Versailles Panel Parquet Flooring
Versailles panels feature intricate geometric patterns inspired by historic French design. They create a grand, decorative statement suited for luxury interiors, feature rooms and high-end projects.
“Laid block by block. Herringbone is the pattern people notice before they notice the room.”
— our flooring team
Versailles PanelThe look
Still unsure? Real people, honest advice.
The look
Versailles Panel flooring is 800 mm square engineered oak panels, laid as whole units. Three panels, Montpellier, Bordeaux and Avignon, in light, smoked and natural oak, 20 mm thick with a 4 mm wear layer, all brushed, matt lacquered and listed as compatible with underfloor heating.
Large by design
Three tones, one surface
The thickest wear layer in the parquet range
In depth
What a Versailles panel is
A Versailles panel is a square, framed parquet panel with a woven or diagonal infill, laid as a whole unit rather than block by block. It is the largest of the parquet formats by unit size, and because each panel is large, the flatness of the subfloor and the set-out of the first row matter more than with a plank floor.
Definition. A square framed panel with a woven or diagonal infill, laid as a unit rather than board by board.
Order a cut sample and see it in the room it is for. How samples work. Parquet, herringbone and chevron in the flooring types reference.
Choosing Versailles panels
The three panels here, Montpellier, Bordeaux and Avignon, are each 800 mm square and 20 mm thick, with a 4 mm European oak wear layer over an engineered core, tongue and groove, micro-bevelled, brushed, Classic grade, and each carries a 20 year manufacturer's warranty. All three are listed as compatible with underfloor heating.
The tones are the choice. Montpellier is light oak under an invisible matt lacquer, the pale, dry look; Avignon is natural oak under a matt lacquer, the conventional warm tone; Bordeaux is smoked oak under a matt lacquer, the dark, even tone. Because a panel is a composition of many pieces, the colour variation across the floor is built into the design rather than something to manage, and one sample panel tells you more than a dozen plank samples would.
In practice
Size decides the room. An 800 mm grid needs a room large enough to hold several whole panels in each direction; otherwise the border cuts dominate and the design reads as cropped. It also needs a flat subfloor, because a panel this size bridges rather than follows an uneven surface, and it is bonded rather than floated. The standards quoted below cover the product itself, the moisture content of engineered parquet at delivery, and the temperature limit for a wood floor over heating.
For a patterned floor at a smaller scale, the Oxford herringbone blocks and the Knightsbridge chevron boards in the same parquet range are thinner boards with a thinner wear layer; the panel is the choice when the room can carry it.
FAQ
How big a room do Versailles panels need?
Can Versailles panels go over underfloor heating?
Are the panels laid loose or glued?
How do I order the right amount?
Can I get a sample first?
Standards
What the published standards say
Each entry is quoted from its source and linked to it. The full set is in the standards reference.
BS EN 13489 — multi-layer parquet
BS EN 13489 is the product standard for multi-layer parquet elements, setting out their characteristics, requirements and test methods for internal use as flooring.
“This document specifies the characteristics, requirements and test methods of multi-layer parquet elements for internal use as flooring.”
Source: BS EN 13489:2023 - Wood-flooring and parquet. Multi-layer parquet elementsMoisture content at delivery — what EN 13489 requires
EN 13489, the product standard for multi-layer parquet, requires the moisture content of the elements to be between 5 % and 9 % at the time of first delivery, measured by the oven-dry method of EN 13183-1. The corresponding figure for solid parquet under EN 13226 was not available from a source we could read, so it is not stated here.
| Moisture content at first delivery, multi-layer parquet (EN 13489:2023, clause 4.1.2) | 5-9 % |
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“The moisture content shall be between 5 % and 9 % at the time of the first delivery of the product.”
Source: EN 13489:2023 - Wood-flooring and parquet - Multi-layer parquet elements (SIST preview of the standard, clause 4.1.2 Moisture content)Acclimatisation before fitting
The Contract Flooring Association's guide states that the room should be at its in-service temperature 48 hours before installation so that the flooring can be kept in the room and reach room temperature before it is laid.
| conditioning before installation | 48 h |
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“They also advise that this temperature should be attained 48 hours prior to the installation, so that floorings can be kept in the room and brought to room temperature (acclimatised) before installation.”
Source: CFA Guide to Contract Flooring - Contract Flooring Association
Delivery & areas
