Parquet Flooring

[DanG]

I got this crazy notion about trying to make some Parquet tiles to put in the new house.  Have any of you done it before?  Tips?

I was thinking of just gluing the strips to 1/4 inch plywood squares with Recorsinol or something like that, then installing just like you would do vinyl tile.

Am I:

1. Nuts?

2. Just plain ignorant?

3. A pretty smart cookie?

[crtreedude]

DanG,

You are obviously nuts - but that still leaves the other two choices and the question.   

Of course, who am I to talk. 

[jimF]

Because of the difference grain orientation you will have a great deal of warping

[Tom]

Glued to the plywood, I would think it could work.  Course your being Nuts and Plain (exorbitantly) ignorant will probably be what leads to your success.   What pulls the fat from the fire is the fact that you will probably try it.

I'm reminded of a story.

An old farmer had a vegetable stand.  He earned enough on the side, with his stand to send his boy to college.

The Boy came back and told his dad that he needed to improve the looks of the stand. The old man painted it.  It cost him $300.

The boy said they needed a parking lot.  The old man paved a spot.  It cost him $10,000..

The boy said they needed some employees to cover the increased sales.   The old man hired two clerks for $500 each a week.

The boy said that you have to be good to your help and give them benefits.  The old man rigged up a retirement plan and paid vacations and sick leave and bonuses. 

The boy said that a recession was imminent and they needed to advertise.  The old man put up a big neon sign. 

Not having anymore savings to increase the size of the business and still only selling to the same 20 families that lived on the road, and being alone because his help went on vacation,  He shut the place down.

Asked why, He blamed it on  the Recession.  He was danged proud of having educated his boy to realize that one was coming too, or, he'd never have been prepared for it.

So, I say glue the stuff down and give it a try.  Just don't send any young'uns off to college or buy any signs.

"Ignorance is bliss" and "necessity is the Mother of invention".  If you sit under the barn and contemplate the world as you gaze into the flames of a foot-warming fire, you're apt to succeed at most anything you need to do. 

That's my MOS and I enjoy the company of the few like Blissful citizens who share it with me.

[Radar67]

DanG,
     To help keep the surfaces flush, I would tongue and grove everything, then glue it to the1/4 inch plywood or 1/8 inch masonite. How thick are you going to make the strips? Another option would be to biscuit joint (if the material is thick enough). The downfall is, this is time consuming, but since you have plenty of time on your hands, you should be all right.    OHHH #3 is questionable 

Stew

[crtreedude]

Tom,

That is a really good story! That boy must have been working on his MBA. Stop him before he manages again!

[wiam]

"Ignorance is bliss and I refuse to be made unhappy"

Will

[DanG]

Thanks for the advice and the speculations concerning my sanity.   I guess the answer to the first one was obvious, eh?

Well, I can tell ya right now that I ain't gonna tongue and groove all that little bitty stuff.  I got a bunch of sweet cherry in the firewood pile, and I'm gonna use that to experiment with.  Actually, I've already started that part.  Last winter, while settin' around my little fire pot, I was noticin' how pretty that stuff is, so I took a few chunks to the table saw and sawed them into 1 1/2x6" strips.  I throwed all the pieces into a 5 gallon bucket and stuck it in the shed.  All them little strips are still perfect.  I'm gonna cut a few more, 1/2x2x12, then glue them to a square foot of plywood.  Then I'm gonna throw it into the shed and forget about it for a few months.  If it's in good shape by April or so, I'll forge ahead. If not, I'll make a new plan

[dail_h]

   Dang,
   I like your "forging pace"

[DanG]

Pace is what it's all about, Dail.  I expect to have this project under way by Christmas.  Of course, you know that expectations are not always realized.

 

[woodhick]

DanG, First off my sanity has been questioned a lot so take my advice with a grain of salt.   I once worked in an old industrial plant that had a large machine and carpenter shop. shop size was probably around 100'x 250'.  the floor in both shops was a concrete slab. Then on top of the slab there was wood blocks that measured about 4"x6" and about 6"long.  These were placed on there ends so that they were all "standing up".  Don't have any idea what type of wood as the machine shop was all black from years of oil soaking and I never really looked at the pieces in the carpenter shop to identify type of wood.  But this floor had lots of very large "several tons each" pieces of machinery on it not to mention fork trucks running on it and everything else.  Made an excellent floor.  I have always wanted to di this in my shop but never took the time.  I know it's not  the typ e of flooring your talking about but it may give another idea .  And if your like me thats all you need is another idea to chase.  Good luck.

[crtreedude]

DanG,

We are are much relieved out this way. I thought for sure that you were about to violate your religion or something. I mean, some of these ideas were starting to look like serious work!

Glad to see you are pacing yourself.

[beenthere]

woodhick
I recall touring the Alcoa Aluminum plant in Davenport, IA in the 50's and they had that end-grain flooring, and it was D. fir.  Apparently much easier on heavy equipment in those days, hauling heavy ingots and things around. There were vast areas floored that way. Probably concrete wouldn't take the pounding. A number of foundry plants had that wood block flooring.

[Octoman]

Dan G,

You might have a look on the Woodmizer website.  There is a good article called something like "swedish builder beats downturn by taking the parquet route".  If you then get onto his personal site there is lots of good parquet info.  Good luck!

[DanG]

Thanks Octoman.  I'll take a look at it this evening.  Gotta get out and make some dust right now, though.

[Furby]

Lots of places still sell end grain flooring, most are thin stock and T&G.
Some is laminate, do a google.
I saw it done on either TOH or Home Again a long time ago. They cut their own from reclaimed timbers. Been planning on trying it ever since.

[Patty]

We have never laid parquet flooring, but it was in the first house we ever owned. It was really beautiful, but a real pain to refinish. In those days we didn't have anything but the big belt sanders, so they were not an option since the grain ran both directions. The floor had to be hand sanded, each 6" square. 

[solodan]

 You're, without a doubt crazy, and so am i. How am I ever gonna finish all the stuff I've started if you guys keep putting all of these new ideas in my head.
 Gluing the strips to plywood should work, this is the way I've seen enginered flooring made before. I believe that after the tiles are laid up, you need to put them in some sort of glue press, like pehaps a vacum press. Pushing them down in the glue evenly will give you a better bond and an even surface. A tongue and grove is only necessary to align boards, so they have an even surface. i have made quite a few random width floors with butt joints, because i sand and finish the floors in place, so alignment is not an issue. Parquet on the other hand is hard to finish in place, so a tonge and tonge connected with a spline at the edge of the tiles is a good choice. This also gives you the option to quarter turn your tiles to get the desired pattern.

[DonE911]

well... look out cuz I've been pondering this subject and now I thought of sumfin. 

Why would you not just glue them directly to the plywood subfloor.....  DanGit !!

Now I'm gonna have to go rip some strips and try glu'n them up on a bench top to see if it'll work...  maybe the glue up will be the problem....  has to be a problem with this right?? 

Geez... I hope I forget about this idea before I have the spare time to actually try it.

[DanG]

Don, I'ma thinkin' that glueing them down to the floor directly is just askin' for trouble.  The glue I'm planning to use is the same stuff they use for marine plywood.  If you fumble a piece of it, you got a big problem, as it sticks on contact.  By doing it in squares, I can afford a little screw-up once in a while.  I figger to make a little jig and place the strips in it, then paint the glue on the strips and the plywood, then drop the plywood onto it, followed by a major weight.  I'll line the jig with waxed paper or Saran wrap, to keep the excess glue from sticking the piece to the jig.