Thinking of installing parquetry flooring? Here’s a quick guide to parquetry flooring to help you make an informed decision.
What is Parquetry Flooring?
Parquetry floorings are durable, decorative, and gorgeous floors, perfect for large living areas. They came into popularity in the 17th century as a replacement for hard to maintain marble flooring in France. Their intrinsic and artistic beauty makes them a highly sought-after timber flooring option. They are also easy to maintain and are available in various patterns and options.
Patterns
Parquetry flooring is all about geometric and angular patterns. When laying the flooring, you can choose the angular patterns— square or diagonal to the wall, as you like. You can also customise patterns like stars, triangles, circles, and lozenges. Some of the most popular parquetry design patterns are:
- Herringbone
- Double Herringbone
- Chevron
- Brick Bond
- Basket Weave
- Checkerboard
- Wood Strip
- Stack Bond
- Versailles
- Double Basket Weave
- Chantilly
Designs
There are three different types of designs in parquetry flooring:
- Block
- Mosaic
- Engineered
Block: Block parquetry flooring, also called overlay flooring, comes in blocks that are glued down directly over any timber or concrete flooring. After curing, you can finish them with floor sanding and polishing.
Mosaic: Mosaic parquetry flooring comes in smaller blocks or strips (fingers) that have a classic cubic design. They are cut from planks and premade into sheets according to your style. They can also be directly cut from the tree across the growth rings for a unique look and durability. With mosaic parquetry flooring, it is also easy to fix any damaged area by simply replacing the area with a new piece.
Engineered: Just like engineered timber floors, engineered parquetry flooring comprises several layers of plywood with solid wood on top. The overlay is usually a hardwood that mimics the same look of a parquetry flooring but is more resistant to temperature and moisture.
Grades
In parquetry flooring, you have both imported and Australian varieties. The Australian parquetry flooring includes hardwoods such as oak, cherry, maple, walnut, lime timber, pine (softwood) and bamboo. They are available in three grades:
- Select: Has negligible natural marks or sapwood and offers an unblemished look
- Standard: Has fewer natural marks
- Character: The most rustic as it features all the natural marks
Unfinished VS Finished Parquetry Flooring
When buying parquetry flooring, you have two options to choose from: Unfinished and Finished flooring.
Unfinished Parquetry Flooring
An unfinished parquetry flooring gives you the opportunity for endless customisation. You can choose the stain, sealer, and any additional treatment to get the desired look. However, since they come as raw floorboards, they are more susceptible to staining and water damage. So, make sure to install them quickly.
Finished Parquetry Flooring
A finished or prefinished parquetry flooring is ready to install floorboards. They are made and sealed in the industry with industry grade finishes for extremely high durability. Therefore, they are budget-friendly and take less time to install when compared to unfinished options. However, finished floorboards give you fewer choices when it comes to styles, patterns, and colours.
Parquet Flooring Installation
Parquetry floors are rectangular tiles that come with no tongue and groove like other solid timber floorboards. Hence, your flooring professionals install them by gluing down or nailing down over the subfloor. Sometimes nailing can crack or split the wood, so gluing down is the most popular way of parquetry floor installation.
While installing them, it is necessary to follow the installation direction to achieve the pattern and ensure they blend harmoniously.
Parquet Flooring Refinishing
Parquet flooring can also be refinished as many times as timber flooring. However, it needs technical expertise as they are more complicated than the regular hardwood planks.
For more information on parquetry flooring installation and repairs, go through our parquetry flooring service.
Contact our team at Stanton Flooring if you need any assistance.