A two-storey Victorian terrace in Islington, with 45m² of original Douglas Fir running through an open-plan kitchen and hallway — and decades of wear to undo.
The boards had taken heavy foot traffic for years: deep surface wear, scratches, staining and a tired, uneven appearance throughout. The challenge was to restore the character of these period floorboards while preserving as much of the original timber as possible, rather than simply cutting away the problem.

Sanding back, carefully
Working through the grits with professional dust-free equipment, we took the floor back to bare timber and finished with a final sand using 100 grit belts. The aim throughout was to remove the damage without removing any more of the original board than we had to.
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A finish that earns its keep
The floor was sealed with a primer coat and two coats of Junckers commercial lacquer. A kitchen and hallway take more punishment than anywhere else in a house, so the finish matters as much as the sanding underneath it.
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The result
A labour-intensive project that demanded patience and precision, but the transformation speaks for itself — the natural grain and colour of the Douglas Fir brought back, and floors that now look as impressive as the rest of the property.
A two-storey Victorian terrace in Islington, with 45m² of original Douglas Fir running through an open-plan kitchen and hallway — and decades of wear to undo.
The boards had taken heavy foot traffic for years: deep surface wear, scratches, staining and a tired, uneven appearance throughout. The challenge was to restore the character of these period floorboards while preserving as much of the original timber as possible, rather than simply cutting away the problem.

Sanding back, carefully
Working through the grits with professional dust-free equipment, we took the floor back to bare timber and finished with a final sand using 100 grit belts. The aim throughout was to remove the damage without removing any more of the original board than we had to.
![]() | ![]() |
A finish that earns its keep
The floor was sealed with a primer coat and two coats of Junckers commercial lacquer. A kitchen and hallway take more punishment than anywhere else in a house, so the finish matters as much as the sanding underneath it.
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
The result
A labour-intensive project that demanded patience and precision, but the transformation speaks for itself — the natural grain and colour of the Douglas Fir brought back, and floors that now look as impressive as the rest of the property.











