Parquet floor install. 8 days in 9 minutes! 

I love contrasts. The 2nd piece just suited the mood I was in and the beat suited the time lapse too I think. Thanks for the nice words 🙂

Thank you. That's so kind. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer. I have already answered a whole bunch in the comments here. I've got another parquet video being edited where I explain the process of setting out a bit more, but don't hold your breath as I'm using a new editing tool which is a bit complicated!

@@martybarrios123 thank you for your kind words. I really enjoyed it.

Good luck. It's beautiful and so satisfying to do. Your knees may not agree! 😆

How did you get on?

Lots of others seem to make a big thing about this but really parquet will not be obvious and opposite sides of the room are never compared, so I would just go with any line square to a main wall and if you are really clever you could do the edges on that side with dead-on half blocks to have no waste and half the cuts.

Thank you Maryj very kind of you to say. Two people would speed it up to some degree. I really enjoyed this job.

Hi. Thank you. I really enjoyed doing this floor. I did actually start with a spine perpendicular to the window wall because it was going to be the most visible when finished, the other walls were.... interesting! The fireplace was off square by 20mm one end to the other. Having done, or set out the spine, I did tend to work east to west because knocking new blocks into the existing and having left and right handed blocks it helped to avoid increasing gaps due to manufacturing tolerances or me misaligning them.. I did keep an eye on the spine line too. The edges and cuts were really easy. I rough cut the diagonal..so it would go into the space for the border, leaving them dry, I don't need glue on my saw! Then placed and packed the (dry) border over the rough cut edges and marked the cut line then chop chop chop! The chamfer was done with a small block plane and the sanded edge stained and sealed. The dust collector is really successful, I and my customer were really happy with that! Its, a synthesis of lots of RU-vidrs experience. It's basically a Thein baffle separator. I did get a couple of places where stacked tolerances resulted in small gaps opening up, sawdust and pva mixed with a tiny bit of wood stain did the trick but by and large the blocks were really good.

Fair comment. I discussed with the customer and asked which he'd prefer and, where the most visible amount of wall is. It was the window wall and typically, the sofa they'd use most is directly opposite it, hence the direction of layout. Also there was a significant amount of runout across the fire place hearth (the front edge was 20mm further off the wall at one end compared to the other) which would be horribly visible if I'd either used the fireplace wall or, the hearth as the datum edge, it would also have a nasty effect on the other walls which being much longer would show it more. All good fun! Thanks A Also, no walls are at 90⁰ to each other although fortunately they all add up to 360⁰! 😆

¡Hola Chile! Gracias por sus amables palabras. Fue un trabajo muy agradable. Puedo estar muy lejos de usted, pero si tiene alguna pregunta, no dude en preguntar. [¡Español por Google Translate!]

Hi There. Thanks for the kind words 🙂🙂 So, 1. I can't remember exactly what the adhesive was, it was supplied by the customer. I do know however it is what was recommended by the flooring manufacturer and I think it's a good idea to use their recommendation because if you need to claim under the floor guarantee and you haven't followed their recommendation then your claim gets rejected. Unlikely but not impossible. I do know that it was really really sticky and remained flexible to allow for the wood expanding and that room had underfloor heating too. 2. Yes, I would remove the tongues if you're using a Scotia as if there is movement or it shrinks then the tongues may become visible, not so good. Yes, groove side in. 3. When I was laying out the border, as the walls waved a bit, I did pack them out. I used, I think, plastic wedges which I either got from B&Q or Wickes (UK) Home depot etc in the USA. On their side you can use two sliding over each other to get a parallel packer that's adjustable. 4. Doorway. I carried the border across the doorway in a straight line and then fitted another part thickness row in the door reveal. We decided that turning the border into the doorway and then back out for the depth it is would be a lot of faffing! I wanted to do what was pleasing to the eye (there's a Japanese word for that I'm sure!). 5. Dust. What you could do, if you have a mitre saw with a depth stop is run a cut line through the thickness of the top layer of wood only and collect that or if you have a belt sander, run it on a piece of scrap and collect that dust either in a dust bag or even in a corners of the room (please wear a dust mask). 6. The border doesn't implicitly increase the number of packs as the area of the room doesn't change. What will affect the number of packs is wasteage on cuts which is why setting out is really important. I'd dry fit or dummy lay out a few zigzags across the room with a bit if border layed out to see that you have even cuts either side, it may be possible to use the off cut from one side at the other side, not guaranteed but if it works out, it'll save a fair bit. Generally the rule is 10% extra for waste and I'd round up to the next pack. If your supplier allows returns, then over order to be on the safe side! ...don't forget to chamfer your cut edges. Best of luck, I hope it works out well. For me, the key to a successful outcome is setting out, sight lines, centre line, run out of walls, either in or out, a good pair of knee pads and a ready supply of tea!

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement Enjoyed this video Andrew. I'm at the very start of my parquet flooring journey, but I won't be fitting it myself. You say the key to a successful outcome is a ready supply of tea. You must have the bladder of a camel, as I didn't see you stop for a toilet break once! 🤣 Liked and subscribed.

@@kernow9324 😆😆😆 over nine days, yeah, like a race horse after though!

Thanks Mark 😊

Hi there. Thank you very much. There are probably quite a few ways you could approach this. If it was me, I would opt for a two plank wide border but the outer plank, I would cut to suit the curve of the bay and that might, depending on the radius, nibble into the inner plank border. What I would also do is to get a load of cardboard sheets and make a big template of the bay and lay it out dry which will allow you to get the best layout for the border and also set out for cuts in the body planks. I'm sure there are other ways but I think that would work for me. Slower, possibly but with the cost of wood I'd rather use time than planks! Good luck and please let me know how you get on and what problems or workarounds you have. Always happy to learn from everyone :-)

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement lovely to see someone who is not only good at their craft but happy to share with others, learn and see others succeed. Dont see enough of that, very impressive work, well done videos too.

@@chrislaffey2964 Thanks Chris that is so kind of you to say.

Thank you. Very kind. 🙂

Thank you. Hard on the knees but I really enjoyed it.

Hi Will. I used whole pieces for the border and adjusted the main axis to minimise runout and to make it even either side and cut the angles to suit. My rationale was that you are more likely to see runout on a straight length than progressively on cuts. Also this would, I believe be more noticeable when the skirting/baseboards went back on the wall. I also left 10mm expansion between the outboard edge of the border and the wall. Especially important as this room had underfloor heating. ....which I was grateful of as this floor was laid in January! Customer's cat liked it too! Thanks for the question and all the best.

Hi Heidi. Thanks for getting in touch. To unpack your questions. 1. The area. Treat each room separately, length x width add on or take off alcoves will give you an area in m² or yd² depending on which you use. Do that for each room, add it together. The flooring in this video is engineered wood, that is a real wood layer on top of ply. Parquet will come in boxes that will cover a specific area. Divide the total area to be covered by the area of a single box and you'll get the total number of boxes. Typically add 10% on top for wastage and then round up to the next full box. Say for example you have 45m² to cover, each box covers 1.21m² then 45/1.21=37.19 boxes +10% (3.719m²) = 40.90 boxes or 41 boxes. I'd personally get 42 and hopefully any unopened boxes can be taken back for a refund. Cutting, a good quality electric mitre saw with a fine tooth (80 teeth) blade on. You will also need a small block plane to chamfer cut edges. Putting it down, depends on the surface you're putting it on, I would always glue down and the glue needs to be flexible to allow for expansion of the wood. Setting out. I think I answered that one as a reply to another question, it's really important to start off right. You need to measure any cuts you need really precisely or you'll have gaps. You also need to make sure blocks are butted up tightly, I use a rubber mallet but don't hit too hard or you'll distort how they are fitted together and you'll get gaps! I know this isn't a comprehensive tutorial but I hope it helps. Let me know what you decide to do and how you get on. Cheers 🇬🇧

Hi. Can't afford a tracksaw at the moment but it could be useful. There may be an issue however with the saw blade trying to move loose (unglued) boards. Aligning for the border wasnt too difficult as I dry fitted the last field board and layed the border over the top to get the line packing it out from the wall which waved around a bit to ensure it was straight, then pencil line down the border marking the cuts on the last field board. With them numbered, lift, cut, chamfer, glue fit. Easy. The floor was really good so not many issues with high or low boards. Preprep, I did deal with a couple of corner issues with the floor screed and they were dealt with by using some Karndean skim coat (left over) to feather it all out and make it nice. There was one small hollow about 3" diameter across the join between field and border that I hadn't seen prior to glue time and I just filled it with glue and pushed a cut up plastic packer in to support the edges while the glue went off. Rock solid. Mitreing the corners of the borders I think is a must, so many fitters just do square corners for quickness. Just lazy and no room has guaranteed square corners! Don't forget to chamfer and stain the cut edges on your last field board and mitred border corners as it'll show if using dark wood. Liberon spirit wood dye mixed into some Osmo works a treat. I also thought about routing a groove in the last field board but as it was all glue down it really wasn't necessary, so I turned the border round so it was groove out and glued the edge of the field board to the border board to give it a bit extra. Packed out against the wall overnight to let the glue go off it was all good Hope that helps, all the best. 🙂🙂🙂

I fitted my floor using that technique, I went with a two block runner around the outside so left room for that and drew a line on the floor all round the room. Then ensure you don't put glue past that line, lay the main blocks down overlapping the line, then use the tracksaw to get a perfect edge (did that once the glue was dry). Dead easy, the offcuts just lift up, then you also can use them for the corners of the perimeter runner.

Thank you. I'm just editing a vid laying 35m² of Karndean parquet. Watch out for that.

Hmm, depends on the manufacturer. I would question it's stability in heat and damp conditions. The last thing you want is to spend a fortune on it and then it bow or lift. Generally, I'd say the thicker the better, thicker wear layer and thicker backing. Hope that helps. Best A

Hi. Thanks 🙂 As a rule of thumb I allow 10% and round up to the next complete pack. If you can get it on sale or return, even better, get a couple of extra packs just in case as parquet planks tend to be handed, that is, they have lefts and rights so that they interlock. You may end up using more of one than the other. Best of luck.

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement excellent! Thank you. There's so little info out there for installing engineered hardwood herringbone. This was very helpful.

Hi Adrian. Thank you for your nice words. I really enjoyed doing it although my knees my have a different opinion! My customer says it was from Wood Warehouse in Warrington Cheshire and the colour/pattern is Churchill. It was nice to work with and cut well. My only two tips are that on cut edges, use a little block plane to replicate the chamfer you'd get on an uncut plank, and, as that will show light coloured wood, get some spirit wood dye to tint some Osmo to paint on those cut edges. You won't need much and it'll not only colour it to match the top, but water proof the cut too. Oh, and, if you find some little gaps opening up, it can happen, get some of the saw dust from cutting, mix it with PVA and wood dye to make a stiff paste and use that as a filler, bit of experimentation needed but I'm sure you'll be fine. Let me know how you get on, I'm always interested to hear, and if you want to share anything you learn, I'm always happy to learn off others! Hope it goes well 🙂

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement Hi Andrew, thanks so much for such a quick and detailed reply! Funnily enough I was already looking at Wood Warehouse as they seem good value, so have now found the exact one you've fitted 😀 Thanks again and keep up the great work. You've got yourself a new subscriber!

Thank you Maxine. 🙂

Thank you. Very kind of you to say. :-)

Sorry, my accent. 'Caulked'. Meaning the skirting or base boards are caulked or sealed to the wall again, as they were before I started :-)

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement Ah thanks for clarifying! I'm planning to give this a try soon.

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement Thanks! I'm planning on giving this a try soon. Any tips on doing a neat border?

@@xiaodaxSure. As you see in the video, I have a border tile running round the room, the skirting boards sit on top of this. With the cut diagonal tiles, I rough cut them so they fit into the space the border will go, then dry fit border tiles on the top making sure that the border is straight etc, then run a pencil along the bottom edge of the border on top of the rough cut diagonals and that gives you the cut line for each diagonal. Remove the diagonals and cut each, or if you have a track saw, run that along. I then plane a little chamfer on the cut edge to replicate that on the rest of the tile and if it's a different colour stain it to suit. Sounds complicated and I'm sure other fitters have different methods but it works for me as you can see. You can see this from roughly 5:26, I had previously rough cut the diagonals before doing what I said above. Good luck!

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement Thank you Andrew! This is very useful!

When I'm down on my knees no worries, try to get up, I do a good impression of a very old person! Ideal opportunity for a cup of tea!

Thanks. I would avoid anything thinner because of the greater possibility of warping etc, the thicker, in general, the more stable it will be. Wood being a natural product will do whatever it wants depending on the internal stresses in each block, cupping, warping, splitting. The manufacturer should allow each plank to dry properly and stabilise . You might consider engineered wood which has a solid wear layer on top of ply which is inherently stable. You can get 14mm blocks, but I would get the thickest wear layer you can get, it allows refinishing in the future, I would also get blocks with micro bevelled edges to accommodate any tiny discrepancies in thickness compared to square edged blocks. You could also consider reclaimed solid which over time will have already 'done it's thing'. I hope that helps. Best A

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement Thanks for info, my proposed wood floor would abutt a tiled toilet floor. If I used the18mm wood it would be 3mm higher thsn the tiled floor. Would that be a problem do you think or could the transition be smoothed some how?

@@Itstinner ah, ok. Have a look at door thresholds either wood or metal. You can get T section thresholds which should accommodate that transition. You might need however, to trim the loo door to accommodate the threshold otherwise I think it would be ok There might be a trip consideration between the two levels, you'd do it once, then you'd get 'muscle memory' and it won't be an issue.

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement Thanks for the invaluable info Andrew

Hi Michael. Thank you. Honestly, I don't know. The customer sourced it before I was on the job. I know it was a web based retailer in the UK but I don't know who.

i think its broadleaf. looks like mine. i did mine diy too 50 sqm

It was from wood floor warehouse in Warrington - I think it was called Churchill! Hope that helps.

@@olivermetcalfe5668 Thanks Oliver appreciate the answer! A number have asked the same.

Hi. Very good question. Ultimately you have to make a choice. In this room I asked the customer which wall/floor would be the most visible. Turns out the window wall, so I worked to have that as the datum face. All the other edges were either obscured by furniture or there was the fireplace to visually distract. It worked out well.

Yep, long days too.

It's a laminate, oak wear layer on ply so mostly stable but I allowed 10mm at each edge. It's also, as you can see, glue down so travelling will be minimal in normal use. Typically, the allowance is 1mm per linear metre in each direction for thermal expansion.

It is specified as random colours within the type of wood used. It also depends on which part of the log the particular piece is cut from. Natural variation basically.

I established the centre line of the room and put a pencil line down and worked out from that. I don't think you can see it on the video.

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement Ah ok mate. Thank you. I thought you had some kind of jedi like spacial awareness skills.

@@gregwestwood5160 shhh! I don't like to talk about that too much.😆😆😆

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement My Dad tells me I have to use a string line. Probably because I'm putting a membrane under it. I can't believe how quick you can do it on your vid.

Hi. The colour/pattern is Churchill and is from the Wood floor warehouse in Warrington. (UK) Hope that helps.

@@andrewclarkehomeimprovement Thanks a bunch.

Because it was glue down and there was underfloor heating. Underlay would act as an insulator making the heating less effective.