Parquet and herringbone
The work we are best known for. Blocks lifted, cleaned of old bitumen, re-laid where they are missing and sanded flat.
Home Restoration & sanding
Floor sanding and parquet restoration in Wigan
BWFA certified, dust controlled, and done by the same people who lay new floors all week. Most tired floors are one sand away from looking brand new.
See the difference
The same floor, three days apart
What we restore
If it is wood and it is tired, we have done it
Solid plank floors
Oak, ash and pine boards taken back to bare timber, with damaged lengths cut out and matched rather than patched over.
Original pine floorboards
Victorian and Edwardian boards, including lifting and re-fixing where the joists have moved and nails have worked loose.
Stairs and landings
Treads, risers and nosings, hand-finished where the machines cannot reach. Slip resistance is part of the finish choice here.
Churches and schools
Large-area floors on a fixed programme, worked around services and term dates, with commercial-grade lacquers.
Commercial and retail
Bars, shops and offices, usually out of hours so the floor is walkable by the time the doors open.
The process
Five stages, and none of them get skipped
Assess the floor
We lift a board or block where we can, check the wear layer, the sub-floor and the moisture content, and tell you what the floor will and will not take. This is also where we tell you if it is not worth doing.
Repair and replace blocks
Missing or loose parquet blocks are re-laid and matched, damaged boards are cut out and replaced, and the sub-floor is made sound. Sanding over a floor that still moves is a waste of everyone’s money.
Sand with dust extraction
We work through the grades from a coarse first cut to a fine finish, with continuous extraction running throughout. Edges and corners are done by hand so there is no halo left round the room.
Fill the gaps
Fine dust from your own floor is mixed with resin so the filler matches the timber instead of standing out. On floors that move seasonally we use slivers of matching wood, which stay put where resin would crack out.
Finish in oil, hardwax or lacquer
The floor is coated in whichever finish suits how the room is actually used, then left to cure properly before the furniture goes back.
What BWFA certification actually means for you
The British Wood Flooring Association certifies that the people cutting into your floor have been trained and assessed on it — moisture testing, sub-floor preparation, grading, finishing and the safe running of the machinery.
In practice it means you get a moisture reading before we quote rather than a guess, a finish specified for the traffic the room actually sees, and someone who knows when a floor should be left alone. It is the difference between a floor sanded once properly and a floor sanded twice.
Certificate number to be added once the client supplies it.
Finishes explained
Oil, hardwax or lacquer — in plain English
There is no best finish, only the right one for the room. This is the conversation we would have with you at the measure, written down.
| Finish | Looks like | Best for | Upkeep | Repairs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penetrating oil | Matt and natural. You feel the grain. | Living rooms, bedrooms, period floors | Re-oil every 1–2 years in busy rooms | Excellent — spot repair, no full re-sand |
| Hardwax oil | Matt to satin, slightly more sheen | Kitchens, hallways, family homes | Refresh coat every 2–4 years | Very good — blends into the surrounding area |
| Lacquer | Matt through to gloss, a film on top | Commercial, schools, rentals, pets | Nothing for years, then a full re-coat | Poor — scratches show and need the whole room |
An honest answer
Is my floor worth saving?
Usually yes, and usually for less than replacing it. But not always, and we would rather tell you now than halfway through.
Worth saving
- It looks grey, dull or patchy but the boards are sound underfoot.
- Scratches, pet marks and old lacquer that has worn through in the walkways.
- Parquet with blocks missing — those can be matched and re-laid.
- Paint, adhesive or carpet gripper residue on the surface.
Probably not
- Widespread rot, active woodworm, or a damp problem that has not been fixed.
- Engineered boards with a veneer too thin to take another cut — often 2mm or less.
Questions
The things people ask before booking
How much dust does floor sanding make?
Far less than people expect. Our machines run on continuous dust extraction, so the vast majority is captured at the drum rather than left to settle on your skirtings. We still seal doorways off and we still clean up before we leave, but nobody has to move out or sheet the whole house over.
How long does a floor take to sand and finish?
A typical through-lounge or hallway is two to three days. Day one is assessment, repairs and the first cuts, day two is the finer grades and gap filling, and the final day is coating. Parquet with a lot of missing blocks takes longer because the repairs have to be done properly before any sanding starts.
Can we stay in the house while the work is done?
Yes, in almost every case. We work room by room where we can, and the finishes we use are low odour. The one thing we ask is that the finished floor is left alone while it cures — usually 24 hours before light foot traffic and a few days before rugs and heavy furniture go back down.
How many times can a wood floor be sanded?
A solid wood floor or a 20mm parquet block can normally take four to six full sands across its life, which is easily a century of ordinary use. Engineered boards depend on the wear layer: a 6mm top layer will take two or three, a 2mm veneer usually only one very light cut. We measure before we quote and tell you honestly what is left.
Do you fill the gaps between boards?
Where it is worth doing, yes. We mix fine sanding dust from your own floor with resin so the filler matches the timber rather than standing out as a grey line. On floors that move a lot seasonally we will sometimes recommend slivers of matching timber instead, because resin in a wide gap will crack out again within a year.
Is my floor worth saving or should I replace it?
Most are worth saving, and it is usually the cheaper option by a distance. The honest exceptions are floors with widespread rot or woodworm, engineered boards with almost no wear layer left, and floors that have been sanded so many times the tongues are exposed. We will tell you which camp yours is in before you have spent anything.
Send us a photo and we will tell you straight
A picture of the worst patch is usually enough for us to say whether it is a sand, a repair or a replacement — before anyone books a visit.