Equipment needed to clean & lay down a parquet floor

A good chisel is a must!

Cleaning the reclaimed parquet blocks is a dirty job. Bitumen from the bottom of the blocks will get everywhere. Always work in clothes you can throw away when done. I had three DIY outfits...You will need work gloves, a chisel and a work bench and lots of paitence for preparing the blocks!!!

My blocks came in old photocopy paper boxes which worked out at about half a square metre per box. I cleaned the edges and not the bottom or tops. I cleaned 18 sqm for the lounge checking as I went that they weren't to bowed and would fit together smoothly.

Arthur's bedroom taking up the shirting boards

I took up all the skirting boards as you need to leave an expansion gap.
I couldn't find any suitable information for solid beech so I decided roughly 3 cm (1.5cm gap between the wood and the wall) all the way round the edge of the room would be sufficient. I thought this was the best method as the skirting board could be put back suspended above this gap. I decided to have a single edge around the room as I felt it complimented the herrimgbone beech parquet.