Hardwood Floor Sanding and Lacquering in Islington

A Faded Exotic Hardwood Floor and a Client Who Wanted It Darker

This Islington home has 54 m² of exotic hardwood flooring. The timber was sound, but the floor had faded and lost its depth of colour. The client didn’t want a straight refresh. They wanted the floor restored to a darker look.

If you’re weighing up a faded hardwood floor of your own, this case study shows how we handled a difficult timber, a client who knew exactly what they wanted, and a plan that had to change halfway through. For more on what we do, see our wood floor sanding service in Islington.

Fading Is Easy to See and Hard to Reverse

The client’s brief was clear: bring back a richer, darker look. The timber made that harder than it sounds.

Exotic hardwoods are naturally oily, and that limits your options. For this type of timber, only alcohol-based or oil-based primers are suitable. That narrows the route to a darker colour, and it means any colour decision has to be tested on the real floor first.

A Floor That Had Lost Its Depth of Colour

The floor was visibly faded. It had lost the depth of tone the client remembered, and they wanted that depth back, in a darker shade than the floor had when we started.

Two Samples, and Neither Was Right

Before committing to anything, we prepared two samples on the floor, working within the primer types that suit exotic timber. It’s how we handle any job where colour matters: show the client rather than describe it.

We compared two primers side by side:

• Pall-X 333, a two-component oil-based primer that Pallmann describes as colour-enhancing, emphasising the colour and structure of the wood. You can read more on its product page.
• Allbase, for comparison.

The client didn’t like either sample. Sampling did its job, though. It showed us, before any commitment, that the standard options wouldn’t deliver the look the client wanted.

When the Standard Route Fails, Change the Plan

That left a decision. We could keep pushing the standard options, or we could find a route to the look the client actually wanted. Partway through the job we arranged additional stains, which isn’t what you’d normally do on this type of finish. We settled on a brown stain, coated with lacquer.

To be transparent, this was an out-of-the-box approach and it isn’t supported by any manufacturer. It was a considered professional call, made because the standard routes weren’t delivering what the client wanted. It isn’t something we’d suggest anyone try themselves.

Sanding, Staining and Lacquering an Exotic Hardwood

1. Sanding. We sanded the full 54 m² of exotic hardwood back to bare timber.
2. Sampling. We tested two samples on the floor, and the client reviewed them.
3. Re-planning. When neither sample worked, we sourced additional stains mid-job to find the right colour.
4. Staining. We applied a brown stain to reach the darker tone.
5. Lacquering. We coated the stained floor with lacquer for protection.

The main risk throughout was an uneven result. Exotic timber has varying oil content from board to board, which can make stain soak in differently and leave a patchy finish. We couldn’t know the outcome until the stain was on the floor. For background, Fine Woodworking explains how the natural oils in tropical timbers affect finishes, and Junckers notes that a wood’s natural resin content can change how colour shows up.

A Rich, Even, Darker Floor, and a Very Happy Client

It worked. The floor came up with a rich, even, darker tone and none of the patchiness we were wary of. The client is very happy, and so are we.

For a similar staining job, see our oak floor sanding, staining and oiling in Hither Green.

Test First, Know Your Timber, and Listen to the Client

• Test on the real floor. Samples take the guesswork out of colour, and here they showed us the standard options weren’t right.
• Know your timber. Exotic hardwood limits which primers you can use, and its varying oil content makes stain results less predictable than on oak or pine.
• Experience matters when you go off-script. An atypical approach carries real risk. It takes experience to judge whether it’s worth taking, and to manage it if it is.
• Listen to what the client actually wants. When the samples missed, we changed the plan instead of defending it.

Faded Floor? Difficult Timber? Let’s Talk First

Have a faded floor you’d like darker, or a difficult timber nobody wants to touch? Talk to us first. We’ll tell you honestly what’s possible, test on your floor where colour matters, and give you a practical plan. Get in touch via our contact page or call 020 3835 2294 for a free, no-obligation quote. You can also see our wood floor staining and finishing service.