Granwood Floor Restoration in London

Granwood is a flooring most people have walked on without ever knowing its name. It is a composition block floor, made from a mix of wood and cement-based binders pressed into solid blocks, and it was laid widely from the mid-twentieth century onwards in school and sports halls, churches, drill halls and community buildings. Hard-wearing and quietly handsome, Granwood floors have lasted for decades, but years of footfall, sport and cleaning eventually leave them dull, scuffed and tired. The good news is that a worn Granwood floor can usually be restored, and that almost always makes more sense than replacing it.

The key point with Granwood is that it is not ordinary timber and must never be treated as such. Because it is a composition material rather than solid wood, it sands and seals differently, it has only a limited surface to work with, and it needs the correct seal system designed for composition blocks. Treat it like a normal wood floor and you risk over-sanding away the very surface you are trying to save, or sealing it with a finish that will not hold. That is why Granwood calls for genuine specialist restoration rather than a routine sand and refinish, and it is the difference between a floor that comes back to life and one that is damaged beyond easy repair.

Across London we restore Granwood floors as a single managed job, set out in one fair, transparent written quote. The process begins by assessing the condition of the floor, checking how much surface is left to work with and identifying any loose, lifting or damaged blocks. We then carry out a deep clean to lift years of ingrained dirt, polish and marking, followed by careful sanding and abrading that respects the limited surface and never takes off more than it should. Where blocks are damaged or loose we repair or replace them, and we fill gaps so the floor reads as one even surface again.

With the floor sound and clean, we reseal it with the right finish for Granwood, building up a durable, hard-wearing surface that stands up to heavy, shared use. In school and sports halls we then re-mark the court and game lines, matching the original layout or setting out new markings for the way the hall is used today. The result is a Granwood floor restored to look and perform like new. For sports venues this sits alongside our wider sports hall floor sanding and sports flooring work, and for other timber floors we also offer general floor sanding and full wood floor restoration.

Restoring rather than replacing makes particular sense with Granwood because original composition blocks are hard to source new, and a like-for-like replacement floor is a major cost and disruption. A careful restoration protects the floor you already have, keeps a piece of the building's history in place, and is far gentler on the budget. We carry out this work for school and sports halls, churches, and community and drill halls right across London, the same kinds of buildings we serve through our school flooring and church flooring services.

Why choose us

Granwood treated as Granwood, not ordinary timber.

• ✓Specialist composition-block approach that respects the limited surface and never over-sands the floor.
• ✓The correct seal system for Granwood, not a standard timber lacquer that will not hold on composition blocks.
• ✓Block repairs and gap filling so loose or damaged blocks are made good and the floor reads as one even surface.
• ✓Court and game lines re-marked for school and sports halls once the floor is restored.
• ✓Accredited, qualified contractors: every trade we put on your job holds the right certificates and qualifications for that specific work, including CHAS, Constructionline Gold, CFA membership and SafeContractor.

How it works

Our Granwood restoration process.

• ✓Assess the condition. We inspect the floor, check how much surface is left to work with and identify loose or damaged blocks, then set out the work and a fair written quote.
• ✓Deep clean and careful sanding. We lift years of ingrained dirt and polish, then sand and abrade carefully, respecting the limited surface so the floor is never over-sanded.
• ✓Repair blocks and fill gaps. Damaged or loose blocks are repaired or replaced and gaps filled, so the floor is sound and even before sealing.
• ✓Reseal and re-mark. We reseal with the correct finish for Granwood and, where needed, re-mark the court and game lines ready for use.

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