Floor Sanding & Restoration
A significant share of jobs on London's period properties aren't new flooring at all — they're restoring original wood floors that have been covered by carpet for decades, sometimes in genuinely good condition underneath once the carpet and old adhesive are removed. Sanding strips back years of wear, old varnish and surface damage, revealing timber that's often in better condition than expected, before refinishing with a new stain and protective seal.
Gaps between boards, historically common in older properties, can be filled as part of the process rather than left, and floors with genuine damage — rot, woodworm, boards that have warped — get identified and addressed before sanding starts rather than sanded over and hoped for. The finish choice matters too: a matt or satin seal reads more contemporary, while a traditional varnish suits a period property more in keeping with its age. Restoration is usually significantly less expensive than removing an original floor and installing new flooring, and it keeps a genuine period feature rather than replacing it with something new.
Subfloor Preparation
Whatever the finished flooring, the subfloor underneath determines how well it performs — an uneven or damp subfloor causes problems regardless of how good the flooring material itself is. Levelling compound corrects an uneven concrete subfloor before tiling or LVT goes down; a damp-proof membrane is essential over a concrete floor with any moisture risk, particularly in older properties without one already; and a timber subfloor needs checking for soundness and levelness before anything's laid on top of it.
Skipping subfloor preparation to save time is one of the most common causes of flooring problems appearing within the first year — cracked tiles, a laminate floor that's started to lift, boards that creak more than they should.