We recently restored a beautiful original pitch pine parquet floor in a period home in Brixton, South London. Hidden beneath old carpet and years of wear, the reclaimed pitch pine blocks had lost their warmth and colour. Our dust-free sanding and careful finishing brought the floor back to life — revealing the rich, honey-toned grain that makes pitch pine parquet so sought after — while leaving a hard-wearing, natural surface built for everyday family life.
The Challenge
Pitch pine parquet is prized for its density and distinctive resinous grain, but it demands a specialist approach. When we lifted the old floor coverings in this Brixton property, we found a classic parquet laid in a herringbone pattern, with lifting blocks, open gaps, old adhesive residue and decades of ingrained dirt dulling the surface.
Before any sanding could begin, we re-secured loose blocks, filled the gaps and levelled the floor to create a stable, even base. Pitch pine’s hardness and tight grain mean the wrong abrasives can burn or scratch the surface, so we selected the correct grits and worked through each stage of our dust-free Lägler sanding process to protect the character of the original timber.
The Results
Once sanded back to bare wood, the true beauty of the pitch pine returned — warm amber and honey tones running through a tight, characterful grain. We finished the floor with a hard-wearing, natural oil that deepens the colour and highlights the parquet pattern without the plasticky sheen of a heavy varnish.
The result is a stunning, authentic period floor that looks completely at home in this Brixton house — and one that will withstand the demands of busy family life for years to come. Dust-free throughout, the whole project was completed with minimal disruption to the household.
