How do we know if there is terrazzo under the tiles?

We lift one tile in a corner and look. In a Muthaiga house of that age the odds are good, and if the terrazzo is sound then restoring it costs less than a new tiled floor and gives you back the building's original surface.

Our parquet has gaps and some blocks are missing. Is it worth saving?

Usually yes. The timbers used in these houses are not commercially available now, so replacing like for like is not possible. Missing blocks are made up from spares lifted in a cupboard or a corner, which is why we never skip that step at survey.

Plumber in Muthaiga, Nairobi

We cover Muthaiga including Old Muthaiga, Muthaiga North, Thigiri, Muthaiga Golf Club area, Kitisuru Road end. Off Limuru Road and Muthaiga Road. Narrow service entrances mean delivery routes are checked before a load leaves.

What is different about plumbing in Muthaiga

Old Muthaiga houses frequently have original terrazzo hidden under later tiling, and lifting the tiles to restore it is usually the better job.
Muthaiga North reception rooms have original parquet in timbers no longer commercially available, so damaged blocks are re-bedded rather than replaced.
Period Muthaiga thresholds are set to the original floor height, so any thicker modern finish means every door has to be eased.

Flooring in Muthaiga

In most areas we are asked what to lay. In Muthaiga the more useful question is what is already there, because these houses were floored with materials that are simply no longer available.

Look under the tiles

A great many Old Muthaiga houses were tiled over in the 1980s and 90s, and beneath a good number of those tiles is original terrazzo.

We lift a single tile in a corner before quoting anything. If the terrazzo is sound, restoring it is cheaper than a new tiled floor, removes a layer of height at every threshold, and gives the building back its original surface. That is not sentiment: it is the better floor.

Timbers that no longer exist

The parquet in Muthaiga North reception rooms is frequently a timber that is not commercially available today. Replacing damaged blocks like for like is not an option.

So at survey we identify where spares can be lifted (inside a cupboard, under where a fitted unit sat, in a corner that will be covered) and use those to make up the missing blocks in the visible areas. It is the only way to keep a floor of this kind whole, and it has to be planned before anything is disturbed.

Thresholds are set to the original floor

Doors in these houses were hung to the original floor height. Add a modern floor build-up (a levelling screed, an underlay, a thicker board) and every door in the room binds.

Either the finish is kept to the original thickness, or every door has to be eased and rehung. We price whichever you choose rather than discovering it when the first door will not close.

What we are usually called out for in Muthaiga

Terrazzo polishing and restoration Grinding, grouting and repolishing existing terrazzo, usually cheaper and better than covering it. Floor sanding and varnishing Sanding back and refinishing timber and parquet, usually far cheaper than replacing. Floor repair Diagnosing why a floor failed before repairing it, so the repair is not the first of several. Terrazzo installation In-situ terrazzo laid, ground and polished, with divider strips set where the floor actually needs them.

Landmarks we work around here: Muthaiga Golf Club, Limuru Road, Muthaiga Country Club, Aga Khan Hospital. See every floor type priced.