White washed engineered oak and period woodwork provides a fresh new look for Victorian flat, Tooting Common SW17
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White washed engineered oak creates a fresh airy look
This top floor vertical flat with stunning views is set over two floors with narrow landings and two long staircases. Our brief was to install the same white washed engineered oak throughout to create a fresh new airy look. The customers chose a quality white washed engineered wood with a lacquered finish from the Natural Wood Floor Company. They preferred wider boards, 160mm wide, to show more of the grains and beauty of the wood.
White washed engineered oak was chosen for this top floor ‘vertical flat’ to brighten it's dark, narrow hallways.
This two-bed Victorian flat in Tooting Common was recently refurbished to create a fresh new look.
The project included a small entrance hallway, the first staircase, the first floor landing, second staircase, the second floor landing and the master bedroom. The customers also wanted us to replace all the architraves and the skirting boards wherever the floor was installed.
The project included a small entrance hallway.
We cladded two flights of stairs and replaced the skirting boards.
We fitted the new engineered oak floor in the master bedroom.
We replaced all the architraves and the skirting boards.
Customers needed stair cladding experts
The customers on this project were a young professional couple with a designer’s eye for detail. Naturally their budget was not unlimited but quality was preferred over cutting costs. This approach was appreciated on such a large, intricate project. They found Fin Wood after a long online search for stair cladding and wood work experts.
Although the property had a large surface area there was limited space as it’s split over two floors. We really appreciated our stackable toolboxes which proved very useful as we could stack all the tools we needed in order to save floor space. Working in such a vertical flat was also a good chance for us to increase our step count, going up and down the stairs with tools and materials!
The customers searched online for stair cladding experts and trusted Fin Wood to deliver the project.
We really appreciated our stackable toolboxes to save floor space.
Achieving a seamless finish
The wide depth of each step presented a cladding challenge as we had to seamlessly join two boards. We developed a special technique that enabled us to join the two boards so seamlessly that it appeared to be one extra large board. We expertly colour matched all the additional profiles and trims again for a seamless, precise finish.
We developed another special technique to fit the boards under the spindles so that it looked like the new floor had been there since the stairs were built originally.
We developed a special technique that enabled us to join the two boards so seamlessly that it appeared to be one extra large board.
We developed another special technique to fit the boards under the spindles so that it looked like the new floor had been there since the stairs were built originally.
As commonly seen in older properties, the walls had been thickened with layers and layers of plaster over the years. Placing brand new straight skirting boards on uneven walls created a craftsmanship challenge. However we successfully used our years of experience to shape the boards to tightly fit the lumps and bumps of the thickened wall.
We managed to shape the boards to tightly fit the lumps and bumps of the thickened wall.
Silent steps
As always we strengthened the subfloors to make sure there was no noise or creaking. This is, of course, especially important in a top floor flat in a Victorian property. We also clad the stringers to strengthen them and to match with the new skirting boards.
After we finished the new floor, cladded the stairs and fitted the new architraves and skirting boards, the clients arranged for the flat to be decorated, happily completing their home renovation.
Location: Tooting Common, SW17