Parquetry Flooring

Parquetry falls into two categories mosaic and block. Mosaic parquetry is composed of “fingers” of timber laid into a chequerboard pattern. Block parquetry is the general term for any floor pieced together from individual blocks of timber. Basket weave and her-ringbone are the most common block parquetry patterns. 

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Installation:installing a parquetry floor can be very disruptive. Ideally, the pieces should be brought to the house and allowed to acclimatize for at least a week before being laid. On average, the complete procedure takes around three weeks, but the resulting floor will be under the feet of your children.

Mosaic parquetry comes partly assembled from the supplier in panels about 500 mm square. Block parquetry arrives at your doorstep in packages containing hundreds of individual blocks. In both cases, the parquetry pieces are glued in a pattern directly on to a sub-floor of either concrete or particleboard. 

Maintenance:Parquetry floors need to be recoated every five or six years. After a couple of decades they should be sanded back and refinished. A certain amount of shrinkage and expansion is inevitable and small problems can usually be overcome with the help of professional.

Exposure to extreme changes humidity will cause problems and there are some areas where a Parquetry floor simply should not to be laid. For example, a Parquetry floor would be entirely practical for room in a beachside house that opens directly onto the garden or balcony.