Things to Know Before Choosing Parquet Flooring For Your Home
Paraquet is the kind of wood flooring that is made by the arrangement of small wooden slats in repeating, distinct patterns. Though the conventional parquet floors were made in one piece, most of the modern parquet floors are in tile format where the slats remain bonded to the backing material. Parquet tiles are installed by nailing, stapling, gluing those tiles to the subfloors. As the paraquet strips are made of hardwood, this type of floor looks and performs like conventional hardwood strip flooring.
If you are planning to look at a parquet flooring sale for your home, it is certainly a good decision. Read on to know more about this beautiful flooring option.
Parquet tiles: The units of parquet flooring
Parquet tiles are available in a couple of common sizes, such as 19 by 19, 12 by 12, and 9 by 9 inches. Typically, the total thickness is usually between 5/16 to ¾ inch. Usually, parquet tiles have a mesh backing made of plastic, cloth, or paper stitched with a thin plastic or metal skeleton. The top hardwood layer is typically oak, though nowadays walnut, maple, and other hardwood options are also used.
Design options for parquet flooring
Paraquet is one of the most decorative and elegant flooring options in the market. It is a popular choice for any formal setting like dining rooms, foyers, and living rooms. Now, though the visual interest and elegant look of parquet floors are advantageous in formal settings, it acts as a major drawback in any other area.
For instance, some people are of the opinion that the geometric patterns in this type of flooring feels too busy for the bathrooms and kitchens. These spaces are comparatively small and have already a lot of visual details. Since this is a decorative flooring option, if not done right, it might overwhelm smaller spaces. Thus, make sure you talk to professionals who know how to use parquet flooring even for smaller spaces.
Refinishing your parquet floor
Essentially, a paraquet is made of hardwood. Thus, these floors can be refinished and sanded. Some of the paraquet tiles can be roughly refinished as many times as the hardwood plank floors of equal thickness.
But parquet floors aren’t as easy to refinish as those regular hardwood planks because the grains are not oriented in one consistent direction. Instead, the small wooden slats are pointed in a number of different directions. Under novice hands, it might cause cross-grain scratches that can be hard to smooth out. You might even have to go for hand sanding in a few places to make the surface look smooth. Better call the professionals on this one!
Water concerns on parquet flooring
Parquet floors work better in humid and moist conditions than standard hardwood planks. It is because those individual slats present in the tiles are not prone to contraction and expansion from humidity changes. But the paraquet is made of wood. Thus, it might plump, mold, and warp to some extent in really moist, wet environments like those bathrooms that are heavily used.
Maintaining and repairing parquet floors
Maintenance of parquet flooring is a lot like that of any other hardwood floor. On a daily basis, you need to sweep the floor and mop with a soft, microfiber mop. Stains and liquid spills have to be removed using paper towels. After that, you can use a damp (not dripping) washcloth to wipe the area.
The floor needs a thorough cleaning with wood floor cleaners once a month. It is better to steer clear of waxes because they make the floor slippery and damage the factory finish. Never use steam mops on the parquet floors (read: any wooden floor) because this drives moisture deep down the wood.
As mentioned earlier, the responsibility of completely refinishing these floors has to be left with experienced professionals. Homeowners can do light renewals, such as lightly abrading the floor finish using a sanding screen before putting a fresh, new topcoat of varnish. But make sure to be extremely careful and light handed while working on the floors.
Endnote
There is no denying that parquet floors can enhance the look of your home. And as you know now, they are pretty easy to maintain as well. So, a parquet is the right choice for your home.
