VINYL & LVT
The Only Way is Parquet?
Inga Morris-Blincoe, General Manager at Lifestyle Floors, discusses the many options of flooring available for replicating the timeless parquet floor design and how homeowners can make a decision on which to go for.
LVT is both beautiful and flexible, allowing the consumer to choose their laying pattern.
Parquet flooring first became widely popular in the late 1800s across the UK. Thought of as particularly common in English townhouses, it was in fact a prominent trend across the nation. As the 20th century progressed, many parquet floors were covered up by fashionable carpets or linoleum as parquet fell out of favour. This trend is much to the delight of subsequent owners, who are now finding these gorgeous and valuable floors underneath aging linoleum or threadbare carpets.
But how about those homeowners who aren’t lucky enough to inherit a solid wood parquet floor under the carpet of their new home? Should they fit parquet or one of the many alternatives now available?
Rise and Fall
One of the reasons parquet was so popular in the early 20th century is the flexibility it offered homeowners to design their own floor. With a huge variety of laying patterns available, parquet can be as unique as the tree it grew on or the room it is about to be laid in. The most popular laying pattern in England has long been the jaunty herringbone pattern, but other popular choices have been the use of a border, or patterns including basket weave, chevron, double herringbone or a brick pattern with shorter, wider planks.
The variety of laying options meant that it allowed the consumer to plan and design their flooring with more flexibility than any other flooring type available at the time. The aesthetic
14 | Tomorrow’s Retail Floors
and design options of solid wood parquet may have stood the test of time, but it is not perfect for every application.
Flaw Markings
In the first instance, solid wood parquet flooring can be expensive to fit. Not only is it time consuming to prepare the subfloor and lay individual pieces, the wood blocks themselves can be expensive to purchase. There are also questions about the sustainability of wood, although reclaimed parquet, and wood flooring from sustainable forests are available.
Whilst parquet is a fairly durable choice, it was traditionally favoured in city homes where dirt was less of an issue. This is partially because real wood needs to be kept clean and well- sealed, and many people in countryside homes found that an alternative like ceramic tile was more suited to their lifestyle. Even treated wood can scratch under the right circumstances and is highly susceptible to moisture damage, so you need to be very careful to mop up any spills quickly.
Nowadays, some families find that parquet is not as suitable for busy areas where spills and scratches are almost inevitable. Luckily, a multitude of modern flooring choice, with many options for beautiful patterns, are available.
Durability By the mid-20th century, parquet was falling out of favour
www.tomorrowsretailfloors.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34
