Help settle out difference of opinion on parquet floor

[JenaWren]

Can you help settle a difference of opinion on this parquet floor?

We recently moved into a new house and then found we had a few unexpected carpet moth housemates.

We’ve just taken up the carpets and found this. The floor is in reasonably good nick - I suspect it might be original 1970s based the age of some of the carpet.

It’s an ugly dark colour but I think it could be repaired and restored to something lovely.

DH says it reminds him of his parents house and he can’t get past the old fashioned vibes.

Please help settle the argument - do we restore or do something else (carpet or new hardwood floor).

I’m sorry, I know some people like this look but I’m with your husband on this. To me it looks really old fashioned.

Restore and rugs

Properly stripped and sanded it would be lighter in colour and look amazing. IMHO it would be criminal to cover it in carpet or other flooring, apart from maybe a nice rug by a seating area.

Yep my parents have this. They’re 69 and 81.

I think it would look lovely sanded etc but then again I'm late 50s.

We restored 1970's parquet floor. It's absolutely beautiful now and gives the house character. It's not old fashioned, it's retro!!!

I'm not a big fan of that criss-cross parquet, it reminds me of school assembly halls.

But as PP says, stripped back and repolished it could look amazing!

We need Angel Strawbridge to advise.

Could you test a patch?

Lucky you though, finding this under a carpet and not just a pile of cack!

They are bombproof so absolutely get it restored and enjoy. Mid century is very in vogue.

100% restore, it will be beautiful stripped to a lighter colour

I love it!

I love it!

It's beautiful. We had that in our 1960s house in London and it was absolutely a feature that attracted us. That house recently sold again I saw. You're not in SE19 are you?!

Sorry DH I vote a good sand to see if its a keeper.

Spend the £200 and a long week end would bring the floor down to a prestain colour.

https://www.diy.com/departments/corded-floor-sander-bundle-ht8-ht7-one-room-weekend-hire/5059340903569_BQ.prd

Then get it professionally finished if its nice.

It’s the same as ours … it’s teak. It’s worth a fortune (if you could buy teak now). About £300 a square metre. (!!) . . It’s really tough … it’s doesn’t sand much lighter though. . ..

Looks lovely.

Your dog looks nice too 😀

I think it could be lovely. For me it’s the colour rather than the pattern that ages it negatively.

I’d definitely sand down a stain (light colour) a square meter or so before spending money on a new floor.

I like the dark colour too. I wouldn't try to lighten it, it looks great as is.

I was hoping against hope we would uncover this when I bought our previous (mid century) house. I love it!

Oh its lovely, and very fashionable. I know I'm out of step with the majority, but I much prefer dark wood floors.

That’s a nice floor. I’d use it. Rugs.

Covering that floor up would be like nailing hardboard over original panelled doors.

Mmm not a fan, although I really like the parquet that is larger blocks laid in a 45 degree herringbone pattern, edged at 90 degrees much nicer than this in my opinion

Ah I love it @JenaWren but it‘s the same as the one in the house I was brought up in so it reminds me of my childhood. That house was built for my parents in the late 1960s (I am old lol). Weirdly, having chosen the flooring, my parents laid carpet over it about 20 years later.

Agree.

I really love this kind of parquet

Absolutely keep it.