Modern Parquet Flooring Ideas for Your Home

What is Parquet Flooring?

Employed to create a decorative effect for the floor, parquet flooring is a types of flooring designs that is composed of smaller wooden strips or slats arranged to create geometric patterns. Made from either solid or engineered wood, parquet wood flooring usually includes geometric and angular patterns consisting of squares, triangles and diamond shapes. These patterns are laid in repeating tessellations and created using an interlocking system. Modern parquet flooring, usually made from engineered wood (also referred to as engineered parquet flooring) with a top layer of solid wood veneer, is usually installed as parquet flooring tiles rather than one piece at a time. These parquet tiles are made of the wooden pieces bonded together by a backing material in the required patterns. Then they are installed by nailing, stapling or gluing the tiles/slats to the subfloor.

Why Choose Parquet Designs for your Flooring?

The reasons to go in for modern parquet flooring are essentially the advantages to installing this type of flooring in your home. To start with, parquet designs are timeless and have the versatility to work well in any décor style. The parquet flooring strips or parquet tiles are available in a huge range of colours, textures, stains and parquet finishing which give one a lot to choose from. Engineered parquet flooring looks as good as solid wood but at a fraction of the cost. It is also a more durable option to laminate flooring. It is also easier to repair as you can easily replace the damaged tiles or planks without needing to dismantle a large area of the flooring. It is also easy to sand and reseal or repolish the flooring to extend its life. Parquet flooring tiles are also relatively easy to install on top of a level subfloor. While these advantages make parquet flooring a wonderful choice for your homes, later in this guide we explore the cons to give you a deeper understanding of whether this is right for you.

Different Types of Parquet Floors

As we previously touched upon, parquet flooring can be made from solid pieces of timber which has all the benefits and disadvantages of hardwood flooring. They can also be made from engineered wood topped by a hardwood veneer which lowers the cost and maintenance considerably. There are also different parquet finishing to consider. Unfinished wood parquet floors aren’t recommended as they can get stained quite easily. Other finishes include brushed, brushed and lacquered, brushed and oiled, lacquered, natural oil, UV oil, etc. You can also pick from different colours including the most common ones like dark brown, light brown, dark oak, black parquet and grey parquet flooring as well as lighter shades and white-washed parquet designs. Oak parquet flooring is a great option if you prefer a traditional look and feel to your home. Black parquet adds drama to a space and can be quite edgy but be cautious about using it in a small room. Maple parquet has a soft honey colour that lends well to a variety of décor styles though it looks great when you want to add a touch of softness to a rustic décor. Pine parquet flooring lends an earthy warmth to a space and is great to add a touch of natural warmth to modern or minimal décor.

A Few Tips to Clean and Take Care of your Parquet Wood Flooring

Make sure your parquet flooring comes with a warranty.

Clean up spills, especially liquids, immediately as nothing damages wooden flooring more than moisture.

In that vein, don’t mop your wood parquet floors every day; once a week is plenty if you absolutely have to. Make sure to dry the floors completely.

Don’t use regular floor cleaners, they might be to abrasive. Rather choose one that is specially formulated for wood flooring.

Disadvantages of Parquet Flooring

Earlier in this guide we explored the advantages of parquet flooring, however, here are a few factors to keep in mind as well before choosing.

Solid hardwood parquet flooring is expensive.

No matter how careful you are, parquet flooring can and will get scratched over time with use especially in areas with heavy foot traffic and homes with young children and/or pets.

It is susceptible to discolouration in areas that get direct sunlight throughout the day.