Parquet Wood Flooring Installation Guide

Parquet flooring will make a wonderful addition to your home whether it’s a new home or whether you are refurbishing or choosing to add value to your current home.

With so many options and with parquet floor installation it’s never been easier or more affordable.

Despite the relative ease of installation it is important to follow the advice in this article as well as the individual recommendations from your chosen parquet floors manufacturer on the best way to lay a parquet floor.

Tools Needed For Parquet Floor Installation

We recommend that you gather the following tools and items before you begin laying your parquet wood floor.

• Pencil.
• Tape Measure.
• Square.
• Bevel Tool.
• Crow Bar.
• Mallet.
• Spacers.
• Glue.
• Personal Protective Equipment: gloves, safety goggles, sensible clothing.

Although our easy click system means installation is likely to go smoothly and not require much if anything at all in the way of hammering and sawing it is a good idea to have the following tools at hand just in case.

• Hammer
• Saw

Things to Keep in Mind When Installing Parquet Wooden Floor

As well as remembering the following handy tips it is important to ensure you have done the correct preparation with regards to acclimatisation and subfloor preparation. For a detailed guide to this process please see our detailed, downloadable and printable guide.

• Allow an expansion gap of around 10mm between the edges of your wooden flooring and the wall, using spacers is a good idea.
• Remember the woodworker's mantra: ‘measure twice, cut once’.

Parquet Floor Acclimatisation

Once your wooden floor has arrived you might be tempted to get started on laying it straight away. You mustn’t do this!

To ensure that your parquet or other wooden floors, including engineered wood floors are less likely to warp or move once they have been laid is to acclimatise the planks.

Although some flooring providers suggest opening your packs first it is important to note that our specially designed packaging is not airtight and so the air can circulate and your flooring acclimatise while remaining in the packs so you should not open them.

Not only will the planks have adequate air circulation and acclimatise to the humidity and temperature of the room they will be laid in but the weight of the planks will ensure there is as little movement and bowing as possible.

Instead, leave them in their boxes and lay them flat in the room they will be laid in or an area which matched that level of heat and humidity. If you are unable to store them while they acclimatise in the room they will be laid in them you at least must not store them outside or somewhere damp.

For Engineered wood floors a period of at least 3 days is the recommended acclimatisation time and for solid floors it should be at least 7 days.

Subfloor preparation

To get the best results, to have a beautifully finished, evenly laid and long-lasting parquet wooden floor it is important to prepare the subfloor before you begin to install your wooden flooring.

Your subfloor should first be checked to ensure it is structurally sound and without any substantial water or other damage.

If it is a new home or a newly refurbished home with new screeds these must be completely dry before installing your parquet floor.

Some of our flooring options including engineered parquet wooden flooring are very durable and can cope with more humidity than some hardwood wooden flooring. However, there is a limit to what any kind of wooden floor will take when it comes to humidity. As a rule of thumb, the subfloor humidity should not be above 10-12%.

To get the best possible finish your floor should also be as flat as possible a range of 3/16” in 10’ or 1/8“ in 6’.

Finally, ensure that your floor is clean with no residue from old flooring such as adhesives and is freshly swept and free of debris.

How to Lay Parquet Wood Floor

Making a good start when you lay your floor goes a long way in ensuring you get the best finish.

• Measure the room or space carefully. Then measure again.
• Add your spaces around the edge to allow for expansion.
• Find the plumb line or central line across the room.
• Whichever parquet pattern you are using basket, chevron, the most popular herringbone or another style you will need to start in the middle of the floor.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding adhesives.
• Use your square to set your first row. How you start is how the rest of the floor will look - so get this right!

For a more complete and detailed guide please see our downloadable and printable guide to laying herringbone flooring.

Sanding, Buffing and Sealing

Our parquet flooring comes in a variety of finishes including oiled, matt lacquer, brushed and UV oiled and unfinished.

Therefore you should follow the manufacturer's instructions on whether any kind of sanding, buffing or sealing is required or advised for your particular floor.

If you are still unsure then do get in touch with us at Wooden Floors UK for advice not only on what would be the best finishing option for the look you want or the kind of floor you have purchased but also on which products we would recommend.

We sell a wide variety of some of the best-known brands including Junckers, Bona, Saicos, Mapei and own our WFUK brand.

We also sell all the other accessories you might need including sanding discs.

If your floor does require sanding it is a good idea to follow the grain of your wood where possible. For herringbone parquet as well as other designs this can be difficult in which case we recommend following a diagonal line to ensure an even finish.

Maintenance and Aftercare

To keep your parquet flooring looking its best and to ensure it lasts for years to come it is important to keep the temperature as stable as possible.

Protective lacquers, oils and finishes are also recommended. To avoid sun damage, especially to oiled floors either opt for a UV protective finish or avoid direct and extended exposure to sunlight where possible.

Regular sweeping to remove debris that may scratch your floor is ideal as well as using the cleaner recommended whether by the manufacturers or by ourselves. If you need further advice on cleaning products please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Ensure you re-oil as recommended and that you wipe up any spills immediately. For further information see our guide on cleaning your wooden floor.

Contact Us

For further advice on installing your parquet floor don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Wooden Flooring UK.