Parquet flooring may seem to be a blast from the past. It was once a popular option in the 60s and 70s. Somehow, it rapidly loses its popularity even before the new millennium.
Exotic wood floors and more flooring options also caused the parquet to fade out. But did you know that a parquet floor can add value to your house? It may not be for everyone, but the parquet floor can be aesthetically beautiful.
When someone considers renovating their home, one of the big decisions is choosing new flooring. Knowing the pros and cons of parquet flooring, you’ll know what to consider before installing it in your home.
What is a parquet wood floor?
Parquet floor refers to installing your wood floor in a specific decorative pattern using wood floor tiles. Some people may think it’s somewhat tacky. But a good parquet floor will bring light to the room. It serves as a good focal point for the room.
It’s easy to confuse parquet with the engineered wood floor since both have easy installations and come in small, short strips.
But parquet tiles come from solid hardwood such as oak or maple. That is why they have similar installation and maintenance costs.
You can find a parquet in its unfinished form. Buying this product means you can adjust the finishing to meet your vision.
Advantages of parquet flooring
The most obvious advantage is you can be creative in setting a pattern. And since it’s a slice of solid hardwood, having a parquet can bump up the house value a couple of notches. But of course, this comes with the notion the prospective buyer shares your taste and preferences.
The parquet floor is also easy to install. Since it comes in tile-like slices, you can be creative and take the floor installation as a personal project.
You also don’t have to invest in various cleaning apparatuses for regular maintenance. It’s also highly durable and can give the same warmth as a solid hardwood plank.
Improvement in the price of parquet flooring, a fundamental advantage
Even though the way the parquet was made and installed in the beginning made it more expensive and, in many cases, only available to the wealthy, the situation has changed slowly over time, and now everyone can have a parquet floor.
This is shown that more and more residences of various types are using it. This is possible because the manufacturing process has been improved, making it faster and easier to put in.
Then there are laminate floors that look like parquet but cost less.
Winning aesthetics of wood
It’s clear that the best thing about a floor is the material it’s made of, and in the case of parquet, wood is the best choice because it looks great and is both elegant and natural.
Additionally, we have a vast range of possibilities to choose from when creating the environment we want because different types of wood have distinct textures, veins, and hues.
Easy and simple cleaning
But besides how it looks, we should also consider how comfortable and useful parquet flooring is. And the reason is that if you mix a simple wood floor cleaner with water, you don’t have to scrub the parquet more than once a week.
Also, this floor doesn’t tend to get dusty because wood keeps mites away. This makes cleaning easy and great for people allergic to these tiny particles. As for stains, vinegar works well for most of them.
Warmth and comfort are the great advantages of installing parquet
When people think of the benefits of installing a parquet floor, comfort is often the first thing that comes to mind. Wood is a warm and very comfortable material, which makes any room feel more inviting.
But parquet is more comfortable than just being warm because wood is a great thermal and acoustic insulator. This means it doesn’t get cold in the winter or hot in the summer, which is one of the main disadvantages of ceramic tile floors.
On the other hand, because this type of floor absorbs bumps and footsteps, it makes the room quieter and more peaceful.
Disadvantages of parquet flooring
Unfortunately, the parquet floor doesn’t have good moisture resistance. But this is understandable since it’s a solid hardwood slice.
One of the most common issues with hardwood floors is the dramatic shrinkage or expansion after some time.
Another issue that may come up is that parquet floors can get very expensive. Again, this attributes to the fact that it’s essentially hardwood. But it’s primarily due to low supply since many choose engineered wood or vinyl floors.
You also may have issues when rejuvenating or refinishing your parquet floor. It has a limited finishing option. And no matter what you do, the protective layer is susceptible to scratches.
Needs for good parquet maintenance
Compared to other materials that don’t change as much, wood is sensitive to big changes in both temperature and humidity.
So, if we want to keep a parquet floor in good shape, we must be careful to look for stable temperatures without sudden changes in the heating or cooling.
On the other hand, it’s important to ensure no water leaks from the radiators or other places because wood gets damaged when it absorbs moisture.
The maintenance needed to keep parquet floors in good shape can be a disadvantage compared to other floors that don’t need all this attention.
The parquet must be treated with care
Because wood is softer than most materials used to make floors, it is easier to damage or scratch.
Because of this, putting in a parquet floor means agreeing to be careful with it, like not hitting it or walking around the house with shoes on.
For example, this extra care can be a problem when children or animals are in the house.
Its cost is still high
Even though the cost of parquet materials and installation has decreased over time, it is still more expensive than other types of flooring.
But there are always cheaper options, so this is no longer one of its biggest problems.
Is Parquet flooring high maintenance?
The maintenance for a parquet floor is nowhere near difficult. You can clean it with regular sweeping and mopping to keep it clean. However, do not use any steam mop or bleach to clean the floor.
Using steam will give the wood extra moisture that may ruin it. You also need to pay attention when moving the furniture.
Parquet is notorious for easily fading under direct sunlight. Therefore, you need to ensure that you change the furniture placement repeatedly.
In the old days, parquet only has veneer as the protective layer. But now you can add the necessary protection that can help you keep the shine and lower your maintenance cost.
Parquet flooring vs hardwood: what the difference
Even though parquet tiles comes from solid hardwood slices, they require different treatments and can give you two very different look.
With the hardwood planks, you need to acclimate the planks before and during the installation. You need to ensure that they fit and reduce any chance of dramatic shrinkage.
You don’t have the same issue with a parquet floor. You can install it easily using nails or glue the tiles together.
Hardwood floors also don’t have the flexibility to have a unique pattern like in parquet.
However, hardwood has a wider wood variety since it also has exotic wood options. Of course, it comes at a higher price.
Parquet, on the other hand, is primarily from maple, oak, or other popular hardwood.
How to make a parquet floor looks new or modern?
Before rejuvenating an old parquet floor, you must thoroughly assess the issues. The cost for a parquet floor makeover can be as high as installing a new floor.
First, you should find out how old the floor is. You can have an educated guess from the protective layer it has.
If it has too much discoloration, you may need a complete overhaul. The same with when there is some disfiguration on the floor. Learn about sanding and refinishing parquet flooring.
After assessing and ensuring that you can modernize it, you can start the process immediately. Start by thoroughly sanding the parquet floor.
This will remove most of the remaining protective layer so you can debuff and work on the finishing process.
Even though it’s made of hardwood, you don’t have to acclimate the parquet floor again. So you can finish the floor right away.