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Parquet (French:[paʁkɛ]; French for "a small compartment") is a geometricmosaic ofwood pieces used for decorative effect inflooring.
Parquet patterns are often entirely geometrical and angular—squares,triangles,lozenges—but may contain curves. The most popular parquet flooring pattern isherringbone.
The word derives from the Old Frenchparchet (the diminutive ofparc), literally meaning "a small enclosed space".
Large diagonal squares known asparquet deVersailles were introduced in 1684 asparquet de menuiserie ("woodwork parquet") to replace the marble flooring that required constant washing, which tended to rot the joists beneath the floors. Suchparquets en losange were noted by the Swedish architectDaniel Cronström at Versailles and at theGrand Trianon in 1693.[1]
Woods contrasting in color and grain, such asoak,walnut,cherry,lime,pine,maple etc. are sometimes employed, and in the more expensive kinds the richly colouredmahogany and sometimes other tropicalhardwoods are also used. While not technically a wood,bamboo is also a popular material for modern floors.
Parquet floors were formerly usually adhered with hotbitumen. Today modern cold adhesives are usually used.
Parquet floors are usually long lasting if maintained correctly.[citation needed] Unstuck blocks are re-glued. Bitumen-glued blocks require use of either hot bitumen, cold bitumen emulsion, or a spirit based parquet adhesive.
Parquet floors are often found in bedrooms and hallways. They are considered better than regularfloor tiles since they feel warmer underfoot. However they do little to absorb sounds such as walking, vacuum cleaning and television, which can cause problems in multi-occupancy dwellings.
One of the most famous parquet floors is that used by theBoston Celtics of theNBA. The original floor, which was installed at the Celtics' original home ofBoston Arena in 1946, was moved intact toBoston Garden in 1952 and used there until the team moved to what was then known as FleetCenter in 1995, now known asTD Garden. The floor remained intact and in use until it was cut up and sold as souvenirs in 1999, after the 1998 demolition of Boston Garden. The Celtics today play on a parquet floor inside TD Garden that combines old and new sections. In 2018, the Celtics constructed a new parquet floor for use in their newAuerbach Center practice facility. It is the only NBA court floor made fromred oak; all others are made fromrock maple.[2] In 2023, the Celtics played on a traditional maple court at home for the first time during the2023 NBA in-season tournament.[3] The Celtics petitioned the NBA to include the parquet pattern on its in-season tournament court, but were denied.[4]
Similar square-paneled parquet floors, albeit in maple, were made for theOrlando Magic,Minnesota Timberwolves,Denver Nuggets, andNew Jersey Nets. Of the four, only the Magic continue to use a square-paneled parquet floor, which was first used at theOrlando Arena in 1989 and later moved to Amway Center (nowKia Center) in 2010. The Nets debuted their parquet at theMeadowlands Arena in 1988, and continued to use the floor until 1997; the floor remained in use with theSeton Hall basketball team until 2007. The Nuggets used a parquet floor from 1990 to 1993 at theMcNichols Sports Arena, while the Timberwolves played on a parquet floor from 1996 to 2008 at theTarget Center.
In 1995, theToronto Raptors debuted with a herringbone parquet, and used the floor until 1999 while playing in three different home venues: SkyDome (nowRogers Centre),Copps Coliseum (nowFirstOntario Centre) andMaple Leaf Gardens. The now-Brooklyn Nets introduced chevron parquet flooring upon moving to theBarclays Center in 2012. However, its sisterWNBA team (since 2019), theNew York Liberty, continues to use a traditional floor at the venue.
While theCharlotte Hornets unveiled a parquet-like floor at theTime Warner Cable Arena for the 2014–15 season, it is not considered a true parquet floor. Instead, it simulated the pattern of the parquet by alternately painting light and dark trapezoid sections through the use ofvarnish, forming a beehive pattern that is synonymous with the franchise. In 2021, the Hornets changed its court design, relegating the trapezoids to midcourt.
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There are a handful of basketball courts in NCAA college basketball that have consistently featured parquet floors.Wake Forest University'sLawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum has generally featured a parquet floor since its opening in 1989. TheUniversity of Iowa'sCarver-Hawkeye Arena has generally featured a parquet floor since its opening in 1983.
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