§ Marlow housing types we work in

Flooring fitted for how Marlow is actually built.

Marlow town centre · West Street

Georgian townhouse with basement level — suspended timber on deep voids, multi-floor level changes

Marlow's Georgian townhouses on West Street and the roads off the High Street typically have a basement or semi-basement floor, which means the ground-floor suspended timber sits on deep voids with significant air movement underneath. This keeps the boards dry but produces noticeable flex, particularly across mid-span. Board gaps of 8–12mm and 25mm of level variation across a reception room are standard in these properties. We ply with 9mm structural ply screwed at 150mm centres and fit wide-board engineered oak in a 185–210mm format — the scale reads correctly against the high ceilings and generous room proportions typical of Georgian Marlow.

High Street · Crown Road area

Victorian floorboards over party-wall joists — variable joist spacing, original iron nails

The Victorian terraces close to Marlow's High Street and along Crown Road have original softwood floorboards over joist layouts that vary in spacing — typically 400mm centres but often irregular where repairs have been made over decades. Original cut iron nails protrude and create a surface that cannot be overlaid without preparation. We re-screw all boards to draw them down flush, punch any protruding nails, fill open gaps with a flexible filler, and lay 6mm ply before fitting. Carpet in a 80/20 wool twist is the traditional choice for the bedrooms in these terraces; for ground-floor living rooms, herringbone LVT gives a period-sympathetic pattern without the moisture risk of real wood on a Victorian ground floor.

Bourne End · Well End

1930s solid concrete slab, no DPM, occasional post-war sand-cement screed topping

Bourne End's 1930s riverside development was built on solid concrete slabs at a time when damp-proof membranes were not routinely used. Moisture readings at floor level are frequently elevated — particularly in the rooms closest to the river. We test on every visit and apply a brushed-on DPM where the reading exceeds 75% RH. LVT glued direct to the treated slab is the standard specification for these ground floors: waterproof, flat and dimensionally stable in the humid riverside conditions. For first floors above the original timber joists, carpet on a 10mm rebond underlay gives warmth and sound absorption in the typically compact 1930s room sizes.

Bisham · Little Marlow

Chiltern stone flag and brick cottage floors — uneven, below modern datum, needing grind and self-level

The stone and brick cottage floors in Bisham and Little Marlow's older village properties are among the most technically demanding substrates we encounter in SL7. Original Chiltern stone flags are often laid directly on compacted earth with no screed, creating a surface that is uneven by 20–30mm across a room and that can have individual stones at significantly different heights. We grind proud edges with an angle grinder, fill depressions with floor-grade self-levelling compound built up in 10mm lifts, and apply a surface DPM before fitting. Glue-down LVT in a stone or aged-wood finish works well in these cottages — it sits flat on an irregular plan and its waterproof construction means historic moisture from the stone base is not a problem in service.

§ Questions we get asked in Marlow

Common questions from Marlow customers.

Our Georgian townhouse has original floorboards — can we keep them and still have a fitted floor over the top?

Yes — overlaying original boards is the standard approach for Georgian Marlow properties. We ply over them rather than lifting them, which preserves the original floor and creates a flat, stable deck for the new product. The ply adds 9mm to your floor level, which we factor in at the home visit when measuring door clearances and existing threshold heights. We won't recommend lifting original boards unless there is a specific structural reason to do so.

Does Bourne End's location near the river mean we need special flooring?

Not necessarily a special product, but it does mean careful testing first. We measure moisture with a calibrated hygrometer at the visit — if the reading is within range, standard glue-down LVT proceeds normally. If it's elevated, we apply a DPM at no additional charge and proceed with the same product. We will not fit solid wood, laminate or floating click LVT over a concrete ground floor in a riverside Bourne End property without confirming moisture is at an acceptable level first.

Can you cover stone flag floors in our Bisham cottage without raising the floor height significantly?

Self-levelling compound adds 6–15mm depending on how uneven the flags are; the LVT itself adds a further 5mm. A total build-up of 10–20mm is typical in these cottages. We measure the door threshold heights and existing skirting at the home visit, advise on whether any doors need trimming, and include that in the fixed price. In most cases a glue-down LVT at 5mm is the thinnest practical solution that gives a flat, stable result over original stone.

Marlow
Flooring Fitters.