Careful Removal of Old Parquet Flooring - Following Laying Plan

Before anything is levered up, take a close look at the floor. Blocks that are cracked, rotten or worn very thin from repeated sanding are usually set aside. Sound, straight pieces of hardwood such as oak or beech have a good chance of a second life.

Next comes the laying plan. This is a simple sketch of the room showing the pattern (herringbone, basket weave, straight strips), the direction of the blocks and the order of the rows. In practice a drawing on paper backed up by photos from several angles is enough. Each row gets a number, and each block gets its position within that row.

The work itself starts with the skirting boards. If they are in good condition, keep them too. Lifting then begins at a wall, where the edge blocks come free most easily, and moves row by row towards the middle of the room. Each block is raised slowly with a pry bar or a flat chisel, with a piece of wood or plastic slipped underneath. This packing protects the edges from dents and spreads the force.

The biggest factor is how the parquet is fixed to the subfloor.

• Nailed parquet comes up fairly easily. The nails can be pulled or snipped and the wood usually stays intact
• Parquet laid in bitumen or tar-based adhesive holds firmly. It often has to be freed slowly, sometimes after gentle warming, and corners and tongues break off easily
• Parquet on modern construction adhesives can be hard to separate without damage, and some blocks may not be saveable

The job also takes longer in rooms full of alcoves, door frames and radiators, with complex patterns such as herringbone, and when every single piece has to be carefully marked. An empty room, dry wood and a subfloor that does not crumble all help.

Take care in older buildings. Old bitumen adhesives can contain harmful substances, and some black adhesives and old subfloors contain asbestos. If you have any doubt, have a sample tested before work starts. Asbestos must only be removed by a licensed contractor. When sanding off adhesive residue, always wear a proper dust mask or respirator and keep the room well ventilated.

In a smaller room with nailed parquet, a handy homeowner can manage the job. If the blocks are set in bitumen or the floor is historic, it is wiser to call a flooring specialist. For a DIY job:

1. Clear the room and cover the walls, doors and frames.
2. Draw the laying plan, photograph the floor and number the rows.
3. Get a pry bar, flat chisel, hammer, wooden wedges, protective packing, a pencil and labelled crates ready.
4. Remove the skirting boards carefully and put them aside.
5. Find an edge block by the wall where access is easiest.
6. Slide packing under the pry bar and lift the block slowly, without sudden jerks.
7. With glued parquet, work in small sections and help yourself with wooden wedges.
8. Mark each block on its underside straight away with its row number and position.
9. Stack the blocks in crates by row, always lying flat.
10. Continue row by row in the direction the floor was originally laid.
11. Finally, check the subfloor and remove any protruding nails.

Marking the underside matters: a mark on the top would disappear when the floor is sanded, while one on the back lasts until the floor is relaid.

The underside of each block needs to be cleared of old bitumen, adhesive and dirt. Otherwise the new floor will be uneven and the fresh adhesive will not bond properly. Thicker deposits are scraped off with a scraper or chisel, and the rest is lightly sanded with medium-grit paper. Very hard residue can be softened with an adhesive remover, always used according to the manufacturer's instructions. Sand gently: every millimetre you take off weakens the block and shortens its life.

Wood reacts to moisture, so store it somewhere dry and ventilated with a steady temperature. A relative humidity of roughly 40 to 60% usually suits it. A damp cellar or an unheated garage is not a good idea. Lay the blocks flat on an even surface and put a light weight on top, such as a few boards, so they do not twist. Keep each row together so you do not have to hunt for pieces when relaying.

• Levering hard without packing, which cracks corners and tongues
• Missing or unclear marking, which turns rebuilding the pattern into a puzzle
• Marking the face side, where it vanishes during sanding
• Leaving bitumen on the underside, which causes bumps in the new floor
• Over-sanding, which leaves blocks too thin
• Storing blocks on end, at an angle or in a damp place

In a flat, think about the neighbours too. The work is noisy, so follow the building's house rules and let the building management or owners' association know in advance. The structural floor beneath the parquet is usually a shared part of the building and must not be damaged.

When the flooring contractor hands over the job, go through these points:

• The laying plan is complete, readable and matches the marks on the blocks
• Every saved block has its row number and position on the underside
• The parquet is sorted by row and stored flat
• Rejected pieces are kept separate and you know how many are missing
• The skirting boards are stored and undamaged
• The subfloor is free of protruding nails and larger lumps of adhesive
• The room is cleaned and the waste has been taken away