Is parquet floor....Traditional or trendy/tacky?

[Freshlasagnesheet]

Dh and I have finally saved enough money to change floors and paint etc.

We have kids and dogs, so I want something low maintenance and something timeless and traditional. I don’t want a passing trend as I won’t be able to change floors again in a long time.

I mentally settled on light wood parquet, as was told light wood is less likely to show scratches. But now seeing parquet all over Instagram?

Has herringbone parquet become trendy to the point we will look back and think it’s become tacky? Should I just go with classic dark wood planks?

Help please!

(Also not a jab at anyone with parquet, I obviously love it too)

There's a big difference between real parquet and parquet style modern floor that everyone is getting. Not sure which OP you're talking about.

We have it - it’s original to our house though - I love it - makes the room look warm

Sorry OP, I meant the advertised as "created to look like the original" was expensive enough and nothing like the original.
I haven't got any unfortunately, was gutted to find they'd taken it out of our period property about 6 months before we bought it. Was original too, they put it on a skip.

I love it. I think it’s classic. We’re buying a 1930s semi and I’ve got a dream that we’ll rip up the carpets and find some original parquet underneath . Annoyingly I was also in love with Hague blue walls and planned I’d have them in my living room years ago (it’s taken us a long time to buy a house) and now it’s bloody everywhere. It’s going to look like I’ve lifted my house straight off Instagram!

Does it matter if it's 'trendy' or 'tacky'? If you like it go for it!

My boss has parquet flooring in two bedrooms and it's amazing. They have a lovely big house with high ceilings. It would look odd in our tiny cottage

I think that sums it up, it looks lovely in a period house if it's original, it may need a bit of work every 10 years or so, sanding and re-sealing, other than that it's fine. Modern versions tend to be made from a softer, cheaper wood, hence it's far more prone to scratching. Covering original floors was a 60s and 70s crime, on a par with panelling beautiful doors.

Almost 40 years old and still going strong!

We have original 1906 oak herringbone parquet like this

We have 2 insane children, it's very durable

ours is the original floor in a Victorian house and constantly gets commentated on by visitors. I love it because it suits the house.

Who cares if it's trendy or not, it's your home! Have flooring you love and have done with it.

Timeless if your house is a period property.

Trendy if you have a house later than a 1970s build.

Also depends on whether you get a cheap laminate or do it properly. Its something worth investing in rather than just going for the look.

BUT ultimately you have to live with it, so if its something you really like then just bite the bullet and there's nothing wrong with going with trendy if thats your taste.

Thanks everyone.
Thinking of getting engineered floor as we want underfloor heating.

Making an open plan kitchen so planning to extend all the way into the kitchen for a more seamless look.

I do agree original parquet is the best!

We have original 1930s parquet. I'm not sure anything 90 years old could be described as trendy.

For a more modern take on parquet, the chevron (rather than herringbone) pattern is better. It sounds like your area is heavy traffic so it will definitely suffer - get scratched, scuffed, fade & wear in the walked on areas. I have it in smoked walnut in the lounge and prohibit any footwear from touching it 😆

LVT might be a more practical solution for such a room. I usually go for want over need and have regretted it (dark colours on walls etc). It is a pricey product so consider whether you will fixate on every blemish & stress over people walking on it....or not.

Is it real solid wood? Tasteful, timeless.

Laminate, fake, engineered (even if it's expensive Karndean or whatever) - tacky.

It's a simple principle, really.

For example, polished concrete is tasteful, fake polished concrete is tacky; real wood is tasteful; laminate is tacky.

It’s classic and timeless for me. I love it. It’s definitely having a ‘moment’ at the minute though. It seems like every house on Insta has pale, Matt herringbone flooring at the minute.

I am originally from southern Europe and we have parquet floors in the apartments/houses.I would consider it traditional.You see it a lot in France and Italy.Like encaustic cement tiles (traditionally used in parts of Europe for ages!) it has gone trendy...if you like it go for it.It may not be as "fashionable" in 3 years time but it will always be considered traditional.

We have original parquet (from 1974). The guy measuring up for our new front door asked if they'd have to be careful of the 'manky old lino' or were we getting rid of it. I very nearly didn't buy the door

If it's the old proper wooden stuff it's glorious!

It wouldn't be my first choice for kitchen flooring though.

Why is engineered tacky? Isn’t it a real wood surface? Just suitable for underfloor heating. Or have I misunderstood what engineered wood is?

That’s interesting that in Europe it’s very traditional. That does make me feel better in picking it as a long term choice.

I've loved herringbone parquet for almost 50 years, when my then BF's (slightly bonkers) mother bought a load of it £5 from a house that was being demolished and spent weeks cleaning it up and nagging her DH to lay it in their dining room.

It looked beyond wonderful when it was done and I was smitten.

It's what I'm thinking of (admittedly on my budget engineered rather than real - sorry those of you who think this is tacky). I have an old house, and a very long, thin lounge-dining room (two rooms knocked into one) so straight planks would look wrong, I think, but herringbone would work.

And anything is going to be better than the manky stained carpet.

We have original 1930s herringbone in all the dowstairs rooms. In the kitchen it was quite damaged so had to be covered but that meant that when we extended we could put down new parquet in the new part of the house without it being next to the old.

Sixteen years, four children and a dog have left a few marks, but nothing too bad and they add character.

We'll have the whole lot re-sanded when the last one leaves for uni.

@CaraDuneRedux

It's what I'm thinking of (admittedly on my budget engineered rather than real - sorry those of you who think this is tacky). I have an old house, and a very long, thin lounge-dining room (two rooms knocked into one) so straight planks would look wrong, I think, but herringbone would work.

And anything is going to be better than the manky stained carpet.

Engineered is fine. We've had it for 20 years in one room and it's only just in need of sanding and resealing.

And we're having Karndean oak parquet in the kitchen and utility when it's done. Because having wood in rooms where there is likely to be a lot of water spilled at some stage seems reckless. We have suffered quarry tiles for the last decade and a half and I've had enough of them. Anything that hits the floor is instantly a goner. Cold in the winter, too. ANd the slightest drop of water makes them look instantly messy. Can't wait to see them gone.