How to Install Parquet Flooring
Parquet flooring can add a touch of elegance and class to a room. Not only does hardwood parquet flooring look great, but also it wears well and can give you years of enjoyment.Parquet flooring is not too difficult for the average Do-It-Yourselfer to install, provided that you follow just a few simple steps. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Level sub-floor
- Pre-cut parquet flooring tiles
- Special parquet flooring glue
- Trowel
- Measuring tape
- Chalk line
- Chop saw or table saw
Instructions
-
-
1
Prepare the sub-floor. Sub-flooring must be level. Do not install parquet flooring over another glued-down floor. If necessary, lay new sheets of 1/4-inch plywood down to form a new, level sub-floor. Set sub-flooring in place with screws, not with nails.
-
2
Use your measuring tape to find the center of each wall, then snap a chalk line from each center point so that the lines cross in the exact center of the room. Make sure your chalk lines are perpendicular to your walls.
-
-
3
Nail 1x2s along your chalk lines to ensure a perfectly straight line to begin your installation. Start in the center of the room. Using your notched trowel at a 45 degree angle to the floor, spread enough adhesive for the first three or four parquet tiles.
-
4
Set the first tile in place, making certain it is butted firmly against your 1x2. It is vital that this first tile be square to your walls. Once it is set in place, simply set the second tile into place, locking the two tiles together with the pre-cut tongue-and-groove joint. Without moving the first two tiles, simply continue spreading a layer of glue and then adding new tiles, following your 1x2 until approximately a dozen tiles have been laid in a square pattern near the center of the room.
-
5
Remove your 1x2, being careful not to disturb the perfect alignment of your tiles. Continue spreading glue and adding tiles until you come to the edge of the room. It may become necessary to cut tiles to fit to the edge of the room. If so, use a chop saw or a table saw to cut your tiles. Leave at least a 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch expansion joint at each wall. Let the glue dry per the manufacturer's instructions before walking on your new floor.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Follow all manufacturer's instructions on the use of the glue, and keep all areas sufficiently ventilated.
