EXPERT ADVICE

Frikkie Greeff, managing director of Woodoc, offers advice for laying recycled parquet floor tiles: 1 Beforehand: clean the parquet tiles one by one so that they fit snugly against each other when they are laid, otherwise your floor will be uneven. Also make sure that the base on which they are laid is level, dry and dust-free.

2 Choose good-quality glue, either with a bitumen- or water base (latex), for laying the parquet.

3 Start in one corner of the room*. Remember, the first tile you lay is the most important one as all the others are laid according to that one. Smear the glue on or dip the bottom of a tile in the glue and position it flush with and perpendicular to the wall.

4 Now repeat with the rest of the tiles. Tap the tiles lightly with a wooden hammer to maintain the correct orientation and don’t walk on the new floor until the glue has dried completely.

5 Sand the wood thoroughly with an industrial floor sander, then wipe the floor with a cloth dipped in mineral turpentine. Wipe with a cloth dipped in methylated spirits if a water-borne sealer is going to be used. This will remove the dust and any oils that may have emerged from the wood during sanding.

Also check whether any tiles have loosened, and glue them down.

6 Using a wide brush, apply Woodoc 25 Polyurethane Floor

Sealer or Woodoc Water-Borne Floor until the wood is saturated. Allow the first coat to dry completely, with as much air circulation over it as possible.

7 Apply two more coats for a long-lasting and even finish.

* For a herringbone pattern, start in the middle and work outwards. However, I wouldn’t recommend that DIYers tackle this as it’s a huge challenge to work out the lines perfectly and to get a neat finish next to the walls and skirtings, while also allowing for expansion and contraction of the parquet.

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