Would You Consider Parquet Flooring?

When it comes to changing the look of a room, replacing your flooring could make more of a difference than you might think. Many people are moving away from having carpets, instead favouring hard floors that you can lay rugs on.

But have you considered parquet flooring? This is almost like having a work of art on your floors, so it’s certainly not something you’re likely to want to cover up.

House Beautiful recently highlighted the beauty of parquet floors and explained everything you need to know before you decide to have them fitted in your home.

How exactly are parquet floors defined? According to the news provider, they’re any flooring that’s made from inlaid wood and laid in a geometric pattern. That might sound a bit vague, but it indicates just how versatile parquet flooring can be and how creative you can get with it.

It’s a trend that has an impressive history too. It first found favour in the 17th century when the technique was used in Versailles in France. It was introduced as a replacement for marble floors, which needed more work to maintain them than their wooden counterparts. The intricacy of the designs has become synonymous with opulence and grandeur.

As well as playing with patterns in parquet flooring, you can also use it to showcase different types and colours of wood. These can create stunning effects, allowing the floorboards to essentially act as a rug when it comes to the aesthetics of a room.

It’s worth noting that the outer edges of parquet floors are generally laid in a different pattern, creating a border to the main design. Think about this when you’re choosing door transition bars if you don’t already have the flooring laid in your home.

Once you’ve got a parquet floor, it’s no different to look after than any other wood floor, the publication advised. Dry mop the floor regularly and vacuum occasionally to keep it in top condition. It’s also sensible to do a monthly deep clean using a product that’s designed for hardwood flooring.

Spring is often a time when we start to look around our homes and think about making improvements, so if your current flooring looks tired it could be the ideal time for a revamp. Earlier this month, research from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) Propertymark revealed that installing new flooring is a top DIY project in the UK.

It was second only to redecorating, with 72 per cent of UK homeowners having redecorated in the past five years, while 42 per cent have changed their flooring.

The organisation found that, on average, homeowners have spent £8,000 doing up their properties in the last five years, with 55 per cent of those questioned stating that they’d carried out such projects to improve the appearance of their property.

Nearly one-quarter (23 per cent) said that they’d picked certain DIY projects because they thought they would be a good investment and increase the value of the property in future. 19 per cent, meanwhile, revealed that they’d deliberately bought a fixer-upper home and therefore intended to make a raft of improvements.