Introduction

Parquet flooring is made of small battens of solid wood which are arranged, using a variety of species and colours, to create decorative patterns, rather like a mosaic.

The patterns made are generally geometric and angular as curved edges are expensive to produce and difficult to fit. These arrangements may be constructed a batten at a time when the floor is laid, or more often they are be pre-built into tongue-and-groove tiles, each of which carry the repeated pattern and can be interlocked to cover the floor area more quickly.

Not only do the assorted types of wood provide colour and grain choices, they also have inherent levels of hardness, as indicated by the Brinell Value. This measure is assessed by looking at the indentation left by a steel ball, pressed into the surface of the wood, under a known force. The harder the wood, the higher the Brinell value, where pine is a soft wood and species such as Birch, Iroko, Oak, Beech and Rosewood are increasingly hard.

• Imitation parquet flooring tiles are available in laminate or engineered form, which use little or no real wood, but can achieve a similar ornamental effect.

At a glance

• Damage tiles can be replaced
• Wide range of decorative effects can be achieved
• Pre-formed tiles can create a floating floor

• Colour will change in sunlight
• Should not be exposed to humidity of kitchen or bathroom
• Requires insulating from a concrete sub-floor
• Individually laid tiles cannot form a floating floor
• Expensive
• Professional fitter recommended
• Edges require finishing

Tools required to fit parquet flooring

To lay a parquet floor you will need the following;

Fitting parquet flooring

• Allow boards to acclimatise to the temperature of the room (which should be at least 15 degrees) for 24 hours prior to fitting.
• Ensure the sub-floor surface is flat, clean, firm and damp-proof. Ensure any nail heads are flush with the surface.
• Level out any uneven surfaces by either;
  Screeding a concrete surface (check there is a damp-proof membrane).
  Nailing down hardboard panels, smooth side up, over floorboards. The panels should be brushed with water 24 hours before installation to allow them to be laid flat, and they should be pinned to the floor with a annular ring nail every 150mm (6in) round the edge and through the centre of each board. Board joints should be staggered to create an even surface.
  Smoothing a self-levelling compound over ceramic tiles to hide grouted joints.
• Find the centre point of the room, by measuring width and depth and drawing a line across the room on the half way mark of these lengths. The centre of the room is where these lines cross.
• Lay a dry test run of tiles along these lines, starting at the centre point. If this layout will cause tiles at the edge of the room to be cut to less than half their width, shift the centre point of the room across by a few inches to avoid this.
• Remove dry tiles and spread a 60cm square (2ft square) area of sub-floor next to the centre point with adhesive, using the notched spreader. Lay the first tile with its corner at the centre point of the room, lining up the edges with the drawn lines. Tap the tile into place with a hammer via a piece of scrap wood.
• Lay subsequent tiles by building out from those already laid, using two sides of already fixed tiles to line up the next. Tap each tile into place to make a tight joint to adjacent tiles.
• To avoid damaging freshly laid tiles, place a cloth and a piece of hardboard over them and kneel on this to spread your weight.
• To cut tiles to size for the edge of the room, place a dry tile exactly over the whole tile fitted closest to the wall, then place another whole dry tile over this butting up to the wall. Draw a line on the middle tile, along the edge of the top tile and cut on this line. Use this operation in two stages for corner tiles. Remember to leave a 12mm (1½in) gap at the perimeter of the room to allow for expansion.
• Pre-formed parquet tiles may loosen when cut, so apply adhesive tape across the tile on the good side of the cut line to hold it together during jigsawing. Once the tile has been laid onto the adhesive, this tape can be removed.
• To fit around irregular shapes, create a cardboard template and draw this onto the tile. Check the cut tile will fit before sticking it down.
• Having cut and fitted all tiles, fill the 12mm gap at the walls with cork expansion strip and cover this with matching edge moulding. The edge moulding should be fixed to the skirting board, not the tiles, with adhesive. Use mitred corners to join pieces of moulding.
• Alternatively, to avoid using edge moulding remove skirting boards before laying the boards and then replace them.
• To ensure a long-lasting finish, roll the floor with your full weight on a rolling pin to ensure proper adhesion and a flat surface. Finally coat with varnish or oil.

• Be sure to check that any doors opening over the newly laid floor can still swing freely. If not, take them off their hinges and plane the bottom of the doors, repainting and re-hanging them afterwards.

Further information and useful links

• Stripped floorboards
• Laminate flooring
• Engineered wood flooring
• Hardwood flooring
• Measuring up for a wooden floor
• More floors topics

• Find a Wood Floor supplier near you
• Find a Wood Floor Fitter near you
• Find a Floor Sanding & Repair Specialist near you