& WVL Restore and reclaim 50 FEBRUARY 2009 WYEVALLEYLIFE.CO.UK Restore Reclaim Flooring with history Old flooring, frequently salvaged from large houses or farms, all too often leaves the UK heading for Japan or America, where the customers are very keen to have a piece of British history in their homes. With this in mind, let’s get patriotic and keep these products here, work on them, make them beautiful and create a talking point! ATC have reclaimed and salvaged an old oak floor from the Cotswolds and lovingly cleaned, treated, fitted and polished this 300 year old floor in its new and final home on a prestigious estate in Powys. The old oak was fitted into the historic dining room and has literally overnight become the main feature of the room! ATC Floors and Doors, Monmouth 01600 713036 www.atcfloorsanddoors.co.uk Any old iron When restoring an old period property, hinges, knobs and other fixtures to suit can be difficult to find. Marches Architectural Hardware on the Ddole Estate in Llandrindod Wells have an amazing stock of good quality door, window and furniture accessories; all beautifully presented. Often, the colours in restored properties require specialist paint which gives the chalky finish of the traditional paint methods. Marches Ironmongery also provide Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and The Paint Library paints and wallpapers. These companies work in association with The National Trust and English Heritage producing fine quality paints with interesting finishes and wallpapers which are based on the actual designs found in some of their properties. Marches Architectural Hardware Limited, Llandrindod Wells 01597 823822 www.marchesironmongery.com Reclamation yard Wye Valley Reclamation has a constantly shifting and updating stock of fascinating and variant items. The site is a treasure trove of eclectic items; from garden ornaments, chimney pots, and made to order gazebos to railway sleepers, radiators and doors! You’re sure to find something to stir up your enthusiasm for your home and get ideas for new looks inside or outside your property. Wye Valley Reclamation, Hereford 01432 353606 [email protected]k With concerns for our environment mounting, the reclamation and restoration of used materials possesses benefits beyond their stylish and beautiful worn character. The satisfaction at discovering that unique piece is rewarding, and something bespoke that adds character to your room or an antique passed down the generations, is a very sustainable way of furnishing your home. Reclaimed wood has a character and charm that is impossible to obtain from new wood. Much of the timber used in older buildings came from aged, slow- growing trees, and is of much higher quality than the material from fast- growing plantations that are used today.