Materials contrasting in colour and grain, such as oak, walnut, cherry, lime, pine, etc. are employed; and in the more expensive kinds the richly coloured tropical woods[?] are also used. The patterns of parquet flooring are entirely geometrical and angular (for instance squares, triangles, lozenges[?]), curved and irregular forms being avoided on account of the expense[?] and difficulty of fitting.
There are two classes of parquetry in use: veneers and solid parquet. The veneers are usually about 5 mm in thickness, and are laid over already existing floors. Solid parquet of 2 cm or more in thickness consists of single pieces of wood that fit together with a tongue and groove, having consequently the pattern alike on both sides.
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