Parquet - Parquet

A lovely Keruing hallway

2012-03-06T13:04:00.000Z

Hallway recently fitted with a lovely Keruing block

We have recently had news of a Keruing floor we supplied to a customer, now laid and looking fabulous. The graining is lovely, interesting and varied, the colours a pretty mid-brown with a slightly pinkish tinge. This set of photos was taken a day after the laying was completed, so will tone down, but as you can see, a lovely wood, and really good value.


Detail showing the complicated corner and angles

This photo nicely shows the grain, heartwood and sapwood.

Teak floor as supplied by Parquet Parquet

2012-02-03T12:10:00.002Z

This is a fabulous teak block which we supplied, recently laid for a client. The house was architect designed c. 1960s and this floor just works. This was no easy task, seven doorways and a staircase to work round, a great job! It is not often we get a chance to see our product laid, finished and 'settled in', but this time we were lucky and have a chance to show off the results.

With many thanks to Sebastian Cox for the excellent photos!

Maple at a bargain price - but not for long!

2012-01-24T13:42:00.003Z

This is the maple when finally laid, having been scraped, cleaned, sanded and polished.

We have on offer some great maple blocks, which need work, a good amount of scraping, but the trade off is you get a great block for a bargain price. We are finding increasingly that there are people out there in these tough times who don't mind being 'hands on' with their project and so we are offering some block for exactly those customers. We have tried the 'hands on' stuff ourselves and know that aside from it being very tedious and grubby, it is actually in the long run, very rewarding. To look at the floor and know the effort and care was yours, and the savings too, is a great feeling.

Obviously you would not want to do it all the time... but to have a quality floor, it is worth it at least once!!

PARQUET PATTERNS - FOR THOSE WITH A SENSE OF ADVENTURE!

2012-01-04T14:28:00.001Z

Various parquet patterns

This photo shows the various parquet patterns that can be achieved with a bit of care and planning on your parquet project, some of the border work can be done in a contrasting block, which is also very effective and you can see examples of this on our website in the favourite photos gallery.

The only pattern that cannot be done with a right-angled cut is a chevron, which is a special cut, much less common in the UK, although extremely fashionable at the moment in faded tones of oak.

We have a good range of blocks available at the moment: iroko, oak, maple, pitch pines, sapele, meranti, keruing etc.

Beautiful Art Deco Room With Our Parquet!

2011-12-01T09:17:00.001Z

One of our lovely customers sent us these photos of their recently laid mahogany parquet floor, block as supplied by us here at Parquet Parquet. The room is very stylish and the quality of the block adds a warmth and depth to the room, complementing the furniture perfectly.

This gives you an idea of the successful application of parquet in a period house witha bit of patience and vision. We have many wood types available, walnut, oak, teak, maple all of which would look wonderful in a Deco house, perhaps using a contrasting block on the border edge. Just an email or phone call away!

Stunning Mixed Teak Floor

2011-11-25T11:35:00.001Z

This is to show you parquet fans how beautiful a floor can be!

This mixed teak floor was recently laid in a mid century house near us in Lincoln and suits it really well, all the colours and grain of the wood giving a vibrancy and warmth to the room. An exciting floor and beautifully laid in herringbone with a double line border. The whole thing took about a week to do for one man, but there were 7 doorways!

These photos just illustrate how reclaimed parquet is a lovely quality, very classy flooring with just a bit of time and patience.

Oak from North and South

2011-11-08T14:33:00.001Z


School in Plaistow

We have recently acquired some reclaimed English oak, from a school on the Queen's West Road, Plaistow on the edge of London. A nice clean block which is selling out fast. Then we have travelled all the way up the length of the country to Middlesborough to source another nice oak block, slightly larger in size, but also a great looking block

For very good aesthetic reason, oak is the favoured timber for many customers. However our customers often tell us that whilst you can source Chinese oak in a new block, it is very satisfying to have the character of proper English oak which is reclaimed and has travelled no further than a few hundred miles. The other big plus is that it doesn't shrink the way a new block will, so as you would expect from English oak - it is reliable!

A fab oak basketweave floor done by one of our customers

Oak! We have oak for sale at last!

2011-11-03T12:42:00.001Z

It has been a long time since we last had some nice English oak coming into our yard, but here it is and well worth the wait. It is what we get asked for more than anything and yet it is so hard to find in good condition and sufficient quantity. So roll up, roll up and get you reclaimed oak here!

Stock handling in the yard

2011-09-25T12:36:00.000+01:00

This is a photo of the storage looking tidy and looking good! Here you see how the parquet is tipped into large crates where they are kept under cover and ventilated, keeping jobs separate. Eventually the wood block is processed - grading each block to check that the size is consistent and any badly damaged block is rejected.

However we retain block with scratches etc. because once the sanding is completed, the marks will all be gone, and it makes no environmental sense to destroy something perfectly useable. Once the grading and calculating of area is done, the pallets are shrink-wrapped, strap-banded and labelled ready for sale.

New at Parquet-Parquet - Chevron Beech Block!

2011-09-14T16:33:00.000+01:00

Chevron Parquet Block

We are always looking to improve our range here at Parquet-Parquet and therefore we have recently been working on supplying a lovely chevron parquet block, in reclaimed beech, with tongue and groove sides and with a very clean underside. The effect is fabulous and French in design style. For those looking for something a bit different, this might be it!

Beech has an interesting pale colour tone with a slightly pinkish tinge and a nice, generally even grain. It is an excellent timber for a modern floor, especially if you want something sustainable, which this is. All our timber is reclaimed in the UK and hand-graded by us here at Parquet-Parquet ready to send out to our customers.
And despite all that care and attention, it is still a very reasonably priced flooring material! Take a look at our website to see what is currently available.

Mini Video of Some Parquet Fun in Kent!

2011-08-10T15:07:00.000+01:00

Take a look at this little time lapse film!

A little more 'how to lay a parquet floor'

Opepe parquet laying - Part 2

2011-07-24T14:11:00.001+01:00

So, here is part 2:
After cutting your straight edge - allowing 2 blocks wide for the border - and trimming back the overlapped pieces, you then glue the border blocks into position, either forming mitres into the corners, or running straight into the right angle.

First sanding of the blocks

Once laid, leave the glue to go off, preferably overnight, because the sander is a big beast and ideally the glue should be well-bonded by the time you run it over the floor! So you sand the floor, at least 3 times, once with a heavy duty 30 grit, to level out the floor, remove the surface and scratches, then a 60 grit, then a fine 120, to get a smooth, fine finish.

Applying first coat of polish

This then gives you the surface for filling the small gaps that are unavoidable in reclaimed parquet floor laying, and become imperceptible once filled and once again sanded. Finally, the polishing, two layers, not put on too thickly, so you get a better surface, and hey presto! four days of serious graft and you have a fabulous floor. Simples.

Finished opepe floor

More parquet fun, this time Opepe in Kent! Part 1

2011-07-23T13:09:00.000+01:00


Starting the laying process

Opepe is a fabulous wood type; a Central African hardwood, principally commercially grown in West Africa. It is a strong timber with a pale yellow sapwood and golden brown heartwood with a slightly stripey figuring. It has exceptional strength but reasonable working qualities - according to our notes about wood types on our website!

This is a small job, about 14 m2 which we are time-lapsing for another little film on installation, to give a bit more detail on laying techniques for our customers. The blocks are cleaned in the grooves by hand, stacked ready for laying and then the fun begins. Having established the middle line, the central herringbone panel is laid, the special bonding glue has to dry, then you lay the pattern out to the edges, keeping the fit as tight as possible. At this stage there is some cutting to do to create a straight edge for the border block.

This shows the blocks scraped clean on the sides and grooves

Watch this space, more details to come!

New in stock: Quality Teak, Sapele and Mahogany

2011-07-05T11:30:00.001+01:00

We have just lifted some gorgeous teak fron the Crown Woods School, in the Eltham area of London. It is tongue and groove edged, and dates from the sixties, so the quality and condition of this vintage 50 year old block is good!

There is also some nice c 1950 sapele block available in large quantities, sourced from the Sedgefield Community College at Stockton-On-Tees.

And finally a beautiful and very clean, excellent quality mahogany block which has come from McKechnie Brass Social Club, based at Aldridge near Walsall. The mahogany is again from the 1950's - we have sold a lot already, there is only about 130m2 left!

End product after lifting, bagging, transporting, sorting and palletising, the panel above shows how it will look as a floor. Stunning!

Lots of Parquet Fun in Southwold!

2011-03-29T10:07:00.000+01:00

Check out our new video showing us laying a Beech floor with a Panga Panga border - it took 3 days and as you can see we worked hard...and some of us had hangovers...but the results were great (wait till after the end of the action to see the final floor). Enjoy watching us work!

An Arts & Crafts Post Office, Suffolk

2011-03-17T15:24:00.002Z

Beech & Panga Panga floor recently fiited in an Arts & Crafts Post Office

Just thought we'd share with you a gorgeous floor that we have just fitted for a friend of ours, Anthony Geering from Puritan Values, a leading expert in Arts & Crafts antique furntiure and artefacts. The room is the actual Old Post Office in Wangford, Suffolk, which Anthony has restored keeping all the original features. The parquet floor is reclaimed and supplied by us, very effective warm beech with a bold panga panga border edge. By not over-sanding, the floor still has a lived -in look of an old floor. There are more pics to come, we have captured a time lapse of the process to show our customers what it takes to fit a reclaimed parquet floor and that will be posted on our website - with luck next week.

Anthony has appeared in a couple of TV programmes dealing with antiques, Channel 4's Kirstie's Home Made Homes being the most recent where his expertise has been called on. He has got an interesting Eco-Project underway and is very convinced about reclaimed parquet, so will be using it in the future within the project. This completed room just goes to prove how warm and welcoming parquet flooring is, and how suitable for an original late Victorian building.

Elle Decoration March 2011 Issue - Insider Guide

2011-02-10T13:27:00.002Z

Deep charactered Rhodesian Teak, reclaimed and relaid

There is an article in the fab designer's magazine, ELLE Decoration this month all about reclaimed floors, more particularly focussing on parquet and all the processes. Parquet-Parquet gets a mention as one of their suggested suppliers and our favourite fitter Simon Waplington even gets his photo in it!

The great thing about ELLE Decoration is that it exposes parquet to a wider audience of stylish specifiers who are looking for something different for their clients, and which fits the environmentally friendly bill completely, as it is totally sustainable and available in really good quantities and varieties. If you get a chance, check it out or go to our website www.parquet-parquet.co.uk and see what we currently have available.

Pretty and elegant Afrormosia reclaimed and relaid
Photos copyright by our favourite photographer Spadge UK

Watford parquet - Casio Campus

2011-01-31T12:29:00.001Z

West Herts College, Casio Campus, Watford

Our latest parquet lift is from the college above where we spent a couple of days lifting and bagging some very attractive Panga Panga as well as a nice mixed African Mahogany, always a winner with the customers who are looking for a reclaimed floor.

As you can see from below, the parquet has to be lifted with a special tool with some care in order to ensure that there is minimal damage and therefore minimal wastage, then it has to be bagged and loaded before being taken back to our yard for processing. The work is intense and grubby but the results worth it - these are quality floors!

There is more to come in phase II.

SNOW ON THE WOLDS!

2010-12-06T16:49:00.001Z

Snow on the Wolds

This photo, taken last week, is of our recent snow and ice, which, although beautiful has caused us a few problems - we have been waiting for more parquet to come into our yard, but so far the snow is too deep for any driver to want to try! It has also slowed up our deliveries, but with the thaw underway and the aid of some industrial sized shovels we should be able to get back to normal within a few days. The up-side is we have managed to catch up on the heap of paperwork that mysteriously grows when you aren't looking at it!

There is some very nice quality long block walnut due with the next delivery lorry, so keep checking or send an email to register an interest, it will be a cracking parquet block!

PANGA PANGA FROM SURBITON

2010-10-26T09:41:00.000+01:00

There was a call from the demolition company asking us to lift a floor from a Church Hall in Surbiton, Surrrey in a hurry as they were ready to fell the building. We managed to get to site in time to lift what we were told was a mahogany floor and it turned out to be Panga Panga, one of the rarest and best looking parquet timbers.

Lifting of parquet at Surbiton

The Church Hall was built in 1950, the Church having been badly damaged during the Blitz - apparently a bomb went straight through the roof, so the Church Hall was built as a space for Parish activities, sadly now making way for housing...we cannot complain though as this is how rare timbers come to light, old buildings which are demolished to make way for new and we have the chance to reclaim the parquet for use elsewhere. But we do have to graft to lift it, and then it is brought back to our yard, sorted and graded, (all the damaged blocks rejected) and then palleted and wrapped ready for clients.

We find that Panga Panga is one of the timbers that is in very high demand, the dark colouration with the swirls of light banding make it really striking and it looks absolutely fantastic as a border to a light wood or the reverse, where a light wood is edged onto the dark floor, giving a very classy and modern twist to what is a traditional flooring system.

The opportunity to chose this sort of flooring and at the same time buying a reclaimed and recycled timber, thus being sustainable is a strong motivation to many of our customers. No rainforests have been harmed in buying our product, these timbers come from trees that were felled many years ago when there was not the mass clearance that happens today, without regeneration.

TRW Factory Aylesbury - Wenge and Teak

2010-10-16T16:37:00.000+01:00


TRW Building Aylesbury

We had another big job to do last week, this time it was lifting the parquet from the old TRW Factory in Aylesbury. We removed Rhodesian Teak and Wenge all of a fantastic quality and condition, the later stuff dating from the 1970s and the earlier stuff dating from 1964 as per the stone below.

We have to do the parquet lifting quickly and often on short notice, immediately before the demo guys come in and flatten the building! If we want to reclaim and therefore recycle what is a superb quality resource we really have to be flexible and mobile to get to these places because the demo guys wait for no man!

Look out for the timber on our website and give us a call if you want a price, sample and delivery quote, this is great stuff!

This has been a busy summer!

2010-08-25T16:47:00.000+01:00

This summer there has been a great deal of activity, with plenty of parquet coming in. Good quality wood block from all over the country; the latest from Teddington which is some exceptional quality long block oak and beautiful mahogany (both of which are popular with the floor-fitters). We have a supply of walnut coming in from Carlisle, which is selling before it even gets to the yard and next stop Aylesbury.

The timbers that have proved popular with our clients, apart from the perennial oak that is, are the pale woods, maple for instance especially good for a modern house or apartment. Pitch pine is great for an old barn or farm building conversion, and the darker woods work well in Victorian or Edwardian houses, like a Rhodesian teak. Many of them look great with a contrasting border just to add something unique to the floor and quite a lot of our customers are going for that effect. Our customers in France and Spain particularly go for walnut and oak with a dark border. So as quickly as pallets go out, we are trying to get more in - the problem is that we can never tell what will come up next!

The rain over the last month hasn't made life easy either, grading has to be done under cover to keep the block dry and in good condition, so the summer we had planned, enjoying the sunshine whilst working has not really materialised. May still get some good late summer sunshine if we're lucky - fingers crossed.

Maple Parquet Grading

2010-07-19T23:59:00.000+01:00

Today we were sorting and grading some beautiful maple block in 35sqm packs to put for sale on the internet. The parquet came from Barnet School and is lovely and clean.

East Barnet School

2010-07-19T09:02:00.000+01:00

Here are some images of a recent job from which we have rescued some beautiful parquet block. East Barnet School is being demolished and we have got in to lift a variety of blocks including maple, beech and oak.

The site is being cleared for use as a car park for the new college and we'll be giving the quality flooring a new lease of life.

PLESSEY ROAD SCHOOL.

2010-06-23T11:30:00.000+01:00

This school in the North East of England is to be demolished and we have carefully lifted and bagged up the floor ready to be sold on and given a new life.

ABOUT OUR PARQUET

2010-06-23T11:10:00.000+01:00

Welcome to our blog. Here you can get an insight into the way we source and process our parquet.

This is the main barn in which the parquet is graded and checked by hand, and stacked onto pallets ready for distributing to customers. We ensure that every pallet that goes out is of a high enough quality to lay with little trouble.

A pallet ready to be wrapped and sent out to a customer.