Caring for Parquet

Caring for Parquet

You'll get good results if you treat your parquet floor as you would fine furniture. Use a cleaner that is made or recommended by the manufacturer. Never clean the floor with water or water-base products.

Wipe up spills immediately with a damp cloth and dry the area with a dry cloth. Old T-shirts are excellent for this purpose. Do not use cleaners that contain abrasives, caustic chemicals, bleach, or ammonia. For routine cleaning use a solvent-base cleaner or a one-step cleaner/polish combination.

Most prefinished parquet tile is manufactured with a durable acrylic or polyurethane finish. Some finishes are no-wax, others benefit from waxing. Check the manufacturer's directions before you purchase cleaning products. Acrylic waxes generally are not recommended for wood floors, and some polyurethane finishes should not be waxed.

Almost all wood finishes change color over time. You can slow this process by keeping the draperies closed. Areas covered with rugs won't be subject to color changes, so the color difference will be revealed if you decide to move the rugs.

Prestart Checklist

Time
An hour to vacuum and clean a 15x20-foot floor; an hour to remove, replace a damaged tile

Tools
Cleaning: vacuum, cleaning product applicator Repairing: circular saw, chisel, hammer, notched plastic scraper, trowel, putty knife, utility knife, backsaw

Materials
Cleaning: manufacturer's cleaning solution Repairing: replacement tile, mastic

Previous | Next

Maintaining parquet

Problem: Bubbles in finish
Remedy: For light damage sand and recoat; if heavy sand, stain, and refinish.

problem: Chewing gum, crayon, candle wax
Remedy: Freeze with ice in a bag, scrape with plastic scraper.

Problem: Cigarette burns
Remedy: Burnish with fine steel wool or scrape charred area; wax or sand, stain, and refinish.

Problem: Dents
Remedy: Cover with dampened cloth and press with an electric iron.

Problem: Scratches
Remedy: Wax the area or hide the scratch with a thin coat of dusting spray rubbed into scratch.

Problem: Seasonal cracks
Remedy: Increase humidity in dry season -- install humidifier, boil water, open dishwasher after rinse.

Problem: Surface stains
Remedy: Remove with sandpaper or steel wool, feathering edges; or clean with one of the following solutions:

Problem: Heel marks
Remedy: Wood cleaner or wax.

Problem: Oil and grease
Remedy: Try wood cleaner first. On waxed floor use TSP or soap with high lye content.

Problem: Pet stains
Remedy: Wood cleaner, followed by mild bleach or household vinegar for up to an hour. A remaining spot is not likely to sand out. Cover damage with rug or remove, replace, and refinish.

Problem: Ink
Remedy: Use procedure for pet stains.

Problem: Water spots
Remedy: Buff lightly with #0000 steel wool, then wax. If necessary sand with fine paper, stain, and recoat.

Step 1

To remove a damaged parquet tile, set your circular saw to the thickness of the tile and equip the saw with a fine-tooth blade. Make a series of parallel plunge cuts about 2 inches apart, stopping just short of the adjacent tiles.

Previous | Next

Step 2

Using a 3/4-inch or 1-inch chisel with the bevel down, cut out the sections of parquet between the lines. Keep the chisel as flat as possible -- you may have to remove the first section one layer at a time. Clean out any wood scraps and scrape off the old adhesive with a putty knife.

Previous | Next

Step 3

If the parquet is tongue-and-groove (and most quality tiles are), the tongues will be in the way when you replace the tile. When you remove the damaged tile, cut the tongues on the surrounding tiles. Cut the tongue from the replacement tile and press it into freshly laid adhesive. Spread the adhesive with a notched plastic scraper and press the new tile flush with the old tile.

Previous | Next

Step 4

Clean excess adhesive that seeped through the joints and weigh down the tile with heavy books or exercise weights. Let the adhesive dry overnight. If the replacement tile is prefinished, it may look more glossy than the originals. Reduce the new-tile gloss with a light burnishing with #0000 steel wool. If the tile is unfinished, stain and finish it to match the surrounding floor.

Previous | Next