Engineered parquet that looks original?

[loveka]

I want wood flooring in my late Edwardian house dining room.

I am drowning in samples, but now think that parquet may be the answer, as I want it to look 'real. The room has all its original features, including the range!

Has anyone any recommendations please?

I wanted parquet for my Victorian house - it worked out extremely expensive. For the space Karndean parquet was going to be nearly £11k whereas the excellent quality wood laminate came in at £2.5k. There were some cheaper options than Karndean but not by much!

If you want the original look, why don't you buy original, second-hand parquet?

Like this on ebay

We've got some old parquet in our hall and when we're ready to redecorate our sitting room, I'd like to source some second-hand parquet to give a decent match to what is already down in the hall.

A friend of ours did her dining room for about a couple of hundred quid if I recall, by using second-hand parquet and sanding it down. Looks really good.

I have premium oak from the natural flooring company. I love it

I think a reclamation yard for second hand parquet is a good idea. Or get a local craftsman to make it and stain it yourselves. It is expensive but lasts more or less intact for generations.