Facts You Must Know about Parquet Flooring

The largest surface you have in your home is its floor. So while choosing materials of your choice wisely for its flooring you will have to consider various aspects including tone and type of the design, style of your interiors, pieces of furniture and color of ambiance. Parquet flooring made of hardwood can be the right choice for you to give a timeless elegance to your home. However, there are certain other facts you should know before placing your order for parquet flooring.

What is parquet?
The term Parquet is normally used for the floors made of solid wood laid in and organized in geometrical patterns. Various types of square motifs with riffs on them are the most common patterns and medallions or sunbursts are some of the unconventional patterns of parquet flooring. The word Parquet has been derived from the French word Parchet that means a small enclosure or compartment.

History of parquet flooring
There is a long history of the origin of parquet flooring. Initially, it was used on royal floors at Versailles in the 1600s. It was used to replace marble flooring that requires much maintenance. It became popular throughout Europe after gaining popularity in France. This flooring is popular as a sign of luxury and prosperity as it is normally installed in large houses and needs lots of time and technical skills to install it.

Reasons to choose parquet flooring
Parquet flooring provides everlasting appeal and warm ambiance to the home due to its natural and graceful looks. It is more durable and manageable than engineered as well as vinyl flooring. Due to the acoustic properties of parquet, the flooring in your home can absorb noise effectively and provided natural grip on the floor as compared to the floors made from other natural materials like marble, etc. this flooring is also preferred due to its decorative elements that add texture and instant interest to a floor. To improve the looks of a large space light shades of wood are recommended by the experts for parquet floors.

Is it easy to maintain?
Parquet flooring can be maintained easily because it is made from hardwood. It can be cleaned easily just by mopping it with a damp cloth. It is suitable for the places with tropical climates like Singapore etc. as it is hygienically suitable for such climates and does not trap odors. But to prevent scratches on this flooring you will have to avoid dragging furniture and other heavy objects on it. Moreover, you should be cautious while selecting parquet flooring as companies can cheat you by replacing the high-class wood wit low-grade wood in its patterns.

Where can I find parquet flooring?
In pre-war building parquet flooring is commonly found all over the world including the U.S. Towards the end of the 19th century during the Gilded Age, this flooring material was very popular in the U.S. In the architecture of old European buildings, the architects have used this flooring in building townhouses and apartments. After WWII, when modernization gained popularity, the c=decorative flooring of parquet was avoided due to the increasing popularity of simple wood or concrete floors and carpets. Still, you can find some portions of original parquet floor of ancient times in the Celtics Court of Boston, built-in 1952.

Things to consider while choosing wood for parquet flooring from different areas
The wood brought from different regions has different properties even if it is of the same species. It can be due to the difference in the age of the trees in different areas. For instance, Indonesian teak is logged from 30-40 years old trees whereas in Burma teak is logged from the mature trees that are more than 80 years old. For this reason, teak from Burma is considered more stable than Indonesian teak.

Cost of installing parquet flooring
The cost of installing parquet floors can depend upon the dimensions and size of the parquet pieces, type of finish and labor required to install them. According to experts, the thickness of the wood and the design of laying out floor can also influence its installation cost. You can create a sensible space in smaller rooms by using wide and long pieces of wood for its flooring.

After knowing these facts about parquet flooring, you can easily make a well-informed decision regarding buying and installing it in your home.