Traditional parquet floors were installed one piece at a time.
Parquet tile flooring is installed by gluing, nailing, or stapling the tiles to the subfloor.
What Is Parquet Flooring Made Of?
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
The hardwood top layer is mostly oak but may also be maple, walnut, and other popular hardwoods.
The style was used for the flooring in Luxembourg Palace in Paris in the 1620s.
Their debut at Versailles gave it global momentum.
However, by the 1930s, parquet floors lost popularity and were often covered by carpets.
In parquetry, planks and strips are called “fingers.”
Unfinished tiles are sanded, stained, and finished on-site after installing the flooring.
Prefinished parquet tiles are treated with a highly durable, factory-applied wood finish.
Because this is done industrially, the finish can be significantly more durable than one applied on-site.
Using prefinished wood also reduces the hassle and mess of applying a finish to your home.
Parquet Water Concerns
Parquet tiles fare slightly better in moist environments than custom-installed hardwood parquet planks.
The individual slats in tile form are less prone to expansion and contraction during humidity changes.
Refinishing a Parquet Floor
Parquet is essentially made of hardwood and can be sanded and refinished.
Some parquet tiles of similar thickness can be refinished roughly an equal number of times as hardwood plank flooring.
Instead, the tiny slats of wood may be pointed in several directions.
This can lead to cross-grain scratching, which can be difficult to buff.
You may even need to hand sand in certain places to make the surface look smooth.
Parquet flooring varies in price depending on whether it’s a custom installation or parquet-style tiles.
Custom parquet can cost an average of $20 to $45 per square foot to install and finish.
Parquet-style floor tiles cost much less and can be installed as a DIY project.
How Much Does It Cost To Install Hardwood Floors?HomeAdvisor.
