Parquet flooring in Wigan

Supplied and fitted

Parquet flooring, in plain English

Parquet is the floor people come to us for. It is also the one that punishes a rushed job, because a pattern floor shows every millimetre of error — a herringbone that was not set out from the centre of the room will run out of true by the time it reaches the far wall, and no amount of scotia will hide it.

We supply and fit solid 20mm blocks and 10mm batons. Solid blocks are the traditional article: thick enough to be sanded back four to six times across their life, which is why hundred-year-old parquet is still being restored today rather than skipped. Batons are thinner, go down over a prepared and levelled sub-floor, and are the sensible answer where floor height is tight against existing doors, or where underfloor heating is going in underneath.

The setting out is the job. We dry-lay the field first, centre the pattern on the room rather than on the longest wall, and cut the perimeter and border to fit what is actually there rather than what the plan says. Then it is sanded flat as one surface and finished in oil, hardwax or lacquer — which is why a floor we have laid has no micro-bevel between every block and reads as one piece of timber.

Best for: Hallways, dining rooms and any room where the floor is meant to be the thing people notice.

Also worth a look

Other ranges we supply and fit

Wide-plank engineered oak flooring in a bright Wigan living room

Questions

What people ask us

How much more does herringbone cost than plank flooring?

The material is broadly comparable per square metre, but the fitting takes appreciably longer because of the setting out and the perimeter cuts. Expect a pattern floor to take roughly twice the labour of a straight plank floor of the same area. We quote it in writing so you can see the split between material and fitting before you commit.

Can you match new blocks into an existing parquet floor?

Usually yes. We keep stock in the common species and sizes, and where a floor is an odd size we can have blocks cut to match. The bigger variable is colour — old blocks have decades of light and finish on them, so newly matched ones are sanded in with the rest of the floor and finished together rather than dropped in and left to stand out.

Does parquet work over underfloor heating?

Ten millimetre batons do, and that is what we would specify. Solid 20mm blocks hold too much timber to move safely with a heated screed in most cases, so we assess those individually — sub-floor type, flow temperature and how the system is commissioned all matter. We will tell you honestly if the answer is no.

What is a border and do I need one?

A border is a run of blocks framing the herringbone field, often with a contrasting feature line in Wenge or walnut. You do not need one, but it finishes the floor against the skirting properly and it absorbs the out-of-square that almost every room has. On a hallway with several doorways it is usually worth it.

Free measure, written quote, no pressure

Tell us the room and how it gets used, and we will tell you honestly what suits it — including when the answer is something cheaper.

Book a free measure Call 01257 425600