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Dear James: I'm on a limited budget, but I would like a parquet hardwood floor in my dining. Is that a project I can do myself to reduce the overall cost? -- Judy S.

Dear Judy: You will find parquet flooring "kits" which are intended for the average do-it-yourselfer. It is much easier to lay a parquet floor than a standard strip floor. The pattern of small pieces of a parquet floor makes slight misalignments much less apparent.

Actually, hardwood parquet flooring is often more attractive than traditional strip hardwood flooring. The individual parquet tiles are usually 12 by 12 inches in size and are available in a range of patterns and wood types including walnut, ash, teak and oak.

Most residential parquet floor tiles range in thickness from 5/16 to 3/4 inches thick. The thicker hardwood tiles are more durable, but they will raise the floor level more. No matter what thickness parquet tiles you select, you will have to saw the bottom off of the doors and the casings, so you might as well select as thick as your budget will allow.

The two main choices that you will have are: 1) tongue-and-groove or smooth butt edges and 2) prefinished or unfinished. For an inexperienced do-it-yourselfer, prefinished tongue-and-groove parquet tiles are best. Some even come with self-adhesive backing, but installing them with manually applied adhesive is not difficult and is more durable.

As with most home improvement jobs, the initial surface preparation is essential for a professional-looking finished job. Remove all the furniture, floor registers, baseboards and shoe moldings. Although you will swear that you will not forget which ones are from which wall when you replace them, place some tape on each one and mark its location.

Hardwood parquet floor tiles can be laid over most existing flooring that is in good condition. Sand off any high points over a plywood floor. If you are placing the parquet tiles over old resilient tiles (any type), be sure to strip off all of the old wax and fill in any cracks or gouges.

To accurately cut off the bottom of door opening casings so that the parquet tiles fit snugly under them, lay a scrap piece of tile on the floor. Using a hand saw, let it slide on top of the tile piece as you saw off the casing. The thickness of the saw blade will provide just enough clearance over the finished parquet floor.

The key to a professional-looking job is the layout and placement of the first row of parquet tiles in the center of the room. If you choose the tongue-and-groove type, they will only fit together one way, so the rest are easy.

First, find the center of the room. Drive a tiny nail into the floor at the center point of each wall. Tie taut chalklines across opposite walls. Where they intersect is the center. If you are lucky, they will be perpendicular at the intersection. If not, adjust the location of the nails a little until the strings are perpendicular. Now snap the lines to mark the floor.

Dry-fit a test row of the tiles in one of the floor quadrants to make sure that they line up properly. Remove the tiles and apply the adhesive along one chalkline. Make sure not to cover the line. Place the five or six tiles in the adhesive and tap them with a rubber mallet to bed them into the adhesive. When you get to the walls, leave a small gap, which will be covered by the baseboard.

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Send your questions to Here's How, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45244 or visit www.dulley.com. To find out more about James Dulley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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