It’s easy enough to change the colour of your walls. Put down a new rug or some well-selected throws and you can transform the appearance of a room in an hour or less. Floors are a different matter. Once a floor is down, changing it involves considerable effort. Maybe this goes some way towards explaining the enduring appeal of Parquet floors.
Parquet floors truly are timeless, they add style, charm and warmth to any room and give a solid and beautiful base from which you can develop your interior design ideas. With different woods, colours and patterns to choose from, parquet floors can enhance any home.
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As far back as the 16th-century, French royalty and aristocrats prized the beauty and sophistication of parquet and used it to showcase elegant and opulent furnishings. Most of us don’t own chateaux and current tastes are rather less lavish than those of the French aristocracy but parquet flooring can enhance a contemporary home just as well as a more traditional one.
Parquet flooring will always be a classic choice. It can look stunning in a cutting edge loft apartment or lend distinction to a minimalist design, it’s simply a case of choosing the right pattern. Adding modern twists such as using dyes to highlight the pattern turns your classic floor into a trendy one.
Here’s a review of some popular parquet floor patterns and some ideas on when you might choose to use them.
Some parquet wood flooring patterns have been used for centuries and are still popular today. When you’re looking at patterns for parquet flooring you shouldn’t dismiss the classics.
The herringbone pattern floor layout is achieved by setting planks in rectangles at a 90-degree angle to each other, creating a broken zig-zag effect. One of the virtues of the herringbone pattern wood floor is that because of the way the blocks press against each other it’s extremely stable.
This may be why the ancient Romans used the herringbone design when laying down roads…they didn’t use wood of course! Choose herringbone parquet for a hardwearing floor that could last as long as your house does.
Chevron parquet is similar to herringbone but rather than fully interlocking the planks are cut at an angle and laid so that the short ends form a straight line where they meet, resulting in a chevron effect. It’s a good choice for larger rooms where a more formal effect is desired. The chevron wood floor pattern is another parquet design that has stood the test of time and which can suit various decor styles.
The Versaille parquet pattern takes its name from its origin. Parquet de Versailles was first laid in the palace of the same name in 1684. The pattern consists of precisely cut geometric blocks arranged in a way that gives a tile-like effect. If you’re looking for a floor that brings a touch of sophisticated luxury, parquet de Versailles flooring may be just what you need.
As you might guess from the French name, the Chantilly pattern is another classic parquet design. It features a square border comprised of evenly-cut rectangular planks that enclose an interlacing arrangement of plus sign shaped patterns. Chantilly parquet patterns highlight the beauty of the wood and add depth and a sense of movement to the room.
If you’re looking to install wooden flooring in a modern apartment, one of these more contemporary types of parquet flooring patterns may suit you better than the more traditional options.
An extremely popular hardwood floor pattern. Planks are laid in a straight line, either parallel to the longest wall or diagonally across the room. Both the length of the planks and their width can be varied so joints are randomised.
It’s possible to use wider planks or boards than in more traditional patterns meaning that this floor can be less time-consuming to lay. This pattern also allows you to keep things simple or to liven them up by using a variety of wood colours and textures.
In the brick bond parquet pattern, the blocks are set much in the manner that bricks on a wall are. In contrast to wood stripe, all the blocks are the same size and each block is set to straddle the two above and below. Like wood stripe, this design lends itself to the use of woods or different colours or textures. Brick pattern parquet is a good choice in rooms that are longer than they are wide.
Stack bond is similar to brick bond in the sense that all the blocks are relatively small rectangles of the same size. The difference is that they’re laid in straight lines rather than overlapping. This creates a simple, strong look suited to contemporary interiors, it’s more formal than wood stripe pattern which features different size boards and random joints. In common with brick bond and stripe patterns, the use of different woods can add interest to a stack bond parquet pattern.
Mosaic parquet flooring is created by using uniform stips of wood to form a square. When five strips are used this pattern is also known as five finger parquet flooring. The square parquet flooring pattern is laid across the floor with the squares set at 90 degrees from each other resulting in an attractive geometric display.
Colour gradients within the stripes create a soft flowing effect suited to an informal room. The squares can be aligned with the walls or set at an angle to give a diamond effect.
This pattern is sometimes confused with the mosaic pattern but traditionally the squares in a checkerboard pattern are solid blocks rather than composed of joined strips. In contemporary homes, the checkerboard pattern is sometimes mimicked by installing a mosaic parquet then dyeing the wood to create the checkers. Checkerboard parquet is a good choice if you’re looking for a uniform and somewhat formal effect.
The basketweave floor pattern is created by arranging planks of even width into an interlocking pattern that resembles a wicker basket. Variations on the theme include double or square basketweave.
Traditionally, basketweave is laid using wood of a uniform and generally light colour, mixing shades of wood creates a more striking effect. Basketweave parquet flooring works in any shape or size of room, so it’s one to consider for smaller or irregular spaces.
There are other ways to personalise parquet patterns of wood flooring. Using different textures, carefully selecting the finishing sheen, applying dyes to some or all of the blocks or planks and framing the main floor with a border all add to the character of your floor and put your own individual stamp on yours.
Smooth – For a sleek and minimalist home, you might choose a perfectly smooth finish. It’s generally best to use high-quality wood if you want a smooth finish. Combined with a glossy finish, smooth wood parquet is also easier to keep clean than any of the other options discussed below.
Reclaimed – The use of reclaimed timber has been gaining in popularity in recent years. This environmentally responsible choice adds character and a sense of history to your floor. Reclaimed wood is likely to have a few dents and scratches in it. In many people’s eyes, this adds to the beauty and also means that you don’t have to be too precious about adding the odd knock or scratch yourself.
Distressed – If you don’t have access to reclaimed timber but want your floor to look old, distressed wood is an option. This could be a good choice if you need to be certain the timber is solid but want the floor to suit the ambience of a renovated home.
Brushed – A wire brush is used to deepen the grains and highlight the texture of the wood. This is a choice that tends to work well in homes that already have a lot of wooden furniture in them and where the overall decor is traditional and cosy rather than sleek and modern.
As with paint finishes, you have a choice regarding the sheen on your parquet floor. You can also change the tone of the wood of the whole floor by the use of a coloured stain. From subtle to glistening the range of floor finishes run as follows.
While a stain is generally used across the whole floor, dyes can be used on sections of it. Dyeing wood can be playful, retaining the characteristic grain while adding fantasy colours.
Dyeing some sections of a basketweave floor highlights the clever design of the interlocking blocks. As described above in the mosaic to checkerboard trick, dyes can also be used to add a second layer of pattern to your parquet flooring.
The use of a border can transform your already beautiful floor into a statement piece. Borders are sometimes set at an angle to the pattern of the main room but can also run parallel to it. Borders are especially popular with herringbone, chevron or mosaic patterns.
If you need help installing or maintaining your hard floor flooring you might find the new services in our portfolio useful.
Rely on professional parquet floor installers to set your desired parquet pattern. Parquet flooring needs a lot of looking after it, but it definitely pays back with its look and the feel. The parquet floor professionals can help out with maintaining the best look of your new hardwood floor.
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Do you have parquet flooring at home? What pattern is it and what do you like and dislike about it? Share with us in the comment section.
Parquet flooring patterns images source: Peter Hermes Furian / Shutterstock.com
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