Sometimes, on site, we come across well-hidden treasures. No, we’re not talking about chests full of gold coins stashed away by pirates, but these really are rare and valuable finds. We’ll explain it all in pictures.
One day, during our technicians’ first visit to a customer who wanted a new floor covering installed, they noticed while carrying out their inspection – an essential step before any work – that beneath the existing covering lay an old wooden floor on joists. Our technicians’ advice was obvious: the existing parquet had to be salvaged and restored to its former glory.
At the customer’s request, we sanded a small area to see what condition it was in and whether or not it could be renovated.
The test area confirmed our technicians’ choice.
The sanding showed that the parquet was still in very sound condition and had retained all the qualities you would expect from a high-quality solid parquet. The customer gave us the green light to restore it.
For us, these renovations are memorable and exciting events, because they confront us with unique situations in which we never know in advance what to expect, as each of these rediscovered parquet floors is one of a kind.
On this project, most of the work therefore consisted of sanding the wood to remove every trace of levelling compound and restore its natural, untreated appearance. However, a few boards that were too worn to be restored had to be replaced.
Additional challenges
Some projects bring additional challenges, such as repairing the parquet after a wall has been opened up, or carrying out more extensive repairs in certain areas.
To fill the gap between the two rooms, it is best to be able to use the same parquet. We have already been fortunate enough to reuse part of the parquet from the bathroom that had been torn up to install a new bath.
If there is no way of salvaging any parquet, we use new wood of the same species and apply the same finish as on the rest of the room. But even with the greatest care, there will always be a slight difference in colour and appearance.
Hidden treasures – not as rare as you might think…
This kind of discovery is not an isolated case, as these photos of the restoration of an old parquet floor hidden under vinyl show.
On site, our technicians carried out a small exploratory check. They removed part of the existing covering to see what lay beneath: bingo, they discovered a magnificent old parquet floor that could be fully restored.
For greater transparency towards the customer, this step was taken before the quotation was drawn up and before work began.
These out-of-the-ordinary situations are part of what makes us love our trade; they help us grow and make us proud of the work we do.
We’ll share more anecdotes like this in future articles.
In the meantime, if you have a soft spot for old parquet, you should know that one of our suppliers sells parquet boards that are several centuries old and come from historic buildings (e.g. castles or mansions). Other suppliers offer new parquet that looks like old parquet.
If you’re interested, come and visit our showroom!