What is oiled parquet?
Oiled parquet is a wood parquet floor finished with oil rather than lacquer. The oil penetrates the top wood fibres and protects the wood from within, while leaving the pores open. That keeps the natural, matte appearance of real wood and lets you feel the grain under your hand, something a lacquer film hides. The result looks warmer and more authentic than lacquered parquet.
The benefits of oiled parquet
- Natural, matte look with a grain you can feel
- Scratches and worn spots can be touched up locally, without sanding the whole floor
- Warm and authentic underfoot
- Ages beautifully and naturally
- Suitable for underfloor heating in engineered parquet
- Repairable, and therefore long-lasting
Oiled or lacquered parquet?
The difference is in the finish. Oiled parquet looks matter and more natural, lets you feel the wood structure and is locally repairable: a scratch or dull patch is rubbed in with a little maintenance oil, without redoing the whole floor. Lacquered parquet has a protective lacquer film on the wood, needs less day-to-day maintenance and resists stains and moisture better in the short term, but when it wears you have to sand and re-lacquer a larger area or the whole floor. In short: oiled needs regular light upkeep but is easy to touch up, lacquered needs little upkeep but is harder to repair in spots.
Caring for oiled parquet
An oiled floor needs a little more attention than a lacquered one, but the upkeep is simple. Dust and sweep regularly, mop lightly damp with a pH-neutral wood soap, and treat the floor periodically with a maintenance oil, on average once a year in busy rooms. Avoid standing water and aggressive cleaning products. That keeps the protective layer intact and lets your floor age beautifully instead of going dull.
Buying oiled parquet at Floor Depot
As an outlet, we buy end-of-line stock, remnants and overstock from top brands directly from the factory. That means you get oiled parquet from €37.95/m², with discounts up to 70% versus classic specialist retail, over 500,000 m² in stock and delivery to your door. Not sure between an oiled and a lacquered finish, or would you rather install it yourself with click parquet? Request advice or a no-obligation quote.
