How to Sand & Varnish Parquet Flooring

Treat parquet flooring carefully.

Parquet flooring, with those small, intricate patterns of wood on it, shouldn't ever be fully sanded down in the grain the way regular hardwood floors are. Parquet flooring is thinner and more delicate than full hardwood planks, and a full sanding can ruin its look. A better alternative if the floor is looking dingy and worn is to screen it, taking off just the top glossy layers, then re-varnish to restore the shine.

Things You'll Need

• Orbital floor buffer
• Floor screening pads (rough, medium and fine)
• Vacuum
• Tackcloths
• Paintbrushes
• Extra-fine sandpaper

Instructions

1. Load the orbital floor buffer with a rough screening pad. Stand the buffer in one corner and begin running it across the floor, following the courses of the parquet tiles. Move it gradually across the room, course by course, making sure not to let it stand in one place while it's running. The screen should take up the top layer of gloss from the parquet surface. Vacuum up the dust.

2. Reload the buffer with a medium sanding screen and repeat Step 1. Vacuum the dust and repeat again, with a fine sanding pad. The floor should look dull and flat, with no shine left on the surface, but the underlaying stain of the parquet should be intact.

3. Wipe the whole floor with tackcloths, to take up any residual dust. Brush varnish onto the floor, starting in the corner of the room farthest from the doorway. Brush it on in a light, smooth coat, going all in one direction. Gradually work your way out across the room, course by course. Do the whole floor. Let it set overnight.

4. Sand the dried varnish lightly by hand with extra-fine sandpaper, using quick, short strokes. Sand it just enough to dull the surface to the next coat of varnish will stick. Take up the dust with tackcloths.

5. Apply two more coats of varnish in the same manner as the first, except don't sand the final coat. Let the varnish cure for three days before walking on the floor.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear a dust mask when screening the parquet floor.

References

• This Old House: Screening Floors