We were delighted to be chosen to fit the new oak engineered wood flooring in an award winning sustainable flat in Kensington, London. Wood flooring is a great eco product (as long as it’s ethically sourced) as it’s sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable. The property is part of a terrace, with a very modern interior style, so we fitted the wood flooring to suit the clean design.
The wood flooring was fitted on the different floors and linked by the stairs which were also clad in oak
The wood flooring was installed in the ground entrance hall, living room and two bedrooms. The two-bed flat was broken into different levels, divided by sets of stairs. In total we clad over 55 steps in oak. More information about our work on stair cladding can be found here.
Some steps were also clad at the sides
The end result is a modern, clean design
The flat had been previously carpeted. As the subfloor was constructed from concrete, the carpet had been glued down. In order to create a level surface, our first job was to grind off sections of the underlay which were stuck to the floor, and even out the concrete.
The concrete was ground down to create a smooth subfloor
All of the steps had to be prepared so they were completely flat
The owners had chosen two different styles of engineered oak flooring. Downstairs we fitted wide 240 mm prime grade boards, while 210 mm natural grade boards were installed upstairs. The alignment of the flooring from the landings to the stairs was tricky but we achieved this where possible. We also created seamless joints from the hall to the tiled flooring in the bathrooms.
The wider prime grade wood flooring and stairs
The natural grade flooring features more knots and colour variation
The wooden floor was fitted up to the tiles in the bathroom
The wood ran from the stairs to the landing and adjoining rooms
We fitted the flooring when the builders were on site, so the work was staggered to fit in with their schedule. The floor was fitted in October and then covered by the builders. Unfortunately, they used Corex to protect the floor, which is not recommended as it doesn’t allow the wood to breathe. Problems were created when they pushed a heavy piano across the floor, as the weight of it caused the lines of the Corex to become impregnated on to the surface of the wood.
We noticed the marks in January, when we returned to the flat to give the floor a final coat of oil. Once we had worked out what the streak marks were, we lightly sanded the damaged area before sealing it with oil. If the floor had been lacquered, we would not have been able to carry out spot repairs. Instead the entire floor would have had to have been sanded and resealed.
The stairs featured mitred edges so the wood flooring fitting seamlessly without the need for nosing and extra detailing
The clean, modern design of the stairs
The owners of the property chose Fin Wood for the job because of our reputation and experience cladding stairs. The owners were very specific in terms of the clean and the crisp look they wanted, and we were all fully involved in the design element of the project.
Location: Kensington, W8
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