Reclaimed Parquet Blocks With Bitumen On The Back

I am looking for a floor fitter to fit our reclaimed (already purchased) oak parquet into our extension due for completion in 3 weeks. The floor would need sanding and finishing and does have bitumen on the back of it. I'm ideally looking for a herringbone pattern and currently have no preference as to whether it is a 1 or 2-block border.

The floor is a suspended wood flooring and the total area is 44.25m2 indicated in yellow on the attached plan.

We would be looking for work to commence in a few weeks.

At this stage, I would be ideally looking to get a rough estimate of cost before then organising a visit to the site if required.

Thank you for your question about parquet flooring. Reclaimed blocks can in general cause issues during the laying and even after finishing. There are a few things we need to check before taking this on:

Are the blocks tongue-and-groove?
Blocks with such a system will have a residue of bitumen and defects, which will not allow the blocks to perfectly back, leaving gaps between the blocks.
What is the amount of supply? compared to the measured area.
With reclaimed blocks, the waste can be much bigger due to a number of blocks failing to lock properly, being thinner than others or having too much bitumen/adhesive.
Consider deeper sanding.
You have to be aware that reclaimed blocks are not laid in their original position, so some blocks will be higher than others and deeper sanding than usual may be required.
Consider a higher price for gap filling.
Reclaimed blocks can fail to close perfectly everywhere, so there is much more gap filler required to finish the flooring.
Consider Herringbone wall-to-wall (no border).
Having a border around will create more joints - it may be better to consider dropping the requirement, it will save on gap filling and have a cleaner finish.
Check the storage of blocks.
Make sure storage of the reclaimed blocks is in a dry place, as it can cause shrinking or expansion after laying in domestic conditions. There is no Service Guarantee for reclaimed block laying. Moisture checks will be done on many blocks before laying, but now all.
Price for laying & finishing reclaimed blocks.
Prices for fitting reclaimed parquet flooring are about 30% higher than fitting new blocks, as it is much more time and resource-consuming. Consider this when making a decision as it compensates the cost of new blocks.