Parquet floors

The word "parquet" has its origins in "small park". As early as the 14th century, this term was used to designate a place of justice, often temporary, itinerant and sometimes installed outdoors. By analogy, in the 17th century, the term parquet was used to designate wooden flooring. From the XIV and XV centuries onwards, the interlocking plank became a tongue-and-groove strip. Wide and coarse, it is fastened at the top with wrought-iron nails. In the 17th and 18th centuries, cabinetmaking manuals described the first parquet floors: compartmentalized parquet, or parquet à la française, made up of panels framed by cruciform or diamond-tipped friezes. Today, they are known as Versailles, Chantilly, Aremberg, Soubise, etc. Among these, the first Hungarian-stitch parquets feature a longitudinal strip between each bay, giving them the name Fougère. These parquet floors, reserved for the aristocracy, are named after the châteaux where they were created. However, there were also simpler parquet floors with parallel strips, known as parquets à l'anglaise. At the time, all types of wood were used: oak, chestnut, fir, acacia, poplar, ash, maple, beech, cherry...

The increase in parquet consumption shows that this product has many advantages and is still the preferred flooring today.

Simple and economical, the lifespan of a traditional parquet floor often exceeds one hundred years. What's more, parquet is the only floor covering that can be refinished several times (by sanding) during its lifetime. What's more, repairs to accidentally damaged elements are generally possible without having to completely refurbish the room. Easy to maintain, parquet benefits from certain types of finish that last for many years. Parquet is wear-resistant. Certain species, and therefore certain types of parquet, offer high resistance to crushing, punching and abrasion. The finish also increases wear resistance.

A low thermal conductor and natural air-conditioner, parquet contributes to the hygrothermal balance that the body needs. It is an element of comfort. Certain installation methods give parquet flexibility for specific rooms (sports...). It doesn't accumulate dust, which limits the risk of allergies, and doesn't generate static electricity.

Parquet creates a warm atmosphere. The variety of species, dimensions and layout of the elements can be used to create a wide range of decorative solutions.

In the end, parquet offers a psychologically reassuring human component.