Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2007 | Page 128

life LOCAL BUSINESS Blowing the recruitment myths out of the water The perfect flooring solution “Hardwood flooring isn’t just for contemporary, modern spaces. It is just as at home in traditional classic settings,” says Nigel Harrison of Goldman Harrison. Thanks to a new showroom, justice is at last being done to the beauty of a range of hardwood flooring. “Our floors are fitted properly, with secret nailing and adhesive techniques,” Nigel says. “I developed this business from boat-building, so anyone buying a floor from me can be assured of real workmanship.” As well as fitting new hardwood floors, Goldman Harrison specialises in restoring old parquet and timber flooring. The company has just completed work at Rookley Manor, restoring the parquet flooring using a box pattern in oak, with walnut centre pieces. “Traditional patterns are very complex,” Nigel says. “The pattern we designed in this case was based on what it was thought to have been like. The original floor had long since been ripped up and replaced with chipboard and the ubiquitous swirly carpet!” Restoration work has also been done at Osborne House, where the company was also responsible for the contemporary look of the flooring for the Visitor’s Centre. So plastic laminated flooring plays no part in Goldman Harrison’s flooring. All the timber is from renewable sources, which is important to many customers. 128 “Unfortunately in the UK we haven’t managed our woodland well, but prices of hardwood have come down because of the supplies coming from countries formerly of the Eastern Bloc. There are huge stocks of hardwood – light oak and character oak – from eastern Europe.” This is just as well: the trend towards wooden floors is unlikely to go away. “The idea of going back to carpets, with all the dirt they harbour, is abhorrent to many people,” says Nigel. As well as being beautiful, timber flooring is very flexible. It can now be installed with underfloor heating, making it an even more luxurious addition to the home. And Goldman Harrison stock some wonderful bamboo flooring. “Bamboo is very hard wearing,” Nigel explains.