Parquet and Herringbone Advice
Finish:
Brushed & Lacquered:
With its shined finish, brushed and lacquered floors are both easy to clean and great if you have a high level of foot traffic. The brushing process allows for the rings, knots and grains of the wood to become exposed, providing a more natural finish. The lacquer provides a protective, shiny layer, which gives a distinctive look and can prologue the life of your floor. However, due to the shined finish, scratches can sometimes be more visible. (Also see, ‘Lacquered’)
Brushed & Oiled:
Brushed and oiled floors have a whole lot of character and are probably the most natural looking of all the engineered floors. The brushing process allows for the rings, knots and grains of the wood to become exposed, and this is then oiled to treat the wood. The oil acts as a barrier to protect the wood from foot traffic. Brushed and oiled floors can also be re-oiled several times in order to prologue the life of the floor, meaning your floor will look as good as new time and time again. Due to the matt appearance, knocks and scratches are often less noticeable and can even add to the character of your floor. (Also see, ‘Oiled’)
Lacquered:
A lacquered finish provides a glossy and smooth appearance to your floor. The lacquer provides a protective layer on top of the wood, which reflects sunlight, is super easy to clean and is also fairly water resistant – although we recommend any spills be cleared up as soon as possible. Lacquered floors do have a tendency to show scratches more than the oiled variety. However, they can also be sanded and re-lacquered years down the line if they start to show signs of wear and tear. (Also see, ‘Brushed & Lacquered’)
Oiled:
Oiled floors are increasingly popular, due to their highly natural appearance. The oil used seeps deep into the layer of wood on each plank, treating it and protecting it throughout. Although scratches are often less visible on oiled floors, any affected areas can easily be sanded and treated with a little oil, without the hassle of re-finishing the whole room. (Also see, ‘Brushed & Oiled’)
Hand Scraped:
With its distinctive rippled appearance, hand scraped floors have a luxurious and authentic appearance. Each plank varies significantly, each having a different texture and a variety of markings.
Unfinished:
If you can’t find exactly what you want, then unfinished may be the way to go. Unfinished floors have not been treated in any way, meaning that you can finish it exactly the way you like and create your own bespoke floor.
Style:
Whether you decide to go for Solid Wood Parquet or Engineered Herringbone flooring, you can achieve various astonishing one-off designs depending on the way your flooring is laid.
Herringbone:
Herringbone has a distinctive zigzag pattern, which is repeated across the entire floor. It comes in a variety of shades and styles, making it the perfect choice if you are looking for something that will make a statement. This pattern is achieved using a very specific fitting style and therefore can be tricky to fit, so it is probably one that should be left to the professionals.
Double herringbone:
As the name suggests, the double herringbone pattern is simply achieved by laying 2 planks or blocks of flooring together at a time. In other words the use of planks are doubled up to create an even more distinctive zigzag pattern.
Basket weave:
This is a very unique and flexible pattern in which flooring is laid. Single planks are bundled to form squares, which are then laid at a perpendicular angle to the adjacent square. To achieve this pattern, one bundle (square) is simply laid vertically and the following bundle must be laid horizontally. Based on personal preference, basket weave patterns are also commonly created with the use dual colours or combinations of shades to form unique flooring designs.
Brick:
This traditional style lives up to its name, as the way in which the planks are laid resembles the appearance of brickwork. It seems that one piece of wood is always perfectly overlapping two planks directly beneath it.
