When DIY enthusiasts tackle a home refurbishment or renovation project, the plan is usually to start with a clean slate: out with the old and in with the new construction materials. But taking a more sustainable approach is also an option, for example by re-using HARO parquet that is a half century old. A true HARO quality report.

Erich Herzberg from Seesen-Bornhausen is a passionate renovator with a feel for beautiful, natural construction materials. When he set about completely refurbishing his grandfather’s apartment, he discovered an absolute rarity: a 50-year-old HARO parquet floor that was still in astonishingly good condition. He knew the planks were from HARO because when his grandfather first installed the floor in the early seventies, he left some of the cardboard packaging beneath the parquet. He even found the invoice for the HARO classic parquet floor when looking through the apartment’s papers: the HARO Oak Exquisit finished parquet was supplied back in the day by “Wilh. Brunke Holzhandlung”, a timber trader located in Bockenem in the Harz region; the date on the invoice was 30 March 1972. An impressive 45 square metres in eleven packaging units, plus freight surcharge and 11 percent VAT. The enthusiastic renovator quickly made a decision: he would conserve rather than replace. 

The decision is made easier by a call to HARO

Erich Herzberg is a man of action and therefore barely hesitated before contacting HARO directly for advice. Recognising immediately that this project would be ideal for proving the high quality and durability of HARO parquet, the enthusiastic HARO fan got expert support straight away from the parquet specialists from Stephanskirchen for his “second life parquet” project. 

Regular status and project reports from 2014 to 2019

During the renovation phase, Erich Herzberg regularly sent status reports to his HARO contacts: “I just took some fresh photographs of the room. The clay has been removed from the ceiling and floor, new boards have been installed in the attic and the sloping roofs have been insulated. We are making progress step by step…” The parquet experts at HARO were on hand with advice and support and provided valuable tips for how to spruce up the time-honoured parquet again professionally: “…yes, the old parquet should be installed over underlay to allow floating installation. The tongue and groove joints must be glued”, was the recommendation of the HARO parquet experts from Stephanskirchen. 

The next project report from Erich Herzberg followed just a short while later concerning installing the old parquet floor: “This weekend was dominated by Haro. We installed some of the old parquet and have already glued it down in the bedroom, after my uncle cleaned the tongue and groove joints. My father did the additional H-shaped gluing of the tongue and groove joints along with my nephew who also wanted to help out. We made lines using the laser to keep in step with the pattern. We used Domino dowels from the company Festool in part instead of tongue and groove joints because the old parquet was damaged in places and a 100 percent fit was not possible because of the new walls. In other places we sawed the boards flush against each other in line with the pattern and then milled a tongue made of other wood. We paid great attention to detail here.” 

It was incredible for HARO to see how much effort, technical flair and real craftsmanship went into breathing new life into the old floor again. 

The old parquet in the new ambience: a real eye-catcher of character

Erich Herzberg’s project is now complete and the passionate DIY enthusiast has not for one moment regretted his decision to breathe new life into his grandfather’s revered parquet floor. The freshly renovated apartment shows the original radiance of the old parquet floor to full effect. And even when compared directly to the new “Plank 1-Strip Oak Markant” and “Longstrip Ash Country” HARO parquet floors, which were installed during renovation of the remaining rooms, the time-honoured HARO Parquet Oak Exquisit creates a fabulous, fresh impression. 

For HARO, projects like Erich Herzberg’s are truly dear to its heart. After all, what more impressive proof of the quality of premium parquet can there be, than when it can be fully reinstalled and reworked after more than 40 years. Bernd Reuß, responsible for press and PR at HARO comments: “It is a special high point for us when we encounter such a true fan of our brand. And when passion for value-enhancing and sustainable flooring manifests itself in such a project, this is again a truly special HARO moment for us”.