I remember talking to a guy at Lumbermart (looks quite senior and experienced, like a boss) during a fair. He actually told me the existing parquet floor can be used to replace the batten, which means you just need to lay the floor board on top of the existing parquet. It makes some sense, because the parquet is also made of hardwood and is already level. The only disadvantage is that there are no space for the wood to 'breath'. I supposed it is the same case as S4S floor boards.

I'm just repeating that that guy told me. I, too, removed my existing parquet before laying the new battens and flooring. That's the right way to do. But if you have cost/timing concern, well you need to make sacrifices then.

I can't imagine how is your existing parquet floor 'uneven'. It cannot be more uneven than the cement floor after removing the parquets, due to the glue and parquet residue, right?

Also, you say the parquet is too thin to drive nails through? Hmm isn't it easier to drive nails through if it is thin? Cengal batten is 10mm. How thick is your parquet?

The timber flooring work is undergoing at my house currently, so a lot of things are still fresh in my mind .

1. They actually glue the 10mm Cengal batten to the floor, and then nail it down using the nail gun, so yes, the nail is driven into the cement subfloor.

2. After that, the timber planks (mine is 18mm) are laid and glued on top of the Cengal batten. Nails are driven at 45 degrees angle into the groove onto the Cengal batten. I'm not sure if the nail can reach the cement subfloor, but I think it doesn't matter.

3. If parquet is used, I don't think it will pop up easily after you lay the timber planks on top, because timber planks are a lot wider and longer. You will need many parquet to pop up simultaneously in order for the timber plank to pop up. Also, remember you will be nailing down the timber planks.

4. Yes, I have my concrete floor hacked, redone, and wait for a month to cure .

Hmm.. more details.. let's see:

- I did not engage with Maha Asia Parquet because they only have Merbau. But I did enquire before, as well as some other providers. I think most providers will tell you that you need to remove the parquet and redo the cement sub floor, because that's the easiest and safest to work with.

- However, I do believe what the guy from Lumbermart say, because Lumbermart is a trusted brand and I have never heard anyone complain about them before. Also, as I have explained earlier, the function is the same.

- When installing solid timber flooring, there are a number of installation methods. S4S is essentially the same as parquet, except that the planks are larger in size. T&G can be installed with or without batten. If you install without batten, then I think it is glued and nailed down to the cement subfloor too.

- Installation with batten is better, because it gives the underside of the wood more breathing space. Also, if water spills on the floor, at least your wooden flooring won't be submerged in water for a pro-longed period. Any hardwood can be used as batten, the harder the better. Cengal batten is the most common, but I'm not sure why. Maybe it is relatively cheap and sturdy.

- If you hack away the parquet, there will be glue and some wooden residue on the cement subfloor. Also some of the cement will come off together with the parquet. It is not easy to clean it up. The usual method is to level the sub-floor with more cement.

- Once you redo the sub-floor, you need to wait for it to cure. This is important because otherwise the moisture will eat into the wood.

- Once the batten and timber flooring is laid (without skirting), you need to wait for 3 weeks for the wood to settle down. You can paint the first coat of paint now.

- After 3 weeks, the floor will be sanded, polished, and coating will be applied. I recommend water-based, matt coating, as it will be more resistant to scratches. It will still scratch, but not as easy and not so obvious.

Erm... Did I miss anything? Hope this helps. To all other sifu, please feel free to correct me if what I said is wrong. I'm no expert in this...