When deciding what kind of floor you’re going to put into a room of your home, it can be an extremely daunting process. In modern times there are dozens if not hundreds of different floor styles, each with their own hundreds if not thousands of designs. Narrowing it down from this massive list to just a few contenders can be quite difficult. That’s why it is extremely important to figure out what you’d like from your floor before becoming too attached to any one material or style. Each type of flooring has different things going for it in the realms of upkeep, maintenance, and style
Parquet flooring is just one option available to consumers today. This style of flooring is made up of a mosaic of small pieces of wood cut into familiar shapes like chevrons, triangles, or squares. The wood used in parquetry is seldom a single piece, usually it is about three or more different layers of wood stacked on top of each other.
Let’s go over what exactly makes parquetry so appealing and then how to properly maintain it.
Less expensive than hardwood flooring
Hardwood floors are long, entire planks of wood that span the length of a floor. The wood is continuous throughout so it requires a single piece of wood for each plank. Parquetry pieces, however, are made up of several different layers of wood, each with their own attributes. Most commonly the top layer is the most expensive one as it needs to provide the look you want. The middle and bottom layers, however, can be made from wood that is much less appealing to the eye since it won’t be seen. This drives overall costs down since only thin sheets of the expensive wood must be used to floor an entire house with parquetry tiles.
Less susceptible to moisture & humidity changes
Solid wood pieces and some artificial materials are extremely fickle when it comes to temperature changes. If the room is extremely dry, there’s a risk of solid wood pieces drying out and shrinking whereas in the moist cold their risk swelling. Floors like these are less susceptible to these kinds of movements since the three different layers work to stabilize each other and reduce the overall amount of movement. What this means is that if you live in a more temperate area you’ll have less to worry about with this kind of flooring.
Extremely easy to install
Installation is extremely easy since they just have to be glued down. That means no expensive and difficult nailing process is required, so you could even do it yourself if you fancy going that route. Either way, the glue-down simplicity of each board means that it takes a lot less time and effort to get your flooring installed, plus the fact that there’s a lot less room for error reduces the overall stress load you’ll have to shoulder when renovating your home.
Wide array of styles
Since a mosaic of individual pieces of wood is employed, there’s a lot of different styles you can choose from in both the wood itself and how you choose to arrange it. Now the types of wood available come in a wide array of different finishes to provide just about any kind of look you like, while how they’re cut and arranged is also completely up to you. Out of these options, herringbone is a popular style of parquet flooring in which chevron shaped pieces of wood are laid throughout the length of the floor. However, due to the layered construction of the wood you can shoot for a more 3D look that can give your room just about any kind of feel you’d like.
Easy to repair
Should your floors become stained or otherwise damaged, getting it repaired is simple since it’s just a matter of buying a few small pieces of wood and having them replaced. Instead of expensive whole wood planks, small cutouts are all that is required. So even if you do end up dropping something large on your floor or scratch it with a rock you accidentally brought in, it isn’t the end of the world.
A favorite for DIYers
Since the installation of parquet style floors doesn’t require nailing any boards down or otherwise difficult procedures, people who want to install their flooring themselves are well served by parquetry. It’s just a matter of gluing down individual pieces of floor bit by bit until you’re all done. This gives people much more creative control over their floor and can save hundreds of dollars by cutting out the need for expensive contractors.
Increases resale value of home
With an excellent life span and opulent look, putting in this variety of flooring can raise the value of your home by a much higher margin than what you spent to have it installed. Many people seek out hardwood flooring ,typical of parquetry and the design you choose helps to further increase the beauty of your home.
Supreme durability
Since there are about three different layers to each floor piece, most manufacturers make the middle layer out of wood that can take a lot more force than what you’d expect the top layer to be able to handle. The planks are made to be resistant to scratches and stains thanks to the exterior finish, plus the carefully picked bottom layer will protect the layers above it from drying out or shifting over time. What this means is that once you have your floors installed, it can take a beating before you’d ever have to consider replacing it.
Easy to clean
Unlike some flooring options that can be a major pain to keep in tip-top shape for as long as possible, basic care like mopping and sweeping can keep these types of floors in the long term. On top of it all, your new floors don’t absorb odors and don’t stain easily, making it an appealing option for any room, even those that are high traffic and have a constant spill risk.
Easier to choose higher-quality wood
Since only the top layer of the floor needs to be made from the wood you’ve picked out, many more expensive options like mahogany or teak wood are now accessible when solid pieces of said wood would be out of your budget. That means that just about every hue and kind of wood are represented in most parquet flooring catalogs at a fraction of the price you’d expect to see.
Good for people with allergies
Flooring that employs parquetry doesn’t hold on to allergens like any options like carpet or porous materials do. This makes for an easier allergy season, plus if you have lots of guests who may have allergies, there’s a much lower chance of them ending up having to leave because their allergies are making it unbearable to stick around. Typically, there’s little room for allergens to become trapped within the creases between pieces and the finish applied keeps allergens out for good.
Extremely unique
Compared to laminate or hardwood flooring, there’s practically no limit to the patterns possible with your floor. One particular benefit of parquet’s adaptability is that you can easily make a room look larger or smaller depending on the pattern you choose. If you choose this kind of flooring, there’s a much higher likelihood that you’ll have a one-of-a-kind floor design that can’t be found in any other home.
How to clean parquet floors
Cleaning your floors won’t be a massive undertaking, but there are some things to keep in mind if you want to maximize the lifespan of your flooring. In this section I’ll be going over the basic care routine, what you should do when it comes to the occasional deep clean, and what you should do to minimize damage to your flooring over its entire lifespan.
Basic care routine
This routine should be undertaken once every two weeks to a month, depending on how much use you get out of that particular room.
- Start by vacuuming the entire floor. This gets out miniscule pieces of dirt and dust from between the cracks in the floor as well as loosens up some of the harder to clean spots when it comes to a more specific kind of clean.
- Next, sweep the floor with a dry mop, a broom works fine, but a dry mop will make your life significantly easier. There are even dry mops with specific fibers for this purpose, a quick once over with the right dry mop is all you need to finalize getting the bigger pieces of dust off of your floor.
- If your individual boards are completely sealed, you can use a wet mop to return it to its original sheen. Try to use the least amount of water as possible, it isn’t necessary to go overboard in this regard. After mopping with water, make sure to use the mop to pick up as much water as you can before considering yourself finished.
Deep clean routine
If you perform the basic care routine on a frequent basis, like once every two weeks or less, the intensity of this deep clean and how often you’ll have to perform it will be reduced greatly. It’s still recommended to perform this deep clean once every month or two to keep your floors in as good of condition as possible.
- Perform the general care routine as outlined above, then move on to the next step.
- Using a special cleaning product specifically made for parquet floors, you should now take your mop and spread the cleaner alongside the entirety of your floor. The cleaning mixture should be designed to polish and clean your floor as well as renew the sealing by adding a fresh coat. Follow the instructions on the cleaner you bought, some require dilution before use and depending on which kind of cleaner you use, you may or may not have to do another once-over with a wet mop to take off excess solution.
General parquet flooring tips
These tips are general and simple to follow and they can extend the life of your floor by several years if you adhere to them. Most, if not all of them are extremely easy to implement, so there’s little reason not to at least give them some serious consideration.
- Remove all of the furniture in the room when you’re cleaning, or at least move it to get the spots underneath them as you clean. This way, your floors will remain evenly clean which reduces the likelihood of any small discolored patches on your floor sticking out compared to the rest.
- Any area with heavy traffic should be protected, placing a rug with a rug stopper down anywhere where it is likely that people will track in dirt as well or scuff the floor should have a rug put down to help minimize the potential damage.
- Spot clean whenever you notice a particularly egregious spot on your flooring that needs a bit of TLC. A damp cloth and some light rubbing should be all you need to spot clean effectively.
- If you have pets, consider having their nails trimmed on a frequent basis, so your floors don’t end up becoming scratched. This is much more recommended for dogs than cats since they are much more excitable and active compared to felines.
That’s just about everything you need to know when it comes to parquetry options. More and more households are adopting this novel design choice for the beautiful look they can create at a fraction of the price of comparable materials. The ease of maintenance and installation are also huge draws for people who like doing things themselves, out of all possible flooring choices parquet is one of the most commonly selected by those who want to do their own flooring themselves. So long as you take proper care of your newly installed floor, it should last you somewhere in the realm of 10 to 15 years before needing to be replaced. For the discerning homeowner who wants to be able to fully enjoy their home without the stress, parquet flooring is a very advantageous choice.