Is your floor looking worn out? Are you tired of being restricted with decor themes because they’ll clash with the floor? Parquet flooring can take care of those problems, and we can help you figure out the parquet flooring cost for this change.
When you opt for parquet flooring, you get two choose between three flooring types. Moreover, they are all wooden, so they’ll look good no matter your style. However, the wood flooring costs can vary depending on the type you use and the size of the area you’re renovating.
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You’ll be looking at costs per square foot and meter. For the UK, the average hardwood flooring prices of all three types are:
- The laminate flooring can cost £5 to £20 per square meter (£0.46 to £1.98 per square foot)
- Hardwood flooring costs anywhere from £30 to £130 (£2.96 – £12.84 per square foot), depending on the hardwood quality.
- Engineered wood costs you in the range of £20 to £110 (£1.98 – £10.87 per square foot), again according to its quality.
All these prices are inclusive of the 20% VAT. Additionally, you will have to pay for installation as well, and that can cost anywhere between £12 to £30 per square meter (£1.18 – £2.96 per square foot) in basic labor. Moreover, there are other costs to consider, and we’ll discuss them in detail. Find flooring installers near me and ask for a price based on the type of floor you want and how many square feet you have to cover.
Parquet Flooring: What Is It & Why Should You Get It?
Parquet flooring is just wood flooring in all its glory. However, there are three flooring types that you can choose from and these include laminate, engineered wood, and hardwood floors. Let’s get into each style.
Laminate flooring is the cheapest parquet flooring type. This flooring is MDF bonded with a wooden ingrain. So it looks like a wooden floor, just without the actual wood. It may sound like a lot, but you can get a pretty good aesthetic for your room with minimal flooring and installation cost. Furthermore, laminate floors are easy to clean, and you won’t have to worry about scratches.
Next on our list is engineered wood flooring. Manufacturers make engineered wood floors closer to hardwood in nature by glueing together a bunch of core plywood. Furthermore, they top it off with a hardwood veneer. The core plywoods can be anywhere from 3 to 7 in number. Moreover, you also get to choose between different hardwood veneer thicknesses and types.
Finally, actual hardwood flooring is the most valuable type and looks more attractive. However, hardwood is also the most expensive type and the hardest to install, and Oak is the most commonly installed option. However, if you’re a fan of victorian housing style, you should go for pine flooring. Better yet, if you want the more exotic hardwoods, go for bamboo flooring or hickory hardwood flooring.
Parquet flooring is available as wood blocks. Thus, you can have them installed in different geometrical patterns. However, you can’t do that with wooden floorboards.
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Updated Hardwood Flooring Prices and Installation Costs
First, we’ll go into the primary hardwood type and labour costs. However, these are just rough estimates. So, the actual prices can change as each situation is different.
Some factors that can affect the real-time prices are the existing condition of the floor, size and shape of the room, parquet and wood type, and the pattern you want.
Another thing to consider is the labour costs in your location. Also, labour costs in London are probably higher than in other areas.
Parquet Type | Duration (Days)
(One Person For 5 x 5m room) |
Hardwood Flooring Prices
(Per Square Meter) |
Labour Costs
(Person Per Day) |
Maple | 2 – 4 | £27 – £60 | £1k – 1.2k |
Walnut | 4 – 5 | £80 | £1.1 – 1.3k |
Beech | 3 – 4 | £35 – £75 | £1k – 1.2k |
Oak | 3 – 4 | £32 – 80 | £1k – 1.2k |
Engineered Wood – Basic Grade | 2 – 3 | £20 – £40 | N/A |
Engineered Wood – Medium Grade | 2 – 3 | £40 – £70 | N/A |
Engineered Wood – High Grade | 2 – 3 | £70 – £110 | N/A |
Laminate | 1 – 2 | £5 – £20 | N/A |
Furthermore, labour costs may depend on your area. However, most hardwood flooring installers charge between £12 to £30 per square meter (£1.18 – £2.96 per square foot) for the wood flooring.
Moreover, the labour insulation underlay will cost you an additional £8 to £15 (£0.74 – £1.39 per square foot) per square meter. Furthermore, the hardwood flooring cost depends on the condition of the existing wood flooring.
Some other tasks will also affect the hardwood flooring costs if you are replacing the existing hardwood flooring. The hardwood flooring cost calculator must consider furniture relocation, carpet removal, and subfloor repair in such cases.
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Individual Room Pricing
To help you understand things a bit better, we will now calculate the per square foot and square meter wood flooring cost for each room. To do so, we will calculate prices for oak hardwood floors and leave a 10% margin to accommodate any mistakes or damage.
In addition to the actual floor material cost, we will include the installation costs. Additionally, we will include extra things for installation like beading, insulation underlay, door trimming, damp proof membrane, and floor levelling.
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Bathroom
A standard bathroom is around 1.8m x 2.4m which is 4.4 square meters. Furthermore, with a 10% margin for error, we’ll need about 4.84 square meters of oak parquet. The average price for oak hardwood is £56 per square meter (£5.2 per square foot). We’ll assume the labour will take £20 per square meter (£1.86 per square foot) to install hardwood flooring. Add to that the £300 extras cost, and the total comes to £667.54.
- Oak Hardwood Flooring – £271.04
- Labour – £96.5
- Extras – £500
- Total – £667.54
- Main Bedroom
We’ll assume the main bedroom is around 4 x 4m, which means 16 square meters. Add the 10% extra hardwood material, and we get 17.6 square meters of solid wood flooring. Let’s say the extras cost £850. Then, the total will come up to £2187.2.
- Oak Hardwood Flooring – £985.6
- Labour – £352
- Extras – £850
- Total – £2187.6
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Second Bedroom
Assuming that the second bedroom is around 3.4 x 3m which means 10.2 square meters. Add to that the 10% extra hardwood flooring material, and we get 11.22 square meters. Let’s say the extras cost £500. Consequently, the total will come up to £1357.2.
- Oak Hardwood Flooring – £628.32
- Labour – £224.4
- Extras – £500
- Total – £1352.72
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Living Room
The living room is 7.6 x 6.1m which means 46.36 square meters. When we add the 10%, we need nearly 60 square meters of oak flooring. As a result, if the extras cost £1200, the total will be £4723.36.
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- Oak Hardwood Flooring – £2596.16
- Labour – £927.2
- Extras – £1200
- Total – £4723.36
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Kitchen
We’ll keep the kitchen size at 3 x 3.6m, an area of 10.8 square meters. That means we need 11.8 square meters of hardwood flooring material. Furthermore, with the extras at £500, the final cost for the kitchen will be £1396.8.
- Oak Hardwood Flooring – £660.8
- Labour – £236
- Extras – £500
- Total – £1396.8
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Parquet Types in the UK
It doesn’t matter what type of wood flooring you want. In the UK market, you’ll get the chance to choose any kind of parquet. Given the different types of hardwood flooring, you can select any tree type and parquet shape style.
The variety in parquet shapes allows you to make different geometrical shapes and patterns on the hardwood floors. Additionally, each hardwood flooring block comes from a different tree. Thus, you get a variety of textures and designs that add to the classic aesthetic of your home. If you don’t want solid wood flooring, you can opt for engineered hardwood or laminate parquets.
Another thing about engineered hardwood flooring is that it comes with different grades. The hardwood flooring varies in quality according to these grades. There are three grades; basic, medium, and high. Each grade has a different price point. That means basic hardwood flooring grades are the cheapest while high flooring grades are the most expensive. The same principle applies to solid hardwood flooring.
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Oak
Oak is one of the UK’s most popular choices for hardwood flooring. Oak flooring can go with any decor theme and happens to be relatively cheaper than other solid wood floors. Of course, even in this category, you can choose to build your floor from red oak parquets or white oak parquets.
Contrary to its name, the white oak is lighter in colour and carries brown and tan tones. Additionally, white oak is an excellent choice for your porch due to its resistance to environmental changes. On the Other hand, red oak has red and pink tones throughout and is the cheaper hardwood flooring option.
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Walnut
Another solid hardwood flooring option is walnut, specifically Brazilian walnut. Walnut parquets give your house a more luxurious vibe with their darker hues. Of course, it’s more expensive. Still, this hardwood floor’s durability and scratch-resistant surface make up for its price.
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Chevron
Chevron is a design that you can create on any wood floor. The technique involves laying the solid wood in a zig-zag pattern at thirty-five or forty-five degrees angles. The pattern is simple and repetitive. However, it can make a small room look more spacious.
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Aged
If you like your home to have a more vintage vibe, you can opt for aged or distressed hardwood flooring. These solid wood blocks look well-worn and antique. However, we don’t recommend using reclaimed hardwood blocks to achieve this look.
Reclaimed hardwood blocks are more authentic, but they are more likely to be damaged. Hence, they make an unstable hardwood floor. Additionally, look for distressed blocks while buying solid wood flooring as they look worn. However, they are in excellent condition.
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What is Parquet Flooring?
Parquet flooring first originated in France during the 1600s. In France, the more wealthy folks used wood flooring instead of the cold marble tile flooring in their homes. From there, it made its way all over the world, including the UK.
Parquet flooring refers to hardwood floors laid by organizing the wooden tiles into specific patterns. These tiles are usually made from solid woods and come from all sorts of exotic woods. However, you can also use engineered hardwood to give your home a wood flooring effect.
For parquet flooring, manufacturers use small blocks to make exquisite designs. This method gives the floor a more natural look. Additionally, you have to admit, it is more exciting than looking at straight wood floors with unbroken parallel lines.
For parquet flooring, manufacturers use small blocks to make exquisite designs. This method gives the floor a more natural look. Additionally, you have to admit, it is more exciting than looking at straight wood floors with unbroken parallel lines.
Parquet tiles come in a variety of shapes. However, the most common shapes are rectangles, squares, diamonds, and triangles. Your flooring contractors work with you to lay these blocks in your desired patterns.
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How to Install Hardwood Floors?
While we get the need to cut down on your expenses and DIY everything, you might want to get flooring contractors for this project. After all, the materials are expensive, and a lot of prep work needs to be done. Additionally, there are things like room shape to consider. If your room is irregular-shaped, a professional can help you sort things out.
Furthermore, you will need help figuring out the best shape for the tiles. Your focus should be on giving your room a more airy and spacious look. A professional can help you determine the optimal flooring pattern for that look.
Before installing hardwood floors, you need to look into the type of hardwood you will use. Of course, the best choice would be real hardwood flooring. That’s because nothing can beat the look and majesty of solid hardwood floors. However, if that isn’t possible, you can opt for engineered hardwood. Engineered hardwood costs less than solid hardwood, but it’s still durable.
You must also ensure that all other construction work is complete before you begin the hardwood flooring installation. The solid wood floor tends to expand and shrink depending on humidity. Hence, you need to leave the solid wood blocks in the rooms for a while to let them get used to the humidity levels.
If you plan to use floor heating, you might want to stick to engineered wood. That’s because engineered hardwood doesn’t change its shape with temperature. So they will last longer.
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Planning
Needless to say, planning takes precedence during any renovation project, especially parquet wood flooring projects. You need to measure out the area where the flooring installation will take place.
After you figure out the size of the room, you need to prepare to buy the hardwood flooring material. We recommend purchasing some extra wood flooring materials as mistakes happen, and you don’t wanna run out mid-project.
You also need to select the correct pattern for your room. It’s essential that you do this before the hardwood floor installation starts. That’s because there is no room for error or change of mind during the process. You can draw out the patterns on paper. Better yet, make digital 3D models to get a better idea of how everything will look.
You also need to consider the surface you’ll be laying the hardwood floor on. You need to have a flat surface for wood floors. We recommend using a self-levelling compound if the base is uneven.
Get professional consultation to see that you have everything figured out. This is the part where you finalize the hardwood flooring cost. The total price will also include the installation cost.
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Damp Proofing
Now that you have every step mapped out, it’s time to start with the actual hardwood flooring installation. It’s bad to lay the solid wood floor directly on top of the subfloor. The subfloor has moisture that can seep into your wood floors. That goes for solid wood floors and engineered hardwood floors. Consequently, you can get water damage in the form of a warped wood floor.
You need to start by separating the subfloor from the hardwood floor. One way to do that is by laying a Damp Proof membrane or DPM on the subfloor. However, you must remember that you can’t use the nail-down or stapling method during the hardwood flooring installation.
If you use nails or staples, you’ll puncture the DPM and might as well forgo using it. We recommend laying an adhesive on top of the DPM and fixing the hardwood floor onto that adhesive. Additionally, if you must use the nailing or stapler method for hardwood floor installation, use a plywood subfloor over the DPM.
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Preparing the Blocks
This is the part where you check the blocks. Some blocks come with adhesive on them, while others have grooves. Thus, you need to check which side of the blocks goes up and which needs to be laid on the floor.
If you are using reclaimed hardwood, you need to make sure it is in stable condition. Furthermore, you need to remove any adhesive or glue that may be on them. However, if you can’t get all of it, be sure to get the parts that are already flaking off.
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Installing Hardwood Floors
Most hardwood flooring installers don’t just go in with the adhesive. Instead, they start by laying the blocks around a fixed point without the glue. When they have made sure that the pattern is okay, they go back in with the glue. Additionally, this method ensures that there are no mistakes since even a single deviation will stand out once the entire hardwood floor is done.
There must be space between the wood blocks so they can expand easily without running the whole hardwood floor. Usually, 15mm is enough space between each block. However, you should be careful with the adhesive that you use. Thus, always use glue that the manufacturer recommends.
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Sanding and Filling
After you have glued and laid everything down, you need to wait for it to dry. In the case of unfinished hardwood flooring, you will now proceed with filling any gaps. You can do that with any wood filler. After you have smoothed everything out, it’s time to sand the hardwood floors.
The second last step is to sand the new hardwood floors. Remember, you need to be careful here. After all, it wouldn’t do you any good to scratch the newly installed wood floors. The rule of thumb is to go with the grain of the engineered or solid hardwood.
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Sealing
You are nearly finished with hardwood floor installation. Now, it is time to seal your new hardwood floors with a sealant. First, you need to remove any dust or debris that may have accumulated over the hardwood floor. Next up, you should check the manufacturer instructions to see if they suggest a specific sealant.
If they dont, go for a polyurethane varnish. This type of wood finishing lasts longer and is resistant to normal wear-and-tear. After you’re done with the application, you need to wait for everything to dry. However, depending on the type of sealant, this waiting can last anywhere from two hours to an entire day. As soon as it’s all dry, you are done installing wood floors.
You can skip this step by getting prefinished hardwood floors. Prefinished hardwood floors are sanded and sealed by the factory. Moreover, all you have to do is install them. Thus, they have lower installation costs.
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FAQs Regarding Parquet Flooring
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What is the best type of hardwood flooring?
That actually depends on you. However, we recommend going for traditional wood flooring. Traditional hardwood flooring usually refers to solid wood flooring. However, if you are on a budget, you can opt for engineered hardwood flooring.
The traditional woods used are oak and pine when it comes to hardwood floors. However, we recommend going for Brazilian walnut hardwood floors. That is because they are the most durable options.
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Is wood flooring suitable for modern homes?
Let’s be honest. No matter how modern our homes become, hardwood floors are never going out of fashion. Moreover, there is a certain majestic appeal that makes us want to install hardwood floors no matter the era. Furthermore, this hardwood flooring is also highly durable, which just adds to the overall charm.
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When did parquet flooring originate?
The art of parquet hardwood flooring was born in France during the 1600s. The technique was introduced to replace marble and stone tile flooring with wood floors. That’s because marble and stone damaged the internal timber frame and incurred higher installation costs.
Parquet flooring made its way to England in the 1700s through Queen Mary. Today, parquet flooring has become more accessible. However, the aesthetical value remains the same.
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How long does hardwood flooring last? When will I have to replace hardwood floors in my home?
The standard lifetime for a hardwood floor is ten to fifteen years. All you have to do is maintain them properly. However, you can usually refinish hardwood floors even if they get worn out. Thus, refinishing should keep them going for a long time.
However, if there is water damage or if things have gone beyond refinishing, you might want to replace the hardwood floors completely. In order to do that, you will have to tear out the existing hardwood floors. That can cost you something in the £50 to £150 range for a small area.
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How can I cover the parquet flooring?
The simplest way to cover your hardwood floors is to throw a rug or carpet over them. The other method is to lay another wood floor over the parquet flooring. Moreover, the new floor will act as floating wood flooring.
The floating flooring can be made from either engineered wood or solid wood. However, you do need to be careful of the dampness. If moisture is seeping through your parquet flooring, it will ruin the new flooring as well.
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Can I refinish hardwood floors without sanding them?
If the hardwood flooring is in tolerable condition, you may be able to refinish hardwood floors without sanding them. Furthermore, the process only takes a few hours. During the process, you will need to vacuum the floor to remove any debris. Afterwards, you need to scuff the hardwood floor with a buffer. After you are done buffing, apply the sealant and polyurethane varnish.
This method will cost you around £200. On the other hand, refinishing the entire floor after sanding can cost as much as £2000.
Floor Fitters Near You
Hardwood floors are a timeless look for your home. Additionally, they can add to your house’s overall value. If you have been wanting to install hardwood floors, now’s the time to do so. We have something that’ll help you find a professional perfect for the job.
Bark.com is a services marketplace. Thus, you can go to the website can enter your location to find a list of professional hardwood installers for your home. The best part is that you don’t have to hire them immediately.
Moreover, you can use the website to talk to professionals and get free hardwood flooring installation cost quotations. Click here to find a professional hardwood flooring contractor now!
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