Parquet has found its place in our hearts. Being easier to maintain than a carpeted floor, and warmer and more agreeable than a tiled floor, it fulfills many criteria and is often requested for floor renovation works.

Today, parquet comes in different variations: solid, plywood, or laminate strip. We guide you through their different characteristics!

SOLID PARQUET

The solid parquet flooring is made up of 100% wood! Consequently, on top of being noble and esthetically pleasing, it is very resistant to usage. Commonly used wood types are oak, merbau, ash, acacia and walnut, but it also exists in exotic wood types such as teak, bamboo and jatoba. Understandably, the solid parquet is costlier, and installing it often requires the intervention of a professional. Nevertheless, being very resistant to the passing of time, it can easily last for over 100 years. To maintain its quality, it is necessary to rub down and varnish/seal it occasionally during its lifetime. 

PLYWOOD FLOORING

The plywood flooring is made up of three layers. Only the top layer is entirely made from noble wood and covered by a protective surface. Esthetically, it is therefore as appealing as a solid parquet, with the difference that the laminate will have a more limited lifetime than the latter, and can only be rubbed down and varnished/sealed once. However, posing the laminate is often more simple. 

LAMINATE STRIP FLOORING

The laminate strip flooring is not considered to be a real parquet, as it contains no real wood. This, however, has not taken away from its success. With its sonic comfort, resistance, and nowadays also estheticism, it makes for a priceworthy purchase. When it comes to downsides, the laminate strip tends to lose stability over time, as opposed to a real parquet that stays immobile. Also, it is impossible to rub down and varnish/seal this type of flooring, meaning that in case of accidents or excessive wear, it is necessary to replace it completely. 

Click here to learn more about the different methods of posing a parquet

Click here if you are looking for advice regarding different parquet motives

Click here if you are curious about how a parquet is posed using the traditional method