Parquet - with photo

[tantdequestions]

First pic with flash, second without.

What would you do with this floor? Some bits have come loose and they are individual blocks.

Yes! @BlueMongoose has got it.

@BlueMongoose
@Slidingsocks
it definitely looks like the one in that link. That says it is solid oak though? Does that not constitute "real" parquet?

We have parquet in a flat we rent out and repair (we had a water leak) was way less than replacement.
I love it though!

Right, I've popped out a block. Really hoping there isn't asbestos.

Anyway, I thought I'd see if the others popped out but they are really stuck to each other as if they've been laid in tiles.

@tantdequestions Maybe to do with the thickness? Anyway, my certainty is wavering, so I'll bow out!

@Slidingsocks did you see my latest pics before you bow out completely? I enjoyed your certainty 😬

I think that would look amazing sanded back. What era is your house? And what room is it in?

@ReviewingTheSituation it could be anywhere from 30s to 60s! It's in hallway, front room and dining room!

In your first pic I can't see a join line, so it looks like solid wood. How old is the house? Way back, we had solid wood parquet in our 1972 new build, but removed it in the 80's, which everyone regrets. I remember the 100's of blocks and bitumen backing in a big pile in the garage. By the 90's laminates were everywhere, but someone may have really wanted a solid floor if it is later than that.

I'm just laying parquet flooring in my hall. Solid wood which I will sand and use a matt sealer because bi want it really light.

I get that the orange colour is unpleasant but that's just the varnish. They cost lots of money to put in now.

You can always sell it. People like me love them.

Wow! I'd be doing whatever I could to keep it!

But surely you must know what era your house is?! There's a huge difference between a 30s and 60s house. And you'd have to tell the mortgage (and insurance) companies when you take out a policy.

We have similar to yours. We moved in a couple of years ago and had it restored. It was lifting and had beading around the edge. Quite scuffed and generally in a poor condition. To be honest, I absolutely hated it. Wanted to cover it with a carpet. However we contacted a local wood restorer and it now looks lovely. Beading removed, floor restored and sanded, varnished with a white base - which makes it look beautiful. I'll add some photos, sorry it looks a bit bare as we were renovating the whole house at the time, but you can see what a difference.

Just a couple more before ones x

@ReviewingTheSituation well, I think it might be 40s but what's confusing me is when we first bought it we were told it looks 30s but is newer and then the person showing us around couldn't specify a decade. A person came out to value for mortgage and not sure what they wrote down...

@TeddyOBear that came up very nice! We also have the beading!

@TeddyOBear could you tell me roughly how much per M2 that cost?

Crikey - if that’s original mid century it could be teak. Lucky you!

@SomersetLevels I won't be getting a professional out for a while as we have so many other rooms to do first. So I'll just keep wondering!

Yep, that is definitely what I had in my place. I’m sure you could still buy it new up till a few years ago. Hope you manage to get it as you like it.

Get a parquet floor specialist to look at it.

We have original oak herringbone parquet in our living room. When we bought our flat it was a horrid orange colour with some water stains. We got a specialist to sand and seal it with high traffic matt varnish. It looks great. Properly treated parquet is really hard wearing - ours is coming up for 85 years old!

@tantdequestions - but what do the land registry details say? When you bought the house, the solicitor would have had all that info?
And when you renew your house insurance, what do you put in the box where it says 'year of construction' (or something of that ilk). I can see how you might not know the exact year, but an approximation surely?!
I've never lived in a house pre 1920s, but every time we've bought a house, it's always been on the paperwork.

Not the point of the thread, I know, and I still love your parquet and would still keep it regardless, but I'm baffled by you not knowing roughly when your house was built!

@ReviewingTheSituation I'm baffled at myself! I'm going to dig around the house file later and I will update the thread.

I'm so sorry, we can't really remember. We think £30 a square metre. It was messy work but well worth it. Beading was removed and he filled the gaps, sanded back to the original wood and then we had our choice of stain. He also did the repairs. If you're in the east, the company was Angel wooden flooring.

Sorry I wrote a reply and it's disappeared 🤦‍♀️ we think I was about £30 a square metre. We used a company called Angel wooden flooring if you're in the east. He removed the beading and filled the gaps, repaired and sanded down to the original wood. Then we had our choice of stain 👍

I put that flooring down in my kitchen in the eighties. They came in square tiles which each had several pieces. Bits did come up occasionally ( I obviously didn’t do it that well, I was less experienced then), but I just stuck them down again. The glue did go black, it didn’t contain asbestos.