Parquet that has turned grey, scratched or stained over the years does not necessarily have to go. Often it is enough to renew the surface. Sometimes, though, the floor has reached its end: because the wear layer is used up, because water has got into the wood or because elements have come loose from the subfloor. This guide shows how to tell which floor you have, which damage sanding removes and which it does not, what the joint lifespan table (paritätische Lebensdauertabelle) says for rented flats — and what new parquet costs.
Solid, multi-layer or veneer
Whether sanding makes sense depends first on how the floor is built. Solid parquet (Massivparkett) — strips, boards, glued parquet or mosaic parquet («Klötzliparkett») — is wood all the way through. Multi-layer parquet (Mehrschichtparkett) has a top layer of hardwood, the wear layer (Nutzschicht), on a backing. One manufacturer describes the build-up in its environmental product declaration as a solid-oak top layer, a core of high-density fibreboard (HDF) and a spruce-veneer backing layer. On veneer floors the top layer is a thin veneer.
European standardisation draws the line at 2.5 mm: parquet has a wear layer of at least 2.5 mm, and multi-layer parquet is covered by EN 13489. Wood floors with a thinner top layer fall under the standard for wood veneer floor coverings (EN 14354). The wear layer is the reserve for every sanding. For a multi-layer parquet with a wear layer of 2.5 mm or more, the manufacturer’s declaration mentioned above states that it can be ‘sanded at least once and refinished’. Because it is wood throughout, solid parquet usually offers more reserve.
How much wood is left?
You can see the build-up at a cut edge: at a transition to tiles, at a door threshold, at the cut-out for a heating pipe or on an edge piece when the skirting board comes off anyway. The same wood throughout points to solid parquet; a layer of wood on a backing of a different colour points to multi-layer parquet. The wear layer runs from the surface to the first glue line. If the floor has been sanded before, less of it is left than the data sheet says. Documents from the last installation or renovation therefore help: product, installation method, year. Keep them ready — whether sanding is still enough for your floor is something we check at the site visit.
What sanding removes — and what it does not
Sanding takes off the top layer of wood together with the old lacquer or oil; the surface is then treated again. What lies in that layer usually disappears:
- traffic paths and lacquer that has turned dull or grey
- fine scratches and marks from furniture
- stains that have not soaked deep into the wood
Sanding reaches its limits when the damage goes deeper or is not in the surface at all:
- Deep dents and gouges: they stay visible if they go deeper than can be taken off. With a thin wear layer, sanding deeper would expose the backing.
- Water damage: swollen, cupped or darkly stained elements where water has got into the wood or the backing. Usually the affected area has to be replaced — after first checking that the subfloor is dry.
- Loose or hollow-sounding elements: if the floor gives or rattles because the adhesive has failed, sanding does not fix the cause.
- Worn-through wear layer: once the backing shows through, a multi-layer parquet has no reserve left.
- Veneer floors: the thin top layer allows little or no sanding.
Oiled floors are also re-oiled regularly; the manufacturer’s declaration mentioned above assumes oiling every five years in its maintenance scenario. What sanding costs depends on the area, the condition, the number of sanding passes, the joints and the finish you want. A reliable figure is only possible after a site visit.
Rented flats: what the lifespan table says
When a rented flat is returned, Art. 267 para. 1 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR) applies: the tenant must return the object ‘in a condition that accords with its contractually designated use’. Traffic paths and worn lacquer are normal wear and tear. For damage beyond that, the joint lifespan table of the tenants’ association (Mieterinnen- und Mieterverband) and the homeowners’ association (Hauseigentümerverband) is used. The excerpt in the tenants’ association’s handover report form (Wohnungsabnahmeprotokoll, 2021 edition) gives this normal lifespan for parquet:
- Glued parquet, mosaic parquet («Klötzliparkett»), hardwood strips/solid parquet: 40 years
- Multi-layer parquet with 4 mm or more of usable wood: 30 years
- Softwood strips: 30 years
- Veneer parquet: 10 years
- Lacquer or surface treatment: 10 years
The tenant is only liable for the part that has not yet been written off. The notes to the form work it through for wallpaper: a lifespan of 10 years, replaced after 8 years, compensation of 20 per cent of the cost of repair. What counts is the age of the item or the time since it was last renewed, not the length of the tenancy. On this basis, 40 per cent would still be open for lacquer renewed 6 years ago; for a 15-year-old multi-layer parquet with 4 mm of usable wood that has to be replaced because of damage, 50 per cent. The notes also state that a small stain on the wallpaper does not justify charging for re-papering the whole room. So keep a record for every flat of when the parquet was laid and when it was last sanded or sealed. What else matters when a flat is handed back is covered in the checklist for property managers.
Worked example: replacing 25 m² of parquet
A living room with about 25 m² of glued parquet can no longer be sanded and gets new parquet, again fully bonded. Our guide prices for the labour, excluding VAT:
- Removing the old parquet, 25 m² at CHF 25: CHF 625 (excluding disposal)
- Levelling the subfloor up to 3 mm, 25 m² at CHF 22: CHF 550
- New parquet, fully bonded, 25 m² at CHF 58–70: CHF 1'450–1'750
- Skirting boards, about 20 running metres at CHF 12–18: CHF 240–360
That comes to about CHF 2'865 to 3'285 for the labour. Laid floating (from CHF 45 per m²), fitting costs from CHF 1'125; mechanically fixed (CHF 62 per m²), CHF 1'550. If the subfloor needs levelling by 3 to 10 mm, we charge CHF 35 per m², here CHF 875; if it is level, the item drops out. Parquet, adhesive and skirting are materials and come on top, as does disposal of the old floor. In Zurich and the surrounding area travel is included; elsewhere it appears as a fixed item in the quote.
How level the subfloor under glued parquet is often only shows once the old floor has been removed. At the measuring visit we measure what is visible and write any levelling needed openly into the quote. If more turns up afterwards, we stop, document it with photos and send a supplement with a price; nothing is carried out until you approve it.
What the quote must list
Whether renovation or replacement: a quote for parquet work should be itemised so that you can follow every item and compare options.
- Area in m² per room and running metres of skirting — measured, not estimated
- For a renovation: number of sanding passes, treatment of the joints, type and number of finish coats (oil or lacquer)
- For a replacement: removal and disposal as separate items, subfloor levelling with layer thickness, installation method (floating, fully bonded, mechanically fixed)
- Transition profiles and adjustments to doors and thresholds
- Materials separate from labour: product, wear layer, finish, adhesive or impact-sound underlay
- Dates, drying times and from when the floor can be used again
- Warranty and acceptance
For new flooring you receive our fixed-price quote within 48 hours of the site visit by our chief engineer: item by item, with labour and materials shown separately. We give a 5-year warranty on our work from acceptance. Prices and installation methods are on the page Parquet flooring in Zurich. In a vacant flat we plan the new floor together with painting and minor repairs — more under Renovating a vacant flat and in the article Renovating a vacant flat at change of tenant.
Lifespan figures: excerpt of the joint lifespan table in the tenants’ association’s report form, 2021 edition — the current edition is what counts. Standards and build-up: standard descriptions from DIN Media and BSI, environmental product declaration EPD-MWS-20220201-ICA1-DE of a parquet manufacturer. Quotations from the OR follow the English translation on fedlex.admin.ch, which has no legal force; other quotations are our own translation. This article is not a substitute for legal advice.