We were approached by The Chequers Churchill who were commencing a renovation of the country pub in Oxfordshire. Having worked for the owners privately, they knew of our expertise and wanted to explore the options for reviving the limestone floor throughout the restaurant and dining area.
They were keen for our opinion on how the floor could be restored but remain rustic. It has always been a key feature of the property which is described on the website as “a grown-up gastropub with flagstone floors, scrubbed wooden beams, candle-lit antique tables and a well-used dartboard”.
The challenge with older properties is to restore the stone in a way that doesn’t take away its character. The charm of the patina needs to remain. The client was also eager to ensure that the floor wasn’t left slippery or shiny and that it would be easy for them to preserve. There is nothing worse than transforming a floor that will degrade again within a few weeks of opening.
The restoration process that we used, not only lifted the ingrained dirt and evened out the tiles, but it also densified the stone to help make ongoing maintenance easier. Over three visits we used 6 stages of diamond restoration. This began with our biggest piece of kit the Titan and metal bonded discs to level out the floor. The grout was further cleaned by hand and filled where it was missing before the stone could be refinished and sealed.
We were able to plan the work to fit around the other renovations taking place and ensure that it was completed on time and exactly in line with the brief. If you are visiting The Chequers Churchill, we would love to know what you think!
What really impressed me is that Athena Stone gained absolutely nothing from helping me. I wasn’t a customer and they knew there was no job in it for them, yet they still took the time to look at the problem and give me genuinely useful advice.
After the experience I’d had trying to get help elsewhere, that level of customer service really stood out. They went above and beyond for someone who wasn’t even a paying customer, and their advice made a huge difference to us.
Amazingly high quality work and super responsive friendly customer service.
The work done by Dave and his team on our 30+ year old limestone flooring was outstanding. The stone was dirty and very cracked in places and I never dreamt they could make something so old look so good. The resin colour they used was an exact match and the cracks they filled are barely discernible now. The cleaned limestone looks wonderful and fresh. I can't believe what they achieved and couldn't be more thrilled.
Would you please thank Dave and his team - so much - for their outstanding work on our flooring? I can’t believe what they achieved and couldn’t be more thrilled. I never dreamt they could make something so old look so good!
Fantastic experience from start to finish. Outstanding customer service. Can't recommend highly enough.
Top quality service and good value for money. For once I am very happy to pay a bill!
