Parquet floors are a beautiful solution for the interior of any room. At the same time, high demands are made on them in terms of aesthetics, sanitary standards and heat and sound insulation. As a rule, the use of this floor material is advisable not only in residential buildings, but also in educational institutions, theaters, museums, and sanatoriums.
What are the features?
The main advantages of parquet floors are in their beautiful appearance and durability of the coating. They are also characterized by minimal sound permeability and thermal conductivity. But arranging parquet floors is not easy, because they have high requirements in terms of flatness, smoothness and surface durability.
Each type of parquet consists of a coating, an interlayer and a base, in the role of which various elements play - from wooden logs to rough floors and prefabricated screed from fiberboard. The layer can serve as leveling layers based on a mixture of cement, sand or polymer mortar, as well as bedding, hydro- and soundproof materials. As for the coating, it can be piece and mosaic, in the form of parquet boards or panels with different sizes and patterns.
How is the floor arranged?
Modern parquet floors have a complicated structure, therefore, their installation requires professionalism and the ability to work with such material. Quality styling begins with surface preparation. Since the floorboard is a high-quality flooring, the allowable difference in surface height cannot be more than 1 mm per linear meter. And therefore, in addition to leveling the base with a screed, the use of a self-leveling mixture will be required. The final alignment is provided by plywood - it is a kind of intermediate link between the parquet and the concrete base.
We carry out a coupler
The device of the parquet floor involves laying a cement-sand screed or wooden "black" floor on the logs. However, screed is most often used. There are certain requirements for it:
- Flatness of the surface. Alignment is necessary if there are defects on the surface.
- Compressive strength. Depending on the thickness of the flooring, experts advise using a durable screed. Its minimum thickness is 40 mm.
- Low humidity. Since the tree is hygroscopic, it will deform over time. The moisture content of the base under the parquet should be no more than 5%. In order for the screed to dry faster and better, waterproofing material is used.
Plywood as an insulating material
The installation of the parquet floor is a complex process in which it is important to provide for many details. For example, installation technology involves the creation of an intermediate layer of plywood. Its purpose is to compensate for the “movement” of the parquet as a result of changes in humidity in the room. Before laying plywood, many experts suggest covering the screed with waterproofing material - this will protect the wooden floor from moisture accumulation and further decay. In such cases, it is best to use foil film or a special primer based on polyurethane.
The substrate is created on the basis of moisture-resistant plywood up to 20 mm thick - it depends on the thickness of the parquet strip. It is best to cut plywood into squares:
- So the probability of plywood tearing off the surface will be lower.
- The sizes of the squares will correspond to the size of the strips, so the floor and the substrate will show the same magnitude of expansion and contraction, thereby increasing the durability of the coating.
Plywood is glued to the base and is additionally fastened with screws or dowels. After laying, finishing and scraping of parquet floors is carried out.
Choose glue
To fix plywood and parquet, high-quality glue is required. It can be of several types:
- Dispersion (water soluble). Such glue is optimal in price and quality, shows excellent adhesion, elastic and easy to use. When using it there are no odors, the glue dries quickly. When choosing this composition, you need to pay attention to the amount of water - the more it is, the more the geometry of the bar will change due to glue. Dispersion glue should not be used if the floors (parquet board) are made of European tree species - beech, hornbeam, cherries, cherries. They are considered unstable, because because of the water, the planks of them will warp. Do not use such glue if the strips are too large in size.
- Polyurethane This adhesive consists of two components and is excellent when using materials that are prone to warping, and laying wide strips. Such compositions are expensive, but are characterized by good adhesion to the surface and the absence of shrinkage. A short drying time leads to the fact that the installation of the parquet floor should be performed as quickly as possible.
Screeding: pros and cons
There is another option for laying parquet boards - without using plywood directly on the screed. Previously, this method was not used, since adhesives lacked elasticity, as a result, moisture could leak into the parquet from the screed.
Today, laying the parquet floor directly on the screed is possible due to the application of a waterproofing primer on it. And already on it glue of high elasticity is applied, which holds the planks in place. In some cases, it is advisable to supplement the substrate with a non-woven fibrous material, which will compensate for the effort of the parquet to come off the base. The technology is good, but too expensive, and work is carried out exclusively with an even and solid foundation.
Finish finish
After the glue has hardened and the planks have stabilized (as a rule, this takes about two weeks), you can begin to polish the parquet. This is done by grinding machines of various types, gradually reducing the grain of sanding paper. Before polishing, puttying of all cracks and recesses is required to get a beautiful parquet floor - as neat and even as possible.
Now you can coat the surface with varnish or oil. It is best to use the compositions of the same company that produces the rest of the parquet chemistry. The task of varnishes is not only to give the floor a decorative effect, but also to protect it by creating an artificial film on the surface. Most often, up to 7 layers of varnish are required. Parquet can be covered with oil, which contains natural ingredients. A feature of this finish is the ability to emphasize the texture and naturalness of the tree and protect it from moisture. True, the oil coating will need to be updated from time to time.
Warm floors: parquet or parquet?
How to make a parquet floor if you prefer a heated system? Until recently, it was impossible to think of such a repair method, since the choice of a parquet board was limited. Today, experts offer more modern solutions that avoid the appearance of cracks on the surface between the parquet strips. Of course, any tree reacts to temperature changes and humidity. But in the Scandinavian countries, heated floors covered with parquet have long been used.
Warm parquet floors can be laid on the basis of the “floating floor” method when using metal staples. They are needed for fastening the boards together, which are subsequently stacked on the base without mounting. Such a floor will never be torn from the ground, because it is not connected with it. Staples allow you to adjust the natural expansion and contraction of the tree, which appear when temperature and humidity changes. And this is very important if you will lay the parquet on the floor with a heating system.
What kind of wood is parquet made of?
Modern parquet floors have a different basis, because different materials are used for the production of material - soft, medium and hard. The higher the density of wood, the stronger it will be, showing a high degree of wear resistance. Soft wood for birch and cherry, medium for oak, ash, merbau, hard for ebony and jatoba.
An important role is played by the stability of wood, that is, the degree of its deformation during temperature changes and changes in humidity. The most stable species are teak, oak, merbau, beech. However, the latter is highly sensitive to changes in the humidity level in the room. All tree species, on the basis of which a parquet flooring is created, can be divided into groups according to color. Light floor material will be made of beech, maple, ash, birch, hornbeam, white acacia. Such wood slowly darkens and looks beautiful indoors. Pink tones distinguish pear, cherry and alder wood, red shades can be observed in merbau, jatoba, dussia and other rare species of trees. Brown parquet is obtained from walnut, teak, ipe lapacho.
How parquet is classified
Parquet flooring is beautiful and bright. But it is important to consider a few points before choosing a material. Firstly, the type of cut plays an important role - it can be radial or tangential. Radial cut is considered wear-resistant, reliable and involves the presence of parallel lines along the entire length of the die. The tangential cut is distinguished by arched lines and is considered the most affordable.
Secondly, you should carefully consider the wear layer - that is, the layer of the strip from the front surface to the upper face of the spike. Thirdly, how long and reliably the floor will be used depends on the thickness of the parquet. And most importantly, the mounting of the spikes and grooves should be tight and tight while maintaining a gap of 1 mm.
Solid board
The modern market offers a wide selection of wooden coatings - parquet, massive board, parquet board. A massive board (GOST 8242-88) is created from solid wood and has large dimensions, unlike parquet. Its distinctive feature is the chamfer, which is available around the perimeter of the board. She highlights every board in the coating and emphasizes its size. Solid wood boards can be supplied polished or already treated with varnish, oil or wax. In the second version, the parquet floor will not need to be processed.
In the standard version, the installation technology involves mounting a massive board on glue and self-tapping screws. When laying this variety, you need to remember a few rules:
- Varnishing is only possible after installation.
- Massive board does not fit on adhesive with a water base or solvent-based.
- The "floating" method for laying a massive board is not suitable.
- Do not fasten the board to a screed based on cement and sand.
Most often, errors in laying occur when the boards are incorrectly selected in width, the use of the wrong glue or insufficient pressing of the material.
Parquet
The most beautiful is the parquet floor. The photo shows how many interesting decisions you can make in your home. Piece parquet is created from an array with a thickness of 14-22 mm and complies with GOST 862.1-85. If the length and width of the planks are multiple, then you can lay out the picture in the form of a deck or Christmas tree. Parquet planks are left and right, and if the pattern is "herringbone" or "square", you will need the same number of those and other planks.
Parquet strips reliably connect to each other thanks to ridges and grooves. If the implementation of artistic elements or borders is required, then modular elements are used for this. The parquet strip is fixed with special nails by means of a pneumatic gun. All varieties of piece parquet are semi-finished products, which after laying require grinding and processing with a protective compound.
Parquet laying is carried out with a number of reservations:
- If the parquet is chamfered, it must not be varnished after laying.
- Parquet is laid only by gluing to the base (the "floating" method is not suitable).
- Parquet does not attach directly to the screed.
- If the installation was carried out with dispersion glue or a solvent-based compound, grinding should be done immediately.
With improper installation, the wooden parquet floor will at least look unaesthetically, and as a maximum, the varnish layer will crack, cracks will form, the integrity of the base structure will be violated.
After preparing the base, you can start laying the flooring:
- Laying starts from a long wall: the first board is applied to the wall in the corner, a wedge is installed between them for the gap between the flooring and the walls.
- Subsequent slats are laid along the wall. Pay attention to the exact joining of the ridge and the grooves.
- All subsequent boards are laid in the same way.
Parquet board
This floor material complies with GOST 862.3-86 and is a multi-layer construction. The top layer is solid wood of valuable species, the middle layer is made of pine or spruce, the bottom layer is needed to stabilize the base and is made of plywood or veneer of coniferous trees. All elements are securely glued to each other with a special waterproof adhesive, which ensures uniformity and adhesion of all layers. Such parquet floors received good reviews, because the surface is flat, smooth and beautiful.
When using this variety, you must carefully follow the installation steps. The parquet board can be laid in a "floating" way, while it is necessary to monitor the level of moisture in the base and the clearance with the wall.
Features of care and repair
The flooring, which is based on natural wood, needs careful and thorough care. The most important thing is that the optimum temperature and humidity should be provided in the room: 20-24 degrees with a humidity of 45-60%. The real enemies of parquet are dust and sand, which lead to the rapid abrasion of varnish or oil coating. You can clean such a floor with a damp cloth or a vacuum cleaner, only not washing!
To avoid scratches, stick special felt pads to the furniture legs. Parquet laying must be carried out in rooms that are well heated in winter, since a sharp drop in temperature and humidity will lead to rapid destruction of the floor.
How to repair a parquet floor? If the problems are small, for example, scratches have appeared, they can be removed with a retouching pencil or repaired with putty. Such areas need only be sanded after drying and varnished. If water has spilled onto the parquet, the damaged area may become deformed. In such cases, you often have to rebuild the parquet or lay a new one.
Another serious problem with parquet flooring is creaking. As it exploits, it can become stronger. You can correct the situation in several ways:
- Drill a hole in the center of the area where the creak is heard. This is usually enough.
- If the base of the floor is hard concrete, you can pour a special mixture of cement and water into the hole.
- If the creaking area is too large, then the only way out is to get rid of the creak - to shift the parquet again. It is costly and time consuming, but reliable.
Another common problem is parquet drying. This is due to the fact that the planks dry out and decrease in size during operation, so they begin to stagger. Such strips must be replaced, since these areas are not repaired. If this is observed in a small area, then individual trims are easier to replace with new ones.
Under the influence of humidity changes, the parquet is moistened, then dries, and as a result cracks arise. It is impossible to exclude this process, you can only monitor the humidity in the room using a humidifier. If the gap is very small, just clean it and then putty it. If the gap is more than 5 mm, then putty will not help. In this case, it is required to deepen, strip, cut out the insert from a suitable tree and drive it into the slot. Then the surface is sanded and varnished.
In some cases, the strips may peel off. This is caused by several reasons: poor-quality glue or mastic, violation of installation technology or high humidity in the room. In this case, the problem is solved differently depending on the basis. If it is concrete, then the slots of the slats are carefully processed, then they are primed and dried. Mastic strips are glued back. In the case of a wooden base, the nests of the slats are also cleaned and smeared with glue, then the loose slats are inserted back and nailed.
A beautiful parquet floor is an excellent solution for any interior. The main thing is to properly approach its installation.