Case Study Chetzeron Case Study Chetzeron - Wincheter Hardwood Flooring Hardwood Flooring Sales, Installation, Repairs & Refinishing in Winchester, UK 10/23/2025

Chetzeron, Crans-Montana

The Swiss Alps

Designer - Pasfield & Park Interiors

The brief was to supply a floor for an exclusive Swiss hotel that would look exactly the same on opening day as it would after many seasons in a ski resort. .

Dated October 2009, the specification called for a distressed timber floor suitable for installation over underfloor heating, capable of withstanding fluctuating moisture conditions, and backed by a full guarantee. This was no small challenge and one that could only be undertaken with confidence in the proven reputation of Cathedral Flooring. A series of samples with specialist finishes were prepared and submitted for approval, making this an especially interesting project to be involved in

The client selected our Cathedral 200 mm face board, supplied sanded but unfilled, to be finished on site with black filler, hand-distressed and coloured. We were also asked to recommend installers willing to travel to Switzerland to both fit and finish the floor. The project became a collaboration between The Heated Hardwood Flooring Company, Winchester based and Unique Refurbishment from Exeter. Costings were submitted and the installation was scheduled for September. Materials were exported to Switzerland three weeks ahead of the planned installation. However, just one day before the fitting team were due to travel, they were informed that the project was running behind schedule and the installation had to be postponed. It was rescheduled for late October, leaving only a narrow window before the first snowfall. Any further delay would have made access difficult and working conditions far less favourable. The vans were loaded and the team set off on Thursday night, unaware of just how demanding the installation would become.

On arrival at the site on Saturday morning, the first setback became apparent. The floor was to be installed over underfloor heating set into screed, which required 6 mm plywood to be bonded to the screed before the flooring itself could be fixed. Although the client was responsible for supplying the plywood, it had not arrived. This meant waiting until Monday morning for the timber merchants to open, resulting in a loss of valuable time.The second setback was more concerning.

The flooring had been delivered and left outside the building, inadequately protected from the weather. Rain had penetrated torn packaging, creating a worrying situation. The weekend was spent bringing the boards inside, laying them out to assess the damage and allowing some time for drying. While several boards were water-stained, there was no distortion. A difficult decision had to be made: abandon the installation or proceed with timber carrying elevated moisture levels. Fortunately, the staining itself was not critical, as the planned distressing and colouring would disguise much of it. With the opening date fixed, postponement was not an option. The client was advised that responsibility would rest with them should the floor fail in the future.

The saving grace was the installers’ long experience with Cathedral flooring and their confidence in its performance. Six days had originally been allocated for the installation, but by Monday morning two had already been lost. To recover the schedule, work began at 7 a.m. and continued until midnight on Monday. Tuesday started again at 7 a.m., followed by overnight work with just two hours’ sleep, finishing at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. By the end of this gruelling shift, 120 m² of flooring had been fully laid, distressed, coloured, and given its first coat of oil.

The plan was simple: apply the second coat of oil on Thursday morning and begin the long drive home. However, one final challenge awaited. A plastic sheet had been installed to separate the bar area from the restaurant, where dry lining was underway. Overnight, the protection had been removed and the dry-liners had sanded jointing compound, covering the oak floor in fine white dust while the oil was still curing. The only solution was to hand-scrape the affected surface to remove the contaminated oil and then re-oil the entire area.
This meant another long, exhausting day and a late departure home.

The Conclusion

Despite every obstacle, the floor was completed and looked exceptional. The clients were delighted, achieving exactly what they had envisioned: a floor that felt new yet carried the character and appearance of age. Most importantly, the floor endured—and continues to do so to this day.