Parquet Installation: Cost per m², Boards and Herringbone

Here: what parquet installation costs per square metre, how engineered boards differ from solid wood and herringbone, how to prepare the subfloor and when refinishing is enough instead of a new floor.

How much does parquet installation cost?

Fitters’ rates are in the table. Labour is priced per square metre, separately for engineered boards, herringbone and parquet mosaic. Herringbone and mosaic are slower, because every block is glued and fitted individually.

Subfloor preparation (grinding, priming, levelling), removing an old floor, thresholds and skirting raise the price. Boards, adhesive, primer, lacquer or oil, removal of the old floor and carrying materials in are paid separately. Finishing is also priced on its own: parquet sanding, then lacquer or oil.

Engineered boards, solid wood or herringbone

An engineered board has a top layer of hardwood on a structural core. It can be floated on an underlay or glued to the screed, as the manufacturer’s instructions say. It is the most common choice in new-build flats.

Solid wood is a single piece through its full thickness, with Danish maker Junckers a good example. Its biggest advantage is that it can be sanded many times, because under worn lacquer it is the same wood. The flip side is that it reacts more to humidity. In winter gaps open between boards and in summer they close, which is normal.

Herringbone and parquet mosaic are glued block by block, with the layout starting from the room’s centre line so the pattern does not drift at the wall. These are the most labour-intensive layouts and the least forgiving of an uneven screed.

Screed and acclimatising the wood

The screed has to be dry and flat. The fitter measures moisture before gluing, because moisture from the concrete gets into the boards and makes them cup. A fresh screed needs the drying time its manufacturer specifies.

Packs of parquet should sit in the flat before fitting so the wood adjusts to its humidity. How long is stated by the flooring maker. The same instructions say whether the board suits underfloor heating and which adhesive or underlay is recommended. Add a photo of them to the job so the fitter knows what they are working with.

Parquet installation step by step

1. Measuring screed moisture and flatness, with grinding and filling hollows if needed.
2. Priming the subfloor for adhesive.
3. Setting out: board direction relative to the window, herringbone centre line, threshold positions.
4. Gluing or laying on underlay, with an expansion gap at walls and pipes.
5. Cutting at door frames: the frame is undercut and the board slides under it.
6. Once the adhesive has cured, if the parquet is unfinished: sanding and lacquer or oil.
7. Skirting and thresholds where it meets other floors.

A new floor or refinishing old parquet

Worn lacquer, chair scratches and a grey path to the kitchen are a refinishing job, not a new floor. The fitter sands back to clean wood, does the parquet gap filling and applies parquet lacquering or parquet oil treatment. Individual squeaky boards can often be screwed or glued down without lifting the whole floor.

Replacement makes sense for boards swollen after a flood or when the subfloor beneath is breaking up. You cannot see that from above, so photos and the flat’s history in the job description help a lot.

Common parquet installation mistakes

• Wood on a fresh, damp screed. Boards cup and sometimes come away from the adhesive.
• No gap at the walls. In summer the floor has nowhere to expand and lifts.
• Packs opened and laid on delivery day, without acclimatising.
• Adhesive not recommended by the flooring maker.
• Herringbone without a set-out centre line. The pattern drifts and narrow slivers are left at the wall.
• Wet mopping. Water in the gaps is the fastest route to grey joints.

How to prepare

• Empty the rooms, including curtains and plant pots.
• Plan where you will stay: after adhesive and lacquer the floor cannot be walked on for a while.
• Have the boards, adhesive and the maker’s instructions on site.
• Photograph the screed or old floor, thresholds and transitions between rooms.
• Agree levels: parquet plus adhesive must meet the bathroom and kitchen tiles.

Example: solid wood in Praga-Południe

The floor has seen some years: lacquer worn through in the walkway, a few boards by the window squeak. The owner writes in the job that she is thinking of replacing it and adds photos. Fitters’ offers suggest sanding and re-gluing the loose boards first, because solid wood can be sanded many times. Replacement comes back into the conversation only where boards swelled after an old flood.

Frequently asked questions

How to book parquet installation in the app

Describe in the app whether you need a new floor or a refinish, give the area and board type and add photos. Fitters send offers with their own price and date. Compare them, read the reviews and choose one. Only they will see your phone number and address.

You pay the fitter directly and they issue the invoice. Whoever did the work is responsible for it, but not for a damp screed or an earlier flood. If the floor is part of a bigger renovation, see apartment fit-out in Warsaw.