One of the most important home decorating decisions is associated with flooring. Certain styles of flooring have come in and out of favor over the years, but one that still looks as beautiful as it did when it was popular decades ago is parquet wood flooring.
If you have a home with parquet flooring, you may be looking for an upgrade. Although some people would say that refinishing the floor is the best option, you may be considering putting laminate over parquet. Is this possible and should you do it?
Can You/Should You Put Laminate Over Parquet?
Generally speaking, parquet flooring makes an excellent subfloor when you’re putting down a floating laminate floor. In fact, it may even make a better subfloor than a typical would subfloor on its own. You can install the laminate directly over parquet and it will produce a beautiful finished product.
Installing laminate over parquet is a personal decision. Some people will automatically say that you should refinish the parquet and if you do so, it certainly can be a very beautiful part of the home. There are some reasons why you might consider using laminate instead of the existing parquet floor.
Protecting Your Investment
If the parquet wood floor is in good condition, free of defect and level, it makes an excellent subfloor. Since you are using a floating laminate to cover the parquet, you are protecting it from further damage. It’s a great choice if you want to use laminate temporarily, perhaps even for years but eventually switch back to parquet.
An easy change
Although there is some work involved with installing laminate over parquet, and we will discuss that in further detail below, it’s also a relatively easy way to change the look in the home. A high quality laminate snaps together easily and is a great DIY project.
Maintenance
When it comes to maintaining any type of flooring, it’s difficult to beat what laminate brings to the table. The surface of the floor makes cleaning up spills easy and you don’t need any special cleaners to keep it in top shape. Just sweep it on a daily basis and enjoy the beauty it provides.
Versatility
Laminate floor is versatile, durable, easy to install, and relatively inexpensive compared to other type of flooring. Since you are installing it over parquet, you can have your cake and eat it too.
Can You Put Laminate Over Parquet?
Parquet wood flooring makes an excellent subfloor when installing laminate. As long as the parquet floor is in good shape and free of defect or elevation changes, there is very little if any prep work that is necessary before installing the laminate.
Prior to the time that you install the laminate, you should inspect the parquet carefully. In many cases, the parquet will be in good shape and you may have been living on it for many years. A careful inspection, however, may turn up some defects in the floor that must be corrected prior to the time that you put down laminate.
If there are any nails exposed, they need to be set flush because it could damage the laminate from underneath. The same is also true if there are any elevation changes. This could be an elevation change from one room to another or perhaps even parts of the parquet that have become raised over the years. Make sure that these issues are fixed prior to the time that you put down laminate.
It’s also important to consider the backing that is used with a laminate floor. It is possible to put laminate directly over parquet, but the backing or moisture barrier has many benefits. In higher quality laminate, the backing will be attached. Otherwise, you can choose the appropriate backing, roll it out and install the laminate over it.
Should You Put Laminate Over Parquet?
Generally speaking, you can put laminate over parquet without any problem. If you are determined to use laminate, there is no reason to remove the parquet or do any additional work prior to installing the new floor.
There are some things to consider prior to covering over a parquet floor with laminate. These are necessarily logistics or reasons why you should not put laminate over parquet but rather, it is a personal decision that will change the way that the home looks. Consider the following optional possibilities.
Refinishing the Parquet – If you are installing laminate over parquet because the old floor has become dull and worn, it may be worthwhile to refinish and bring back its original luster. There is some work involved, including sanding down the old floor and putting on the new finish but the beauty of parquet is undeniable.
Should the Parquet Floor Be Removed? – Since parquet floor makes an excellent subfloor for laminate, there is not usually a reason why you would remove it. There is a lot of work involved in removing parquet but, if adding additional height to the floor with laminate would be a problem, it may be worth removing it. In addition, taking everything down to the subfloor before installing laminate may help to remove issues associated with elevation changes from room to room.
How To Put Laminate Over Parquet
Very little prep work is necessary to install laminate over parquet wood flooring. In fact, parquet makes an excellent subfloor because it is a type of hardwood floor that provides a smooth, flat, and clean surface.
A number of things need to be considered if you are putting laminate over parquet. First of all, the room needs to be prepared properly and you have to inspect the existing parquet floor to make sure that there are not any serious problems. As long as the parquet is structurally sound and in good condition, you can take things to the next step by preparing the room itself.
Remove the base molding around the entire exterior of the room. Be cautious that you don’t damage the drywall in the process. The base molding can be removed to another area of the home. Remove the nails from the baseboard so that you eliminate the safety hazard.
Since you are installing laminate over existing parquet, you are adding to the overall height of the flooring. It may not seem like it is going to make much of a difference, but the difference is often experienced in the doorways. It may be necessary to trim the doorjamb so the laminate and underlayment will fit underneath without causing any problems.
Choosing the laminate underlayment is a very important part of the process. There are many options available, including some that will work well in certain situations where a moisture barrier is needed. Other provide a softness when you are walking across the floor or perhaps add a sound barrier.
A floating laminate floor will need room to expand and contract. An expansion gap should be left along the edge of the wall, although be cautious not to leave so much that shrinkage of the floor will not show up what you have the baseboard installed. You can purchase small spacer blocks to ensure that you are making the right size.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 5, 2021.
Laminate flooring is designed to be installed in one direction, although it is possible to install it backward in certain situations. Start with the laminate flooring put tightly against the spacer block on one of the walls. Lay the laminate boards end to end and attach them so you have a single, long piece.
Additional rows of flooring can be added at this point, although you would want to ensure that you were not having a noticeable pattern or the gap at the end of the boards. Laminate floor is designed to be easy to install. It is typically a matter of snapping the tongue of one plank into the groove of another. You may need to push or tap it into place to ensure that the gap is kept to a minimum.
Continue to work your way across the room until you reach the other side. It may be necessary to trim the boards on the edges of the room, either on the sides or perhaps even ripping the final row of planks.
After you have the entire floor in place, you can reinstall the baseboard. Be cautious that you aren’t locking the floor in place, as it does need to have the ability to float. As the moisture changes in the room throughout the seasons, it will allow the floor to move and expand as necessary.
What Tools Will You Need?
Most people have the tools necessary to install laminate floor, although purchasing some specialty items is a good choice. The following is a list of some of the most important tools so you can prepare and install the floor properly.
PPE
It is important to safeguard your health and this would include wearing the appropriate gloves, safety glasses, and facemask for when you are creating a lot of dust.
Jigsaw
A portable jigsaw will help you with some of the more unusual cuts that you may need to make around objects within the room.
Tapping block
This is a rather simplistic piece of equipment and it usually comes as part of a kit to help you install laminate flooring. The tapping block works by tapping against the lead edge of the flooring to ensure that the gaps are minimized.
Pull bar
This tool typically comes as part of a kit as well. It can be used in many different scenarios, but it is especially beneficial for tightening up the last row that you put down in a room.
Tape measure
You are going to be measuring on an ongoing basis while you are installing laminate floor. A high quality tape measure will help keep problems to a minimum.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on May 5, 2021.
Rubber mallet – You will likely find that you are using a rubber mallet more than any other tool the job. It can be used in conjunction with other tools, such as the tapping block and pull bar. It can also be used to tap the lead piece into position.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 5, 2021.