One of the things that can make a parquet floor so pleasing to the eye is the existence of high contrast colours in the various patterns that are common features of this particular home decorating style.  The ability to use such a variety of colours comes from the features of the woods that are chosen for a given parquet floor.  Each type of wood, of course, has not only its own range of characteristic hues, but also a distinct range of grain patterns; both of these features contribute to the beauty and contrast that is inherent to a parquet floor.

Common woods used in parquetry

The most common woods used in parquet floors include walnut, oak, lime, cherry, maple and pine.  Some parquet floors also make excellent use of more exotic and tropical hardwoods such as mahogany and ebony.  While the common woods provide a great deal of potential contrast, most of them exhibit shades of brown as a primary palette.  Tropical hardwoods, in contrast, may exhibit different hues entirely including colours that are distinctly red, black or even purple.

Installation, cleaning and maintenance considerations

In previous generations, it was common to use heated bitumen to adhere a parquet floor to the subfloor.  These days, it is much more common to use a cold adhesive instead.  In either case, the care and maintenance of parquet floors is the same.  Such floors should be swept clear of debris on a frequent basis.  When more thorough cleaning is needed, they can be mopped – but homeowners must be sure to not leave any standing water on the floor as wood can absorb it and swell.

Regular maintenance also includes parquet floor sanding, which is performed to remove a scratched and damaged top layer of the woods used.

Lapacho is a hardwood variety that hails from the Western Hemisphere, growing in both Central and South America.  Also known as Brazilian Walnut or Ipe, it features a pale yellow sapwood that can be shot through with streaks of olive brown.  Interestingly, however, the heartwood is a very dark brown, bordering on black – very nearly the equivalent of ebony.  It is this combination of light and dark woods that make Lapacho such a striking choice in flooring material as the contrast can be very eye-catching.

Lapacho tends to darken over time.  This is particularly true when the exposed wood is subjected to high levels of sunlight.  Lighting conditions, however, will not change the grain, which can vary hugely in this species, sometimes exhibiting a straight appearance and sometimes being wildly irregular.  Texture varies less, though Lapacho does feature a texture that ranges from medium to fine.

Lapacho wood in its natural state is somewhat oily, so flooring made from this material must be very thoroughly dried in advance – over dried, as some installers will recommend.  When prepared properly, Lapacho does not shrink much during installation.  Lapacho has a Janka hardness rating of more than 3000, which makes it one of the hardest woods consumers can obtain for floors.  Because of its extreme hardness, Lapacho will need hardwood floor sanding and polishing services somewhat less frequently than is true of other woods.  When it does come time to have floorboard sanding performed, it is advisable to hire an expert floor sanding services firm with experience working with dense hardwoods.

Merbau is the common name for wood from the tree species known as Intsia bijuga, which grows in the Indo-Pacific in nations such as Madagascar, Tanzania, Samoa, India and Australia – particularly in the Queensland region.  Common names for the tree and the wood it produces also include ipil, kwila and taal, though the last name is generally only used in certain portions of the Philippines.

Although the leaves and bark of this species can be used in traditional herbal medicinal preparations, the timber of the tree is one of its most significant products.  As merbau wood is naturally resistant to termites and is extremely durable it is in high demand as a flooring material.  In fact, merbau has a Janka hardness rating of 1925, which makes it nearly 50% harder than the type of wood generally used as a comparison standard, red oak.

Purely functional considerations, however, are far from the only reason to choose merbau for your new hardwood floor.  Many homeowners are also drawn to the wood for purely aesthetic considerations: planks made from merbau exhibit a distinct golden flecking scattered throughout the grain, giving it a warm and luxurious feel quite apart from more conventional types of hardwood.

Unfortunately, the high demand for merbau has led to it becoming an endangered species in some parts of Southeast Asia; in other places where it used to grow, it is all but extinct.

Like all hardwood floors, those made of merbau will need floor sanding services on a periodic basis.

People with wood floors in their homes often have questions about using vacuum cleaners and throw rugs in conjunction with their wooden flooring.

Pros and cons to vacuuming hardwood floors

In general, it is a very good idea to vacuum your wood floors regularly. Dirt and grit that accumulate on the floor can become an abrasive force that will gradually scour and scratch the finish. Vacuuming and sweeping on a regular basis are two preventative measures that you can take to keep this from happening. Using a vacuum cleaner is in many ways preferable to sweeping. It may be less strenuous for some people, but more importantly, vacuum cleaners used with attachments can generally do a more thorough job of removing all particles.

However, there is one drawback to using a vacuum cleaner. If it has a beater bar, the use of the machine can actually lead to a damaged finish. If your vacuum cleaner has this feature, sweep your floors instead.

Pros and cons to area rugs

Throw rugs can protect a portion of the wood floor from scratches and other damage, but when such rugs are removed or replaced with smaller ones, you may be able to see lines that indicate the placement of the previous rug. These are the result of the wood slowly oxidising over time. This natural process leads to colour changes – but areas protected by rugs will see less sunlight and, therefore, change more slowly.

Because of this, some homeowners use area rugs sparingly on their wood floors.

One of the most important kinds of maintenance for a wood floor is periodic floorboard sanding.

The point of installing a hardwood floor is usually to have a beautiful flooring surface that will last for many years to come, showing little wear and tear as those years pass by.  This is something that homeowners cannot get from carpeting, which tends to wear and fray, needing replacement in little more than a decade in many cases.

Keeping a hardwood floor looking lovely is not difficult, but a few useful tricks can help homeowners to become even more successful in this regard.  Areas of high traffic are liable to show signs of wear first, but this can be mitigated somewhat if appropriate preventive measures are enacted in time.  When wooden floors wear excessively in these high traffic areas, it is often because residents of the home are walking about in shoes with grit embedded in them.  One sure fix for this problem is to adopt a “no shoes in the house rule.”  It may sound strange at first, but it is not unheard of in some households.

Another option is to inspect shoe bottoms frequently, removing bits of sand and grit as needed.  Some people even wash shoes in the washing machine on a regular basis to keep them clean.  This strategy should be used with caution as not all shoes wash well.  Even those that do are usually best left to air dry since the heat of the dryer can melt the glue holding portions of the shoe together.

Every hardwood floor will eventually need floor sanding services, but following the tips above can help your floor to stay beautiful for years afterwards.