What is a Parquet Floor?

A parquet floor is a wooden floor made from many pieces of wood fitted together like a mosaic or puzzle, and it can be as large as a ballroom or as small as a bathroom. Frequently, parquet is made from different types of wood with varying grains, to create a unique and eye catching pattern. The parquetry inlay technique is also used on furniture or decorative items, especially in the Middle East and India, which have a long tradition of beautiful parquet floors and artwork. The fundamental purpose of parquet, of course, is to cover the joists of the floor and provide a surface for people to walk on. Historically, cheap homes tended to have plain wooden floors because they were cheaper to manufacture, while wealthy homes had lavish floors made from decorative stones like marble, limestone, and slate. When parquetry was developed, it opened up the possibility of having decorative wooden floors in the homes of the wealthy, and many builders seized upon the technique both because it was ...  more

When you are looking for the perfect flooring for your next remodeling project, its always exciting to discover a flooring style that is unique and interesting. With so many exciting flooring options including hardwood, cork and even tile, you can find a style to fit with the interior decorating décor you have in mind. One style that will always return positive comments from guests to your home is a parquet floor. You have no doubt seen a parquet floor and not known the formal name for this beautiful flooring design. Of the many types of hardwood flooring, parquet can utilize the beauty of many different wood grains and incorporate them into one stunning flooring look. A parquet floor is made up of dozens of small wood squares that are woven into one flooring look. The squares can consist of samples from every type of wood including oak, cherry, ash, oak, bamboo or any other wood that you can imagine. You might think of a parquet floor as a wood flooring quilt that gives you the ...  more

WOOD FLOOR MATERIALSPARQUET, LAMINATE FLOORING, SOLID OAK FLOORS Parquet Dance FloorParquet is a mosaic of wood used for ornamental flooring. (French parqueterie, from parquet.) Materials contrasting in color and grain, such as oak, walnut, cherry, lime, pine, maple etc. are employed; and in the more expensive kinds the richly colored tropical hardwoods are also used. The patterns of parquet flooring are entirely geometrical and angular (for instance squares, triangles, lozenges), curved and irregular forms being avoided on account of the expense and difficulty of fitting. There are three main classes of parquetry in use: solid parquet, veneers and laminates. Solid parquet as the name suggests, is solid wood, the standard thickness of each board is 2 cm or more, this enables the wooden floor to be heavily sanded numerous times over its lifetime. Veneers are a layer of solid wood, normally 5 mm (referred to as the 'wear' laid) in thickness attached to a base of cheaper wood or plywood, ...  more