How to Fix Water Damaged Parquet Flooring

Lead Image for How to Fix Water Damaged Parquet Flooring
  • 2-8 hours
  • Intermediate
  • 40-100
What You'll Need
Parquet flooring
Circular saw
Adhesive
Trowel
Pry bar
Scraper
What You'll Need
Parquet flooring
Circular saw
Adhesive
Trowel
Pry bar
Scraper

If you have parquet flooring in your home, you are familiar with the beautiful and timeless look that it can provide. However, if water gets on the parquet, it can be damaged. If you have a parquet that is water damage, here are the basics of how to repair it.

Step 1--Remove the Parquet

The only way to perform a proper repair on water damaged parquet flooring is to replace it. In order to do this, you will need to start by taking up the damaged pieces of parquet. You will be able to tell which pieces of parquet flooring are damaged because they will be buckling up off of the floor. In order to remove the damaged pieces, you will most likely need to take a circular saw and cut down, into the floor. Try to cut on the joint where it meets another piece of parquet flooring. Once you have cut down into the flooring, you should be able to use a pry bar in order to pull up the tiles.

Step 2--Remove the Adhesive

After you have taken up the damaged pieces of parquet flooring, you will need to make sure that all of the adhesive is completely removed from the floor underneath. Most of the time, this adhesive will be very stubborn. In order to remove it, you may need to use a scraper. This will most likely require some tough physical labor on your part to completely get it off of the floor.

Step 3--Locate Replacement

Finding a replacement piece of parquet flooring might prove to be difficult. Your best bet is to try to find a piece that was leftover from the original installation. This way, you know that it will be from the same batch and the color will not be different. If you try to order new parquet flooring, you may be able to tell a difference between the old and the new parquet flooring.

Step 4--Allow to Acclimate

When you find a replacement piece, you will need to make sure that you allow it to acclimate in the room before you install it. This will ensure that the new piece will not expand and contract significantly and cause problems after installation. Let it set in the room for at least 24 hours so that it can get used to the temperature and humidity in the room.

Step 5--Apply Adhesive

When you are ready to install the new parquet flooring, you will need to start out by applying the adhesive. Make sure that you are using the adhesive that is recommended by the manufacturer. Apply some adhesive to the floor and then let it sit for a while. You need to let it harden and become tacky before you install the new parquet flooring.

Step 6--Install Parquet

Cut the tongues from the new piece of parquet so that it will fit down into the opening. Press it down into the adhesive and then put something heavy on top of it. After the adhesive dries, you should be ready to use the floor again.