“The details are not the details. They make the design.” Charles Eames
Floor sanding and wood restoration in London, Surrey and South East
I am Toby Newell, your helpful floor restoration specialist with over 28 years experience in floor sanding, wood finishing and restoration.
My family have been wood finishing since the early 1900’s and I have a genuine interest and enthusiasm for my job. I specialise now in floors, both new and old, from oak hardwood to pine, I also enjoy working on old and very old period properties.
I am based in Surrey and work both here, in London and the home counties. Occasionally my work takes me further around the UK and once in a while over the sea. I make every effort to travel, where possible, far from my Surrey base.
Clients I have worked for
Services offered
I work with all types of wooden floors from period pine floor boards to modern engineered oak planks and parquet. My machines are almost dustless and I aim to leave properties at least as clean as I found them. The services I provide include:
- Floor sanding, staining, colour matching and lacquering
- Listed and period floor repair including careful hand sanding
- Traditional oiling, waxing, shellacking and liming
- Hardwood, reclaimed and engineered wood floor installation
- French polishing, wood finishing and antique restoration
- Commercial floor sanding and wood finishing
- Furniture making
Being flexible is important. I work evenings, weekends and bank holidays to minimise disruption and aim to be helpful wherever I can.
To arrange a free viewing or estimate please call, 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday 10am to 8pm Sunday
Mobile 07967 157605
click to email me at: tajnewell@gmail.com
Please see Contact Us page for the information that would be most useful for me to give an accurate estimate or quote.
Small but perfectly formed
Most of the time I work by myself. If I require help on larger or commercial jobs I use experienced colleagues who are also my good friends. I do not use sub contract labour.
By undertaking the work myself or with trusted friends ensures all my jobs are completed to the same high standard. It is very rare we are required to snag or be called back.
Being naturally diligent, honest and hard working we can offer excellent value for money. We do not currently charge VAT.
Pine floors repaired using reclaimed timber
I always use reclaimed timbers for pine floor repairs. Edwardian, Victorian, Georgian and older floors can be hand sanded using smaller less powerful machines. This gentler process preserves as much original patination and character as possible.
Unique expertise in wood floor staining
Having trained and worked for many years as a professional French polisher and wood restorer I am lucky enough to be able to mix all my own wood stains. This means you don’t need to settle for whatever limited colour choice the shop sells.
I can mix pretty much any colour you want, using my colour box, and decades of practice. Even so, it’s still frequently challenging and therefore very rewarding.
Skilled colour matching of (sometimes) invisible floor repairs
Being a French polisher also means I can often colour match replaced timber, because that’s a large part of what polishers do. Can you spot the 10 new English oak boards from the 100 year old originals? I used 7 different colours to blend them in.
Transparent totally natural looking stains expertly applied
All the floor examples below were stained using a traditional process going back over a century. By adding subtle transparent tints in shellac layer by layer the floor stains look totally clear and natural.
This technique can help avoid some of the patchiness which softer pine is prone to. Light tints work best.
Sealing afterwards in a modern water based lacquer gives a smooth, extra matt, matt or satinised hard wearing surface. The shellac underneath imparting a warmth and depth that water based lacquers lack on their own.
For a more traditional effect extra shellac can be applied and the floor simply waxed with beeswax and carnauba. The choice is up to you.
Customers often tell me their floors glow. The effect can sometimes look more like a naturally aged floor and not obviously artificially stained at all. This is what I constantly aim for.
Our other wood finishing and restoration services
Floor sanding isn’t our only skill though. We also restore and finish doors, staircases, tables, kitchen worktops, panelled rooms and more.
To include the French polishing and restoration of antiques, handrails, beams, artwork and very occasionally, lions.
Period property restoration specialist
We are particularly experienced in the renovation and restoration of older period and listed properties. Properties as varied as a terraced house in Hackney, stone cottage in the Cotswolds or manor house in Cumbria.
All receive the same care and attention being interesting and quirky in their own unique ways.
As are landmark buildings including The Palace of Westminster and The Law Society.
Not in the South East? Not necessarily a problem
Sometimes it is hard to find local craft people with the appropriate skills and experience. Based in Surrey and having lived in London for many years much of my work is obviously here. Travelling around the M25 to the home counties is not always a problem.
Do you live somewhere else? I have also worked in Oxford, Cambridge, Gloucester, Norfolk, Wales, Yorkshire, Cumbria, Portsmouth and the Channel Islands. So if you are impressed with what you see please call me on 07967 157605 or email me at tajnewell@gmail.com. I enjoy travelling to new places and will do my best to assist.
I am flexible, staying in a local guest house, BnB or even at your property if you have the space. I am happy to commute up to 200 miles round trip every day depending upon journey time if accommodation is unavailable.
Hand finishing a speciality
Sculpting, scraping and hand sanding of floors for the ultimate finish. Whether very old, original period, reclaimed or even new timbers. Oiling, shellacking and waxing using traditional polishes and waxes.
Do you have original pine, oak or elm floor boards or a new floor that you want to look old? Then sanding and shaping (rolling) by hand can give a timeless traditional aged look. The effect works well with both modern and period interior designs.
We can even help you source naturally slow grown solid English oak or reclaimed timbers. These can be machined in board, strip or parquet form for floors, furniture and all interior woodwork.
No repair too small, or too big
From loose pine floor boards, parquet blocks and strips to restitching hearths, expertly colour and date matched reclaimed timber replacement. Joist levelling, strengthening and replacement including entire sub floor rebuilds and fitting reclaimed floors.
We use pressure treated C24 grade construction timber, high tensile screws and bolts, Finnish spruce WBP rated plywood and flexible high performance adhesives.
Lost head slim shank screws avoid vibration damage to lime plastered buildings, we use traditional cut floor brads and rosehead nails where required.
We use rubber bitumen emulsion glue where appropriate on reclaimed bitumen glued blocks where all the bitumen cannot be removed.
Commercial floor sanding and wood finishing
From The Ritz, The Marriott Grosvenor Square, The Hotel Intercontinental Hyde Park to The Palace of Westminster we have the on site commercial floor sanding experience.
Our large industrial machinery and dust extraction equipment enables us to complete large projects out of hours with minimum down time. Skilled staining and colour matching can give you the look you are after. Our knowledge of high traffic lacquers helps us to provide long term durability, often in excess of 10 years. This results in lower lifetime costs due to reduced need to shut down revenue generating areas and keeps your premises looking good, for longer.
Furniture making and finishing
I also design and make bespoke furniture, restore and finish antiques and modern furniture by hand. I have worked on period antiques by Sheraton, Chippendale and Vulliamy.
Utilising such traditional materials as Van dyke walnut shell stains, rhubarb bleach, waxy button shellac, tung oil, carnauba and beeswax. Traditional pigment colours mixed to match original finishes. Raw Sienna, burnt Turkey umbers, titanic white, vegetable black, rose pink, orange chrome and spirit chrysoidine amongst others.
Author – Toby Newell
French polisher and floor sander with over 25 years of experience in the industry. I started working with my Grandfather in 1986 aged 15. I constantly try to improve my knowledge and skills. Read Materials Engineering in Sheffield and attended the London College of Furniture. Have City and Guilds certificates in both Wood Finishing and Antique Restoration. I specialise in restoring period timber, staining and colour matching. I have published a number of articles on wood restoration and give advice on forums and to people worldwide via email. I always try my best to be honest, open and helpful.