For a hardwood floor with greater design appeal, consider installing a parquet floor. It offers more visual interest than strip flooring without sacrificing the beauty and elegance of wood. Parquet comes in a variety of patterns and styles to create geometric designs. It can range from elaborate, custom-designed patterns on the high end, to the more common herringbone pattern, to the widely available and less expensive block design.
Parquet has experienced a radical transformation over the years. A few years ago, each individual piece of parquet was hand-cut and painstakingly assembled piece by piece. Today, parquet is prefabricated so the individual pieces making up the design are available as single tiles, which not only has reduced the cost, but has made the flooring easier to install.
Many types and designs of parquet floors are available, from custom-made originals to standard patterns, but they are all installed the same way— set in adhesive on a wood subfloor. The effort can    be very rewarding: Parquet can be used to create shapes and decorations not possible with other wood flooring.
The finger block pattern is one of the most widely available parquet coverings and also one of the least expensive. The configuration of perpendicular strips of wood emphasizes the different grains and natural color variations.

 Parquet Installation Guide

Mark the center point of each wall. Snap chalk lines between the marks on opposite walls to establish your I reference lines. Use the 3-4-5 triangle method to check the lines for squareness.

Lay out a dry run of panels from the center point along the reference lines to adjacent walls, if more than half of the last panel needs to be cut off, adjust the lines by half the width of the panel. Snap new working lines, if necessary.

Put enough adhesive on the sub floor for your first panel, using a putty knife. Spread the adhesive into a thin layer with a I notched trowel held at a 45° angle. Apply the adhesive right up to the working lines, but do not cover them.

Place the first panel on the adhesive so two sides are flush with the working lines. Take care not to slide or twist the panel when setting it into place. This panel must be positioned correctly to keep the rest of your floor square.

Apply enough adhesive for six to eight panels and spread it with a notched trowel.

Set the next panel in place by holding it at a 45° angle and locking the tongue-and-groove joints with the first panel. Lower the panel onto the adhesive without sliding it. install remaining panels the same way.

After every six to eight panels are installed, tap them into the adhesive with a rubber mallet.

For the last row, align panels over the top of the last installed row. Place a third row over the top of these, with the sides butted against Vi" spacers along the wall. Draw a-line along the edge of the third panels onto the second row, cut the panels at the marks, and install.

To work around corners or obstacles, align a panel over the last installed panel, and then place another panel on top of it. In step 8. Keep the top panel V2" from the wall or obstacle and trace along the opposite edge onto the second panel (top). Move the top two panels to the adjoining side, making sure not urn the top panel. Make a second mark on the panel the le way (bottom). Cut the tile with a jig saw and install.

Within 4 hours of installing the floor, roll the floor with a 100-to 150-pound floor roller. Wait at least 24 hours before walking on the floor again.