Enter Percy & Founders, an up-market restaurant in Fitzrovia, London, and one is suffused in the warmth of Oak. It’s everywhere! The ceilings, floors, pillars and much of the furniture have the same fawn-coloured timber occasionally relieved by marble and other ceramics. Whilst the ceiling has parallels of plank, the floors contrast with over-sized parquet.
The restaurant opened in 2015 in a new development. One of the problems of new builds is the extensive use of concrete. Being a water-based medium, it takes time to dry and, as we know, damp is no friend of wood. The other problem in new constructions is the host of subcontractors involved: plasterers, plumbers, electricians and so on. These people have to work to the project manager’s plan. In addition, the timber, and there would be plenty of it, has to be stored in areas not always convenient for some of the trades working there.
The hardwood for the floor was supplied by The Solid Wood Flooring Company, a family run business and a leader in its field. It manufactures hardwood flooring products from exclusively ecological forests from around the world. Lightly fumed and smoked square edged Oak parquet with a raw timber finish was supplied for the floor.
The fitting was completed by HS Wood Flooring who were brought into the project by London Interiors. Tim Hobern, managing director of HS Wood Flooring, recalls a tricky project that went well and pleased the restaurant owners. “The timber was left to acclimatise for three weeks before we could start but during this period we attended the Project Manager’s meetings to ensure we worked hand in glove with the other trades and to make sure they complied with our needs. Those three weeks also gave us time to build a team of trusted people. The ceramic areas were fitted first and we had to lay the parquet blocks so they not only butted up perfectly with each other and the ceramics but work harmoniously with the overall floor pattern”.
Although the supplied wood had already been treated, HS Wood Flooring applied its own hard wax oil to give additional protection to a floor that would take a lot of punishment over the coming years.
