Floor Sanding Kensington W8 | Parquet Restoration

Why Kensington Clients Choose Us

Floors Worthy of the Address

Restoration-first approach: original parquet and boards in Kensington's period properties are part of the value, so we save them wherever the timber allows
At home in mansion flats and garden-square townhouses: porter liaison, permitted hours, lift protection and spotless communal areas, all handled as standard
Used to working to interior designers' and architects' specifications, with finish decisions proven on your floor as sample patches, never from a chart
The gleaming herringbone in these photographs is our own work: an office floor we sanded and refinished in Kensington
Family-run, with over 40 years' hands-on experience between the directors, same hands on every job

Kensington was a day out for Luke long before it was a workplace. His dad used to bring him up here as a kid to grab some lunch and spot the classic and sports cars the area is famous for, and the fascination never left him. He still walks to jobs here slower than anywhere else in London, and it's nothing to do with the weight of the tool bags.

Before and after of a Kensington W8 office: paint-spattered herringbone parquet transformed by sanding and refinishing — Before & after · paint-spattered herringbone in a Kensington office, sanded and refinished.

What We Do Here

Our Services in Kensington

Parquet Sanding & Restoration

Original block floors are everywhere in Kensington, from Edwardian townhouses off Kensington Church Street to the mansion blocks around Kensington Court, and they respond beautifully to proper restoration. Loose blocks re-bonded, damaged ones replaced with reclaimed matches, then our three-stage sanding process and a finish chosen on a sample patch, not a swatch card.

Period Board Restoration

Victorian and Edwardian boards hiding under carpet in Abingdon Villas or Victoria Road usually come up better than owners dare hope. We repair, gap-fill and refinish with industrial dust extraction throughout, which matters in furnished homes where the books, art and soft furnishings are staying put.

Designer Finishes & Colour Matching

Kensington projects often come with a designer's finish schedule, and we're comfortable being handed one. LOBA's full range applied and colour-matched on-site: invisible raw looks, deep espresso tones, limed and whitewashed effects. We'll match an existing floor elsewhere in the property, or prove a new colour on your boards before anyone commits.

Mansion Flat & Apartment Work

Flats bring rules, and we know them: managing agents, permitted working hours, lift bookings, protection through communal halls. We plan the job around the building as much as the floor, keep neighbours onside, and leave no trace of us beyond the floor itself. And to be straight about it: we are based in Balham, not Kensington, and we cross town for W8 work every month. The postcode has never been the hard part, the parking has.

New Floors, Supplied & Installed

Where there's no original floor worth keeping, or you simply want something new, we source and fit it ourselves: premium engineered oak, herringbone and chevron through our trade accounts, with real samples brought to the property and the wood and workmanship on a single quote. No separate flooring shop, no finger-pointing between supplier and fitter.

Offices & Commercial Spaces

Select commercial work alongside the homes: the herringbone in the photographs above is an office we sanded and refinished right here in Kensington. Boardrooms, galleries and studios get the same craft, scheduled around your business hours so the space is back in use without drama.

Every Quote Includes

Free site visit, fixed written quote, no obligation
Industrial dust extraction on all machines
Public liability insurance, certificate on request
Dust sheets, skirting masking, door seals
Daily clean-down: your home stays liveable
Aftercare guidance for years of good looks

No Obligation

We quote from the floor itself, not from photos. A free visit anywhere in Kensington, and the price is fixed in writing.

Book a Free Site Visit

Try Before You Book

See It In Your Own Room First

Not ready for a visit just yet? Upload a photo of your room and watch the floor transform, your first visualisation is free. Your personal code for ten more comes with your free site visit.

Try the Floor Visualiser

From Our Google Reviews

★★★★★

"I chose Howard Naish because during the initial consultation they were really informative and genuine. They helped me to choose what floor to go with, and were patient with my indecision! They provided samples of the wood so I knew exactly what I was getting. I thought the price was fair and good value. During the installation, I felt completely comfortable giving Luke keys. Luke also helped to tidy the cables away whilst he was installing the floor. I am really happy with the end result. My floor looks fantastic, exactly as I had imagined. The quality of work is amazing. I am happy I chose Howard Naish and will be booking them again for sanding in other rooms."

Vanessa Holden · Google review

Straight Answers

Frequently Asked in Kensington

Our building is in a conservation area, does that change anything?

Not for the floor itself: sanding and refinishing is internal work, so listed-building and conservation rules rarely come into it. What does change is our care with original fabric. Period parquet and boards in Kensington are often part of the property's value, so we restore rather than replace wherever the timber allows, and we tell you honestly when a floor is too far gone.

We're in a mansion flat, how do you handle access and neighbours?

It's routine for us. We work within the building's permitted hours, agree lift and stair protection with the porter or managing agent beforehand, and our dust extraction keeps communal areas clean. Machines are carried in and out each day, and we leave the hallway as we found it. Plenty of our Kensington work is in flats exactly like this.

Can you work to our interior designer's specification?

Yes, and we do it often. Designers usually specify a colour reference or a finish sample, and we match it with an on-site test patch on your actual floor before committing to the final coats. We're comfortable coordinating directly with designers, architects and main contractors, and we'll flag early if a specified finish won't behave well on the timber you have.

Do you only do homes, or commercial spaces too?

Mostly homes, but select commercial work as well. The richly figured herringbone in the photographs on this page is an office floor we sanded and refinished in Kensington. Offices, galleries and shops get the same three-stage sanding process and the same care, usually scheduled around your working hours.

How much dust will there be?

Almost none in the air. Every floor machine runs through industrial dust extraction, so what remains is a light dusting at skirting level rather than a film over everything you own. In furnished Kensington homes we sheet and mask properly as standard, and most clients stay in the property throughout.

Are you on Checkatrade?

Yes, and the reviews are public, both on Checkatrade and on Google. Same name on every job: Howard Naish Wooden Floors Ltd.

You're based in Balham. Do you really cover Kensington?

We do, and we have for years. We're not a Kensington firm pretending to be local: we're a Balham one that crosses town for W8 work every month, much of it for managing agents and mansion-flat refurbishments who want the same two directors on every visit. The distance has never been the problem. Kensington parking is, and we arrange permits and timings in advance so it never becomes yours.

Local Knowledge

Kensington Areas We Cover

All of W8 and the surrounding postcodes including: the garden squares (Kensington Square, Edwardes Square), the Phillimore Estate (Phillimore Gardens, Argyll Road, Campden Hill Road), Kensington Church Street and the streets off it, Victoria Road, Launceston Place and De Vere Gardens, the mansion blocks around Kensington Court and Kensington High Street, Holland Park and Holland Park Avenue, South Kensington SW7 towards the museums, plus the borders with Notting Hill W11, Earl's Court SW5 and West Kensington W14.

Run a business round here? We do commercial floor sanding too, from shops and pubs to schools and offices.

For flats and refurbishments we also supply and fit new floors: see our engineered wood flooring and herringbone floor fitting pages.

Also serving: Balham (SW12), Clapham (SW4), Dulwich (SE21), Wimbledon (SW19), Tooting (SW17), Southfields (SW18), Purley (CR8), Gipsy Hill (SE19), Crystal Palace (SE19), Camberwell (SE5), Streatham Hill (SW2), Brixton (SW9), Sutton (SM1), Battersea (SW11), Chipstead (CR5), Fulham (SW6) and Putney (SW15).

Thirty Seconds, Five Boxes

Tell Us About Your Floor

Leave your details and we'll ring you back to arrange your free site visit.

We're booking about three months ahead at the moment, and a deposit holds your place in the queue. Dates tight? Ring us anyway, cancellations happen and smaller jobs can often be slotted in.

Floor Sanding in Kensington, W8