Parquet Floors: During the Middle Ages and after, stone, tile, and mosaic competed in churches and other monumental buildings. In the Renaissance, stone floors developed patterns so active that they sometimes produced an effect of dizziness. Glazed tiles were popular in warm Muslim lands in the Middle East and southern Europe, whence they were taken to other parts of Europe.
Wood planks laid over beams, reflecting early post-and-lintel construction, floored ancient structures, especially Roman multistoried buildings. In heavily forested medieval Europe, wooden floors of wide, heavy oak planks predominated in domestic structures. From the 17th century some houses had floors of well-waxed Parquet Floors-small, thinner pieces of wood arranged in designs over basic planking. The Parquet Floors was sometimes in movable panels.
Bare wooden floors are beautiful in their own right. Stripped, carefully stained, or colored if desired, sealed, and decorated wi rug or mat, they can look stunning. If you are not fortunate enou to have an old floor suitable for such treatment, you can buy wo strips or Parquet Floors tiles to lay over your existing one. They are not difficult to put down and can be very reasonably priced. |
