enhances the oak
For this project we used the technique on an oak parquet wooden floor, which was installed in a herringbone pattern in an open plan living and dining room and an entrance hall. Once we had removed the old carpet, we fitted a 5.5 mm hardwood ply. We always use hardwood, as it’s vital that the subfloor is strong and stable, so it doesn’t move once the parquet wooden floor is fixed into place. More information about the different types of ply we use can be found here.
The old floor covering
Hardwood ply creates a strong and secure subfloor
The large living room didn’t feature one continuous wall. Instead the perimeter was broken up with a fireplace, fitted cupboards, alcoves, doors and windows. The room was also not square, so we had the challenge of fitting the parquet hardwood blocks in perfect alignment, without having to resort to small, messy cuts of wood.
There were plenty of features around the edge of the room to contend with
The living room with the bespoke oak parquet herringbone flooring
We always like to help our clients with the design features when we install wooden flooring, as we have many years’ experience, so know what will and won’t work. In this instance we advised against an integrated doormat, as it wouldn’t have suited the small entrance.
The small entrance hall with the new oak parquet floor
Wider border fitted around one of the fireplaces
We installed the parquet wooden floor in a herringbone design with a single row border. To help make the decorative Victorian fireplace standout as a focal point of the room, we used wider planks of matching oak to frame it. We were also able to retain the deep original skirting boards, by undercutting them and placing the wood flooring underneath. This means that the essential expansion gap is hidden and there’s no need to use unsightly beading.
Fireplace with a wide oak border
We were able to keep the original skirting boards in place
We also clad a flight of stairs, leading down to the basement, in a matching oak board. Once the carpet was removed, we had to ensure that the stairs were structurally sound, before installing the new oak. On this occasion we used nosing to match the decorative style and features of the period property (examples of more contemporary wooden stairs can be found here). An additional part of our brief was to repair and clad two steps which led down to the office. These had been poorly built originally and were a trip hazard as they were two different sizes. We corrected this by rebuilding them in an equal size and strengthening them to make them safe, strong and secure.
The staircase with the old beige carpet
Removing the carpet exposed the original stairs
The renovated stairs have been completely transformed
The uneven steps were covered in carpet
We reshaped and rebuilt the steps
The steps restored and clad in smart oak
If you would like to find out more about our bespoke flooring techniques or any of our other wood flooring installation work, please contact us.
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