Che Polfliet of Menen, Belgium-based C-Parket has extensive experience doing renovation work, but in the case of Chateau Breuze, a small castle in Tournai, Belgium, he was called to install new floors. “Once in the castle, I saw an opportunity to rescue the original floors,” Polfliet says. The original flooring included French oak but also teak, which Polfliet says is “quite unusual” for that period. He began by cleaning the flooring, then replacing some damaged wood, staining the replacement flooring to match the original patina. Then he “gently removed” the old wax with turpentine and cotton rags by hand. After waiting 48 hours, he then applied a small amount of new wax, waiting 24 hours, and then polished the floor. Because of his experience doing such historical flooring, he says the most challenging part of the job wasn’t any technical aspect but rather convincing the owner and the architect to not sand the floor. “We don’t have a lot of these historical floors,” he says, “So please treat them with respect and keep them in good condition for the next generations.”—K.M.W.
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Che Polfliet of Menen, Belgium-based C-Parket has extensive experience doing renovation work, but in the case of Chateau Breuze, a small castle in Tournai, Belgium, he was called to install new floors. “Once in the castle, I saw an opportunity to rescue the original floors,” Polfliet says. The original flooring included French oak but also teak, which Polfliet says is “quite unusual” for that period. He began by cleaning the flooring, then replacing some damaged wood, staining the replacement flooring to match the original patina. Then he “gently removed” the old wax with turpentine and cotton rags by hand. After waiting 48 hours, he then applied a small amount of new wax, waiting 24 hours, and then polished the floor. Because of his experience doing such historical flooring, he says the most challenging part of the job wasn’t any technical aspect but rather convincing the owner and the architect to not sand the floor. “We don’t have a lot of these historical floors,” he says, “So please treat them with respect and keep them in good condition for the next generations.”—K.M.W.
All Things Wood Floor, created by Wood Floor Business magazine, talks to interesting wood flooring pros to share knowledge, stories and tips on everything to do with wood flooring, from installation, sanding and finishing to business management.
