It's a kitty!

But anyways. Are the bedrooms and other living areas on the same floor? If they are, I would go for the removal. The cohesion of having all the floors is important. If it is another floor, I think , anything can go. Even carpet (gasp!). Actually, I think carpet would be the best option in that case if refinishing the floors was too cost prohibited.

I have parquet transitioning to hardwoods and love it!

They are all on the same floor. The kitchen even opens into the master bedroom - but that's an easy fix.

Absolutely no carpet. Not an option I would ever consider.

You don't like the parquet idea?

Parquet looks dated.

It is a 66 year old house. The original mosaic tile looks dated, too, but I'm a fan of the "mid-century modest" look, particularly in such a modest-size home.

I like the idea of the parquet. Your original floors look like...maple?

Since you don't want to remove the asbestos flooring, I see nothing wrong with the parquet. But does it come in any other colors? I'm just seeing a color difference that may not matter for the bedrooms, but might in the hallway against the older, lighter flooring. Is the original flooring a light stained white oak or, as robo suggests, maple?

Have you had someone look at the tile to make sure it's asbestos? And is there the original hardwood underneath?

I believe the floor must be a hard pine (slash pine), given that is/was the predominant hardwood available in the deep South. The house also has original paneling in one room which appears to be pine, and though I'm not a fan of paneling - it looks as good today as it did when I was a child of the 50'

OutsidePlaying I'm going to get a sample of the tile and have it tested when next I'm there. I know one bedroom and the hall has the hardwood beneath. The 2nd bedroom, the one in the paneled room photo above, may not. Anxious to find out.

Are you sure you can lay the parquet on the asbestos stuff? If so, I think it's a good idea. But then I like parquet. :)

Parquet has been around for generations, and if it happened to be popular when the house was built, even better. It's not dated.

My dad loves parquet. I am not a huge fan but I don't hate it. Seems like it often elicits a love or hate response in some folks. I would be worried about that only if resale was going to be an issue in the future not too far off. Otherwise, you have lots of options, maybe even hardwood laid over the tiles? I'd check to see if that was possible. There is something to be said for a small house with uniform hardwood floors throughout, I think it is a great way to go if the house is small. Other options are cork (my brother did this) or linoleum, although I think cork would be better on the feet. It seemed like kind of a pain to install, but he likes it.

Asbestos tile is okay to stay as long as its not broken up and/or disturbed. Covering it is actually preferable to having it removed (so the experts say) to prevent any microscopic particles from becoming "friable" and airborne. Thus the recommendations are to cover it with felt paper, then a plywood barrier, before attaching the final floor.

There is also a good chance that, given the house was built in 1950, it is not asbestos tile at all, but made of a rubber/asphalt blend instead. Can't wait to find out.

Wow! We had a den with that exact pine paneling in it. My Dad loved it so when my parents added the den and extra bathroom on our house, that's what he had installed. It was 'the thing' to do back in the 50's! Good luck to you!

What a great little house. If you have to lay plywood, then parquet or other wood, won't you have an awkward transition from the original wood floors, as the new floor will be quite a bit thicker? And when you do sell, you'll have to disclose the asbestos (if it is)...even way on down the line.

I'd be concerned about parquet floors with cats - especially as they get older and might have urinary problems.

For some cohesiveness, perhaps you could do an outside border of hardwood & put parquet inside. Something like this but with parquet in center

You all are so thoughtful! Much appreciated.

Resale isn't a consideration. I own the home outright, as it was willed to me by my mom, and in turn is willed to my three daughters (eldest first). .

We've always had cats, (we just lost Nahla at age 19), but as the parquet has a high gloss finish, its never been an issue.

The floor height shouldn't be a problem. CDX plywood and the parquet would be 3/4" total, and the existing carpet and pad are near that.

I love the idea of doing the hardwood at the borders I don't care for the "fancy" parquet layouts, just the classic squares.

Could you lay tongue and groove oak strip flooring to match the rest of the house? It's still fashionable and easy to find.

If the floor is on a decent subfloor, I think you could lay right over the floor tile, if it's not too brittle.