Herringbone & parquet floors in the Bronx

Borders, medallions, stairs & rails for Bronx rentals, co-ops and houses

The Bronx has a lot of original parquet in older apartment buildings. Much of our pattern work there is bringing it back, planned with the owner and the super. Calls for pattern and parquet work come from Fordham, Riverdale, Mott Haven, Throgs Neck and Parkchester. For work beyond pattern and parquet work in the Bronx, see Bronx flooring.

Along the walls, the new parquet meets the baseboards, and shoe molding or quarter round hides the gap left for movement. We can reuse sound trim or install new.

Parquet in Bronx apartments

Prewar and postwar buildings across the Bronx still have original parquet, often square blocks or herringbone, worn gray in the traffic paths and loose near doors and radiators. When the blocks still have sanding life and most of the bed is bonded, resetting loose blocks, replacing missing ones and refinishing the field brings it back for far less disruption than a new floor.

In rentals, a refinished parquet floor is also a selling point for the next tenant.

Pattern work we do

Building logistics

Sanding equipment and material arrive around limited curb space and booked elevator time. The super gets a schedule, and corridors are protected. Water-based polyurethane dries fast with low odor, which suits occupied buildings. Where old adhesive has failed over a large area, we explain whether a reset or a partial relay makes more sense.

Radiators and trouble spots

Blocks near radiators take heat and occasional leaks, so they are often the loosest and darkest. We check those areas closely and replace blocks that are too damaged to sand. See our main herringbone, parquet and stairs page and refinishing in the Bronx.

Refinish or relay a Bronx parquet floor

The key question with old parquet is how much of the field is still bonded. If most blocks are solid and only some are loose, resetting the loose ones and refinishing is the practical path. If large areas lift when pressed, the old adhesive has failed across the floor, and a partial or full relay may be needed. Blocks that are too thin from past sandings or badly damaged near radiators are replaced. We test the floor on the visit by checking blocks across the room, not just in the obvious spots, and explain which path we would choose. For owners with several units of the same parquet, we can apply the same approach across apartments so floors stay consistent as units turn over.

Photos from our work

No Bronx pattern-floor job is posted yet, so these gallery examples are captioned by type of work only. Full gallery →

What affects the cost

Floor size and layout complexity drive the scope, and a border, inlay or tight herringbone adds labor. Access, stairs and hidden repairs under the old floor can also change the plan. If you want a first look, get an instant preliminary estimate.