How to Fit Parquet Flooring
If you want to have a mosaiclike pattern on your floor, ceramic tiles are not your only option. Parquet flooring is flooring which utilizes small tiles composed of different woods which, when fitted together, give your floor a decorative pattern. Installing these tiles is something you can do yourself, but it will require a bit of preparation. As long as you take care, this type of floor can be laid in an afternoon. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Mallet
- Hammer
- Jig saw
- Pencil
- Tape measure
- Carpenter's square
- Chalk line
- Putty knife
- Parquet tiles
- Mastic solvent and adhesive
- Scrap wood
Instructions
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1
Pull up the existing flooring in the room you are working in. If the subfloor has cracks, fix them before you begin.
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2
Measure the walls with the measuring tape to find the center point of each wall. Use the chalk line to draw from mark to mark on opposite walls. Where the chalk lines meet should be the center of the room.
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3
Use the carpenter's square to make sure the intersection has four right angles. The intersection should split the room into four even quadrants.
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4
Run a test line of tiles along the chalk line to each wall. Make sure these tiles are straight. If this layout will result in tiles along the wall being cut to less than half their size to fit, adjust the center design area to avoid this. Remove all test tiles.
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5
Begin to lay your floor by starting with the central design then work outward toward the wall. Apply the mastic in a 2-by-2 foot square in the center and cover with tiles.
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Work in one quadrant at a time and lay down mastic and tile until you get to the wall. Pay attention to the consistency of the floor's overall pattern as you work.
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7
Clean up any extra adhesive with a wet rag. Allow the floor to dry for 24 hours before stepping on it.
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Tips & Warnings
To avoid damaging parquet tiles when laying them done, place scrap wood on top of each tile and hit the scrao wood with a mallet to secure the underlying tile.
Cut edge tiles down as needed with a jig saw.
Be careful when attaching the tiles to each other. If you hammer them too hard, the tiles can break.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
