I'm Darren Forrestal. I founded Forrestal Flooring in 1997 and run it today with my brothers Carl and Phillip — laying, restoring and finishing hardwood floors across Sussex, Surrey and East Hampshire. The same family team on every job from survey to handover.
No subcontractors · No salespeople · Family-run since 1997
Darren Forrestal founded Forrestal Flooring in 1997. Almost three decades on, the operation is still deliberately small and still family-run — Darren on site alongside his brothers Carl and Phillip, all three skilled floor-layers, and Darren's wife handling the admin from the workshop in Bognor Regis. Between the three brothers that's more than 80 years of floor-laying experience on the tools.
That structure isn't an accident. Wooden floors are an investment that should outlast the kitchen, the boiler and probably the roof — and the difference between a floor that lasts thirty years and one that cups after two winters comes down to a hundred small decisions made on site. Subfloor checks, moisture readings, acclimatisation windows, the right adhesive for the right substrate, the right finish for the way you'll actually live in the room. We don't sub that work out to someone we've never met.
If you call Forrestal, you get a Forrestal on the phone. If you book a survey, Darren turns up. If you sign a quote, it's the brothers — Darren, Carl and Phillip — laying your floor. The same family team, start to finish — which is rarer in this trade than it ought to be.
Real photos pulled from recent Sussex jobs — survey to finish, all the same family team.
Forrestal is a service-area business — Darren drives to the project. The workshop is in Bognor Regis (PO22 7BE) but most of our work happens within a ninety-minute radius: Chichester and Arundel on our doorstep, up through the Cowdray Estate villages and Petworth, across to Petersfield, Haslemere and Liphook on the Hampshire–Surrey border, and east as far as Steyning, Lindfield and Cuckfield in Mid Sussex.
You can see the full coverage map and town-by-town pages here, or check your postcode on the contact page if you're not sure whether you're in the patch.
A small, predictable process that we've barely changed in twenty years — because it works.
You call, or fill in the form. Darren or his wife replies the same working day with a couple of follow-up questions and a survey slot.
Darren visits, measures, takes moisture readings on the subfloor, checks levels, brings physical sample boards, and answers everything. No charge, no obligation.
A full, detailed quote of the works to be carried out — boards, adhesive, finish, prep, labour, removal of existing flooring, skirting reinstatement and lead time. No hidden costs. Held for 30 days. See our quote terms.
Optional second visit if you want to handle more samples or talk options. We bring physical boards in the species and grade you're considering.
Boards ordered. For solid-wood floors they're delivered to the room ahead of laying to settle; engineered boards are more stable. Written schedule shared so you can plan around it.
Secret-nailed, glued or floated depending on subfloor. Hand-applied hardwax oil or lacquer, buffed between coats. Skirting reinstated cleanly.
Final inspection together. Written record of materials. Touch-up kit handed over. Final payment on satisfaction. Job done.
Insurance, suppliers, finishes and the credentials that actually matter on a survey.
"Darren is the rare tradesman who picks up the phone, turns up when he said he would, and leaves your house cleaner than he found it. We've had him back three times now — two new floors and a restoration. Always the same standard."
H Helen Petworth, GU28
"Darren spent forty minutes at the survey before quoting a single price — moisture readings, subfloor checks, talking through three different finishes for a south-facing room. You don't get that from the chain-store fitters. The floor's been down two winters and there's not a gap or a cup on it."
M Matt & Sarah Chichester, PO19
The fastest way to find out what Forrestal would do with your room is to have Darren walk it. No charge, no salesmanship — just specialist advice and a written quote within 72 hours.
Forrestal Flooring is the trusted flooring partner to award-winning interior design studio LEIVARS. The accolades below were won by LEIVARS for their interior schemes — we're proud to have supplied and fitted the floors behind many of them.
