Parquetry

Parquetry is a mosaic of wood used for ornamental flooring. (French parqueterie, from parquet, flooring, originally a small compartment.)

Materials contrasting in colour and grain, such as oak, walnut, cherry, lime, pine, etc. are employed; and in the more expensive kinds the richly coloured tropical woods are also used. The patterns of parquet flooring are entirely geometrical and angular (for instance squares, triangles, lozenges), curved and irregular forms being avoided on account of the expense and difficulty of fitting.

There are two classes of parquetry in use: veneers and solid parquet. The veneers are usually about 5 mm in thickness, and are laid over already existing floors. Solid parquet of 2 cm or more in thickness consists of single pieces of wood that fit together with a tongue and groove, having consequently the pattern alike on both sides.