Is Parquet Flooring Suitable For Family Homes?

Considering Parquet Flooring In Your Family Home? Our Latest Blog Looks At The Options...

Parquet flooring is a popular choice amongst many homeowners. It’s elegant, stylish and makes a beautiful addition to any home. However, if you have a busy household and a family to consider it’s important to choose the right flooring that suits your lifestyle.

So, is parquet flooring suitable for family homes? The short answer is yes. However, some parquet floors are more family-friendly than others, so it’s important to consider the different choices available.

Parquet flooring has a very distinctive pattern, made by laying blocks or tiles in a pattern creating a variety of striking geometric designs including herringbone and chevron styles. Our parquet floors come in a wide range of different types such as laminate, solid, engineered, and LVT, each with its own unique qualities, making them suitable for different rooms of your home.

Solid Parquet Flooring

Solid wood is one of the most common choices for parquet, combining the authentic luxury of solid wood with the beauty of a parquet design. Any type of solid wood floor is a lifetime investment, so you want to make sure it’s the right one for you and your home before committing.

Ideal Rooms:

Bedrooms (Adults and Teenagers)

Solid parquet flooring can add a sense of style to your bedrooms, working particularly well with pared-back schemes, which can be set off with a striking floor. However, because they’re more high maintenance we wouldn’t recommend installing solid wood flooring in a young child’s bedroom where accidents are more prone to happening.

When opting to install solid parquet flooring in your bedroom there are still some factors you’ll want to consider. Such as:

• Durability: When cared for correctly, solid wood floors are extremely durable and can withstand a lot of wear and tear, with most board thicknesses suitable for bedrooms. You can always sand solid wood down and refinish it if it does get marked or scuffed.
• Maintenance: Solid wood, including parquet, is a natural product so it does require a bit more maintenance than other flooring types, especially composites, such as laminate or vinyl. Regular polishing and annual re-treatments are recommended to keep it in perfect condition (though not always necessary).

Hallways

Due to its durability, solid parquet flooring would be a great addition to your hallways. It is incredibly hard-wearing so will be able to withstand high volumes of traffic, making it a great option for family homes with young children.

We’re a big fan of parquet in hallways as it can add a sense of space and draws the eye to key features such as doors or windows, all in a small space.

Living Room

Solid parquet is sure to add the wow factor to any living room, which is ideal, as it’s likely to be the room that you (and your guests) will spend most of your time. If you’re a busy family household, particularly with young children, then there are a couple of things to consider:

• Scratches and Dents: Like any flooring, it can become scratched and scuffed over time. If your children play in the living room with their toys, it’s worth using a rug or playmat, to ensure your floor stays in top condition.
• Spillages: Let’s face it, spillages happen. Adults and children alike, we are all guilty of being clumsy from time to time. Although solid wood isn’t waterproof, it will withstand regular moisture and spillages, if they’re cleaned up as soon as possible. Choosing a parquet with a lacquered finish offers an extra level of protection, creating a ‘barrier’ that reduces the amount of liquid that reaches the lower levels of flooring.

Benefits of Solid Parquet Flooring

• Solid wood flooring is incredibly long-lasting and will last for decades if it is well-maintained.
• Installing a solid wood floor can add value to your home. It has been found that homes with solid wood floors often sell much faster than those without.
• If your solid wood floor becomes scratched or scuffed, you have the option to sand and refinish your floor several times leaving you with a perfect floor once again.
• Solid wood is the most authentic and luxurious type of flooring, which is why it’s so popular.
• Parquet brings an elevated level of style to any room, creating the illusion of space and complimenting all types of décor.

Engineered Parquet Flooring

Engineered parquet flooring is a composite wooden floor, made up of at least three plywood-like layers (known as structural sublayers), overlaid with a real wood (hardwood) top layer. The top hardwood veneer gives an identical appearance to solid wood parquet when laid.

Ideal Rooms:

Living Room

Engineered parquet flooring works really well in living rooms, offering the same finish at a fraction of the price.

Dining Room

Engineered flooring is a low-maintenance floor that’s ideal for busy families. However, as always, there are a few things to consider before fitting in a dining room:

• Spillages: Family mealtimes tend to get a bit messy, with spilled drinks and food. Engineered parquet isn’t waterproof, so liquids need to be cleaned up as soon as possible to avoid causing long-term damage to your floor.
  That said, most engineered floors will stand up well to the daily pressures of family living.
• Maintenance: Engineered parquet is easy to maintain; a quick sweep and mop will have it looking good as new again.
• Finish: If you have a busy family home that is prone to spillages, muddy shoes, and toys being dragged along the floor then it might be a good idea to invest in an engineered parquet floor with a strong finish. A lacquered finish will further protect your floor, whereas an oil finish will still allow liquids to seep into the real wood, but does enhance the overall look of the top layer.

Hallways

Whatever flooring you have in this part of your home, it needs to be both inviting and able to withstand traffic in this high-use area.

We recommend an engineered floor with a thick top layer, which can be refinished more often.

Bedroom

If you want the look of solid wood with added stability and more durability, then you will want to opt for an engineered parquet floor in your bedrooms.

Our range of engineered parquet comes in many different colours and finishes so whatever your style preference, we are confident that you will find your dream flooring.

Benefits of Engineered Parquet Flooring:

• Engineered parquet is low maintenance and doesn’t take much to clean.
• Engineered parquet flooring is one of our most charming and elegant flooring styles which is sure to catch the eyes of any guest in your home.
• Extremely durable and has a long lifespan of around 15 years or more, when cared for correctly.
• Engineered parquet is a cheaper alternative to solid parquet flooring, perfect for anyone on a budget with an eye for design.
• Engineered parquet is more resistant to moisture, humidity, and changes in temperature thanks to the core layers making it much more stable than solid wood alone. It can also be installed over a heating system, so if you have underfloor heating, you won’t need to worry about installing your floor (as long as it’s water-based).

LVT Parquet Flooring

Ideal Rooms:

Bathroom

Luxury Vinyl Tiles are made of PVC which is 100% waterproof, making it an ideal choice for bathrooms (even if you have small children that like to make a splash at bath time).

Kitchen

Our LVT parquet is the perfect choice for your kitchen, as it is waterproof and easy to clean. However, if any spillages occur, we advise cleaning them up immediately, so they don’t stain your floor over time.

Children’s Bedrooms

LVT parquet ticks many boxes when it comes to withstanding a child’s bedroom floor. It’s easy to care for, 100% waterproof, scratch resistant, and extremely durable, as well as having a built-in underlay for extra comfort. Whatever your little ones get up to it is very unlikely that they will cause any damage to your floor.

Dining Room

If you want a durable, easy-to-clean, and stylish dining room floor, then our LVT parquet range will be perfect for you.

If you have young children that are more likely to spill their food and drinks on the floor, then you need a floor that can withstand a high level of wear and tear with little maintenance, and when it comes to parquet flooring, you won’t find one more durable than LVT.

Benefits of LVT Parquet Flooring:

• Has a tough wear layer making it resistant to scratches, bumps, and staining.
• LVT is 100% waterproof so you can install it in your bathroom and kitchen.
• Our LVT parquet can be fitted over a water-based underfloor heating system, making sure that your home feels as good as it looks.
• Sadly, parquet flooring will always be a more expensive choice, but LVT parquet is the most cost-efficient type that you can buy without compromising on style.

Laminate Parquet Flooring

Parquet laminate flooring has become increasingly popular in recent years for its versatility and unbeatable value for money. Laminate parquet offers beauty and style without having to pay the price of solid wood flooring.

Ideal Rooms:

Children’s Bedrooms

Laminate parquet is another great choice for your child’s bedroom. It has a protective scratch-resistant top layer and is easy to care for, meaning this fuss-free floor is perfect for children to play on to their heart’s content.

Dining Room

Thanks to the tough protection layer, laminate is much more resistant to scratches and staining. This often makes it a go-to option for dining room floors, especially in busy family homes. Whilst some laminates are waterproof, most aren’t so liquids should be cleaned up immediately to prevent damage.

Hallways

Another great option for hallways, laminate parquet floors are perfect for adding that finishing touch without breaking the bank.

Benefits of Laminate Parquet Flooring:

• Durable: Tough wear layer making it resistant to scratches, bumps, and staining.
• Compatible: Can be installed over water-based underfloor heating.
• Easy installation: Most laminate floors have a built-in click system and are laid on top of an underlay, creating a ‘floating floor’. The click system on laminate flooring means that you won’t need to use nails or adhesives.

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