Family-run business Chaunceys Timber Flooring has opened its new showroom in Bristol after relocating to a bigger premises, and CFJ’s assistant editor, Harriet Whitaker, was on hand to find out more.

Members of the industry were invited to the grand opening of Chaunceys’ new premises on Thursday 13 October 2022. More than 40 guests attended the event including interior designers, architects, builders, property developers, specifiers and floorlayers. The company has been supplying sustainable timber flooring to homeowners, architects, design and construction companies and interior designers since 1988.

The move was reportedly much-needed after running several buildings across the city, says the company. ‘It’s much better now we’re all together under one roof,’ the company added. ‘The warehouse and the production team are based at the back of the building so everything is in the same place and clients can watch their products and bespoke designs being developed. It also enhances the relationships of the company to feel the family bond.’

The day consisted of an in-depth tour of its factory and production line at the back of the showroom and the journey of its wood flooring. Chris Tomlinson, sales director of the company acted as tour leader and took the attendees round each part of the development process of its products. The tour consisted of how the company treats the wood and develops it into its planks as well as showing the processes to ensure the quality of their products are produced to a high standard across four different stations.

Station one consisted of how they source raw materials and import them from Poland/Eastern Europe, station two, Chris explained about the process of sustainability requirements the company adhere to, station three consisted of the acclimatisation process and station four highlighted the thorough process each plank goes through to ensure they’re at the highest quality for their customers.

Attendees of the day were shown new machinery in operation portraying the development of applying and treating the wood within selected areas of the warehouse element of the building.

After the tour, attendees were given sweet treats and beverages and the opportunity to network before being introduced to JoJo Barr of House Nine Design where a Q&A session took place and Ian Tomlinson, managing director of Chaunceys acted as host. JoJo and Chaunceys have a great working relationship, and in her presentation, she explained she uses the company as a supplier for her regular projects she carries out for her clients. Also mentioned was her social media presence and how she acts as an online influencer for using Chaunceys’ products.

There were also live demonstrations taking place involving floor finishes. The company’s marketing executive, Tim Huffadine, showcased several of their in-house crafted finishes and applied them onto their unfinished oak, each one portraying a different colour. Tim also investigated by mixing different finishes together to create bespoke new colours. He explained how he does this regularly inhouse to create new aesthetic finishes to use on their planks once manufactured.

Chaunceys also presented its case studies showcasing examples of commercial and residential settings where its product has been installed, one client of which was the Newt, based in Somerset. Chaunceys flooring, specifically the Dutch Elm product from the company’s elm collection was recently used to fitout the Garden Café based in the prestigious hotel.

Marketing manager Clare Trigg was asked overall how they felt the day went. She said: ‘It’s great to see a mixture of people, meet some of our clients and see them first-hand because I don’t normally get to do that because I’m not sales. It’s nice to hear that people have enjoyed themselves and hear they found the tour interesting. There’s much time and effort gone into creating the space we have today, and it’s paid off. Since working here myself since last autumn, you realise there’s much to learn and people are passionate about it.’

Floorlayer Adam Lisowski of Hardwood Flooring Specialists was among those who attended the event. When asked why events like this are important to floorlayers who’re just starting out, he responded, ‘It’s very important to have an insight to see how the product we lay is made, to see the quality and how it’s being stored, because then we have the assurancewe’re using the right quality product.’

He added, when asked why Chaunceys specifically, ‘We came across the company by coincidence. Their name was out there and several of our suppliers recommended them to us, so we visited their showroom and it’s amazing. You can feel the floor, you can see the bigger samples in person, you can touch the wood and feel the texture. It’s quite important choosing your perfect floor so whatever your preference, it’s good to have a look at a big sample.’
www.chauncey.co.uk