Parquet Herringbone Floor

Parquet is not laid or sanded like a board floor. The blocks are small, the pattern has to stay true across the whole room, and a herringbone set out even slightly off square at the start drifts visibly by the time it reaches the far wall.

On restoration work there is the additional problem of lifted blocks and old bitumen residue on the backs, which has to be dealt with before anything is re-laid or the new floor will not sit flat.

The herringbone pattern, the sanding process and the completed finish are below. Curing is slower than drying: furniture and rugs going back too early is the most common way a new floor finish gets damaged.

Parquet is a different skill from board flooring, and the differences are worth understanding before you compare quotes.

Ask how the pattern is set out. Herringbone laid even slightly off square at the start drifts visibly by the time it reaches the far wall, and there is no correcting it later.

Ask how it will be sanded. Herringbone runs at ninety degrees to itself, so there is no single direction with the grain. It has to be worked to avoid tearing alternating blocks, which is why it takes longer than the same area of straight boards.

Look at the border against the field. The perimeter needs separate machines, and that join is where a poor job shows.

On a restoration, ask about the block backs. Old bitumen residue has to be dealt with or re-laid blocks will not sit flat.