Parquetry Floor

Traditional parquetry has been utilised as a floor covering for hundreds of years. French style parquetry really came into prominence in the 1700's and is still a feature in many Parisian apartments to this day. Typically oak, teak, beech and walnut are used as the parquet block components and can laid in distinct designs like herringbone, chevron and basket-weave. Prior to the invention of the modern sanding machine the floors were sanded by hand as seen in the famous painting by Gustave Caillebot below.

This was a painstakingly slow process and limited parquet flooring to only the most wealthy households. The craftsmen in this painting were helped along by a nice bottle of red wine (in the right of the painting) which may or may not have helped to steady their hands. Since the advent of the modern sanding machine this process now takes a matter of hours rather than days or weeks. There is often some confusion as to what people mean when using the word 'parquetry'. The painting above shows wood strip flooring as opposed to the more intricate parquet or parquetry which is made up from smaller blocks of wood to create a design. It's definitely a job to leave to the professionals!

Please call us on 0845 602 7694 to get a quote for your parquetry flooring project.