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!
Really happy, both with the quality of the worktop finish (ring marks, be gone!) and with the Athena Stonecare experience overall. Am sure we'll be using them again.
Our whole experience with Athena Stonecare was outstanding from quote to aftercare. We had our marble worktops and travertine floor restored. The settlement cracks on the floor have completely vanished. It has been a pleasure dealing with a firm who cares about it's customers, everyone involved was super polite and helpful. I would highly recommend.
Dave and his team did such a brilliant job restoring our limestone bathroom floors which someone used bleach on by accident. We thought they were ruined but Athena made them look like new again! I would highly recommend them and we will definitely use them for future cleaning and maintenance. Thank you Athena!
I would highly recommend Athena Stonecare, they have done an amazing job on our twenty year old limestone floors, they look better than they did new! Dave and his team were very professional, tidy, trustworthy and efficient.
Excellent, efficient and courteous service . My marble floor looks new and my bathroom walls look amazing. I’m really pleased with the work and the outcome. It only took one day to complete with minimum disruption. Would definitely recommend and will use again and again.
Dave and his partner fully deserve the five star rating. They did a perfect job, on time and on budget. The pool surround which, after 30 years of lime build-up, looked like mud, now, after Dave has worked his magic, looks beautiful again ,showing all the lovely colouring and striations. It’s a joy to see each morning.
