An independent journal about wood floors and parquet. Not a manufacturer, shop or workshop, and not affiliated with the previous website on this domain. Leave sanding and complex repairs to a craftsman.
Materials
In everyday speech, the word "parquet" covers very different floors: from individual strips that a craftsman assembles into a pattern right in the room to ready-made multilayer planks with a factory finish. They are installed differently, react to humidity differently and stand up to repairs differently. Here we describe the main types of flooring and the wood species they are most often made from.
When choosing a floor, ask yourself not only how it will look on installation day, but also how it will be renewed once the lacquer wears through at the doorway. Different floorings give very different answers to that question.
How this section works: we describe types of wood flooring and wood species in general terms — what the flooring consists of, what makes it convenient and what to watch for. Thicknesses, wear classes, subfloor requirements and installation conditions are specified by the manufacturer in its technical documentation, and whether a floor suits your room is for a craftsman to judge.
The main types of wood floors found in apartments and houses — from historic to modern.
Individual solid-wood strips with tongues and grooves are laid one by one on a prepared subfloor. They can be assembled into almost any pattern, and after installation the floor is sanded and finished with lacquer or oil. The wood above the tongue allows such a floor to be renewed by sanding over the years.
A multilayer plank with a top layer of a fine hardwood and the remaining layers of plainer wood. It is often sold already finished with lacquer or oil, so installation goes faster. The thin top layer limits the number of future sandings — worth checking in advance.
A long plank of solid wood of a single species with a large, calm grain. It takes refinishing by sanding well, but reacts to changes in humidity more noticeably than multilayer floorings, so the room climate deserves particular attention.
Ready-made panels with a pattern already assembled on a backing, laid as a whole. This kind of parquet is common in houses from the last century. It is repaired carefully: a single piece can be replaced, but matching the wood in color and grain is not always easy.
Decorative parquet made of different species, where light and dark woods come together in stars, rosettes, borders and ornaments. It is familiar from palace halls and old mansions. Restoring an inlaid floor is delicate work best entrusted only to an experienced craftsman.
A floor of blocks cut across the grain, so that the pattern of growth rings ends up underfoot. The end-grain surface is very resistant to wear but soaks up finish and moisture heavily, so it is usually oiled and the room climate is watched closely.
This catalogue will collect standalone articles from the parquet archive. The editors write them specifically for the English edition of the journal, with homes, habits and questions of English-speaking readers in mind; they are not translated from other languages.
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| Species | Character | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Oak | Hard and dependable, with an expressive grain; takes lacquer, oil and stain well | Noticeably changes tone under some finishes and in sunlight; shade can vary between batches |
| Ash | Light, with bold grain, close to oak in hardness | The grain pattern catches the eye; the shade warms over time |
| Beech | Dense, with an even, fine texture and a pinkish or creamy tone | Sensitive to humidity swings, so especially demanding about the room climate |
| Maple | Very light and smooth, with an almost invisible grain | May yellow under some lacquers and in sunlight; a light floor quickly shows dirt from outside |
| Other species | Walnut, cherry, pear and tropical species bring warm and dark tones | Often used for inserts and borders in inlaid parquet; vary widely in hardness and care |
Herringbone, chevron, deck, squares, basket weave and Versailles panels, plus a little parquet history.
Caring for lacquer, oil and wax, light and dark floors, entryways and sunny rooms, the seasonal check.
How to approach refinishing a floor: from inspection to sign-off, seasonal humidity and questions for the craftsman.
Information about wood floors is given in general terms, based on encyclopedic and etymological dictionaries, technical documentation from manufacturers of parquet, lacquers and oils, and home fire safety guidance from Russia's emergency services ministry (EMERCOM). How to treat your particular floor is up to its manufacturer, and the condition of the floor and subfloor should be judged by a craftsman who sees them in person.