Parquet Flooring

[hmo]

I have just bought a 50's self built bungalow which had parquet flooring in lounge and hallway. It is 5x5 finger pattern t&g parquet but am not sure of original wood as it has been stained / varnished over the years to a dark mahogany colour. It is laid with bitumen over a concrete floor. There are quite a few individual fingers missing. My questions are
- is there anywhere I can get individual 'fingers'

- or could I take some from the lounge (which is being carpeted) to replace the missing ones.

- If so - what glue do I need to use? I can find lots of 'parquet tiles' but I don't think this is necessarily what I need?......

and finally,

- how do I go about sanding it if the bitumen is brittle and will I lose the rest of the floor if I attempt to sand it down



Any help gratefully received. I am a very newbie at all of this so please pardon any ignorance I have demonstrated!

 

[WoodYouLike]

Lifting blocks/fingers from the room that's going to be carpeted anyway is a sound plan. Often old mosaic has different measurements than the new ones so matching up would be difficult.
Plus all with have the same "age" and patina, even after sanding.

Use parquet adhesive like F.Ball B91 and a notched trowel. If it is only for glueing down individual fingers here and there you can apply the adhesive to the finger instead of the floor (less messy) but make sure the adhesive is not spread flat.

As for sanding, check before you start if you notice any movement of blocks. If a lot sound hollow then the bitumen has gone brittle already. If not then you have a chance of sanding the whole floor without dislodging the mosaic (no guarantee on this I'm afraid).

What do you plan to use to finish the floor in the end?

 

[hmo]

Thanks for the advice. I'm not really sure what to do after sanding - I think there are two options if my reading of old topics is right - the varnish way or the oil way? Is one better for certain situations than the other?

 

[WoodYouLike]

Depends on who you talk to
Talk to us and we'll favour oil, talk to others and they'll favour varnish. In the end it is down to personal preferences