Parquet floors (photo). Laying parquet floor. Caring for parquet flooring

Parquet floors are a beautiful solution for the interior of any room. At the same time, high demands are placed on them in terms of aesthetics, sanitary and hygienic standards and heat and sound insulation. As a rule, the use of this flooring material is advisable not only in residential buildings, but also in educational institutions, theaters, museums, sanatoriums.

What are the features?

The main advantages of parquet floors - in their beautiful appearance and durability of the coating. They are also characterized by minimal sound permeability and thermal conductivity. But it is not easy to arrange parquet floors, because they are demanded from the point of view of smoothness, smoothness and strength of the surface.

Each type of parquet consists of a cover, a layer and a base, in the role of which there are various elements - from wooden lags to rough floors and prefabricated screeds from fiberboard. Interlayer can serve as leveling layers based on a mixture of cement, sand or polymer solution, as well as padding, hydro and soundproof materials. As for the coating, it can be piece and mosaic, in the form of parquet boards or boards with different sizes and patterns.

How does the floor work?

Modern parquet floors have a complex design, so when you lay them you need professionalism and the ability to work with such material. Quality styling begins with surface preparation. Since the parquet board is a high-quality floor covering, the permissible height difference of the surface can not be more than 1 mm per running meter. So, in addition to leveling the base with a screed, you will need to use a self-leveling compound. The final alignment is provided by the plywood - it is a kind of intermediate link between the parquet and the concrete base.

We carry out screeding

The device of a parquet floor assumes stacking of a cement-sandy screed or a wooden "black" floor on logs. However, the screed is most often used. It has certain requirements:

1. Surface smoothness. Alignment is mandatory if there are defects on the surface.
2. Compressive strength. Depending on the thickness of the floor covering, experts recommend using a strong screed. Its minimum thickness is 40 mm.
3. Low humidity. Since the tree is hygroscopic, it will deform with time. The moisture of the substrate under the parquet should not be more than 5%. To make the screed dry faster and better, a waterproofing material is used.

Plywood as an insulating material

The device of a parquet floor is a complex process in which it is important to provide many details. For example, the installation technique 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 wood floor from accumulation of moisture and further decay. It is best in such cases to use foil film or a special primer based on polyurethane.

The substrate is created on the basis of moisture resistant plywood with a thickness of up to 20 mm - it depends on the thickness of the parquet strip. It is best to cut the plywood into squares:

1. So the probability of tearing off the plywood from the surface will be lower.
2. The dimensions of the squares will correspond to the size of the slats, so the floor and the substrate will show the same amount of expansion and compression, thereby increasing the longevity of the coating.

Plywood is glued to the base and additionally fixed with screws or dowels. After laying, the finish is finished and the parquet floors are baked.

Choose glue

To fasten plywood and parquet, high-quality glue is required. It can be of several types:

1. Dispersion (water-soluble). Such glue is optimal for price and quality, it shows excellent adhesion, is elastic and easy to use. When using it, there are no smells, the glue dries quickly. When choosing such a composition, you need to pay attention to the amount of water - the more it is, the more the geometry of the strip will change due to the glue. Dispersion adhesive should not be used if the floors (parquet board) are made of European species of trees - beech, hornbeam, cherry, cherry. They are considered unstable, because because of the water, the bars from them will warp. Do not use such glue if the bars are too large in size.
2. Polyurethane. This adhesive consists of two components and is excellent when using materials prone to warping and laying wide strips. Such compositions are expensive, but they have good adhesion to the surface and no shrinkage. A short drying time leads to the fact that the laying of the parquet floor should be carried out as quickly as possible.

Stacking: for and against

There is another option for laying a parquet board - without using plywood directly on the screed. Previously, this method was not used, because the glue lacked elasticity, as a result, moisture could be sucked into the parquet from the screed.

Today, the laying of parquet floor directly on the screed is possible due to the application of a waterproofing primer. And already on it is applied glue of high elasticity, which keeps the slats in place. In some cases, it is advisable to supplement the substrate with a non-woven fibrous material that will compensate for the force of the parquet to come off the base. The technology is good, but too expensive, in addition, the work is carried out exclusively with an even and strong base.

Finishing

After the glue hardens, and the bars stabilize (usually it takes about two weeks), you can start polishing the parquet. This is done by grinding machines of different types, gradually reducing the grain of the grinding paper. Before grinding you need putty all the cracks, grooves to get a beautiful parquet floor - the most accurate and smooth.

Now you can cover 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 impart a decorative floor, but also to protect it by creating an artificial film on the surface. The most common application is up to 7 layers of varnish. Parquet can also be covered with oil, which contains natural ingredients. The peculiarity of this decoration is the opportunity 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 parquet floor if you prefer a heated system? Until recently, it was impossible to think about such a method of repair, since the choice of a parquet board was limited. Today, experts offer more modern solutions that avoid the appearance of crevices on the surface between the parquet slats. Of course, any tree reacts to temperature changes and humidity. But the Scandinavian countries have long used heated floors, covered with parquet.

Warm parquet floors can be laid on the basis of the "floating floor" method, when metal staples are used. They are needed to fix the boards among themselves, which are then laid on the base without fastening. Such a floor will never tear off the ground, because he is not connected with him. Staples allow to regulate the natural expansion and narrowing of the tree, which appear in the case of temperature and humidity changes. And this is very important if you lay the parquet on the floor with a heating system.

What kind of wood is parquet made from?

Modern parquet floors have different bases, since different wood is 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 in birch and cherry, medium - in oak, ash, merbau, hard - in ebony and jatoba.

An important role is played by the stability of wood, that is, the degree of its deformation at temperature changes and changes in humidity. The most stable breeds 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 by color. Light floor material will come from beech, maple, ash, birch, hornbeam, white acacia. Such wood slowly darkens and looks beautiful in the room. 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 wood.

How is parquet classified?

Parquet flooring is beautiful and bright. But it is important to take into account several points before choosing a material. First, an important role is played by the type of sawing - it is radial or tangential. Radial sawing is considered wear-resistant, reliable and assumes the presence of parallel lines along the entire length of the die. Tangential sawing differs in arcuate lines and is considered the most affordable.

Secondly, you must carefully consider the wear layer - that is, the layer of the strip from the face to the top of the spike. Third, the thickness of the parquet depends on how long and reliably the floor will be used. And most importantly - the fastening of thorns and grooves should be tight and tight, while maintaining a gap of 1 mm.

Massive board

The modern market offers a wide choice of wooden coatings - parquet, massive board, parquet board. A massive board (GOST 8242-88) is created from an array of wood and has large dimensions, unlike parquet. Its distinctive feature is a chamfer, which is located around the perimeter of the board. It highlights each board in the coating and emphasizes its dimensions. Board from the array can be supplied polished or already treated with varnish, oil or wax. In the second variant, the parquet floor will not need to be processed.

In the standard version, the mounting technology involves fastening a massive board to the adhesive and screws. When stacking this variety, you need to remember several rules:

1. Coating with varnish is possible only after styling.
2. A massive board does not fit on a glue with a water base or solvent based.
3. "Floating" way for laying a massive board is not good.
4. You can not fasten the board to the screed based on cement and sand.

Most often, mistakes in laying arise when the boards are not matched to the correct width, applying an incorrect glue, or insufficient pressing of the material.

Parquet

The most beautiful is the parquet floor. The photo shows how many interesting solutions can be implemented in their homes. Piece parquet is created from an array of 14-22 mm thick and corresponds to GOST 862.1-85. If the length and width of the slats are multiples, then you can lay out a picture in the form of a deck or a Christmas tree. Parquet strips are left and right, and if the "herringbone" or "square" pattern is laid, you will need the same number of both planks.

Parquet strips are securely connected to each other thanks to the combs and grooves. If you want to implement artistic elements or borders, 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 treatment with a protective compound.

Parquet laying is carried out with a number of reservations:

1. If the parquet is chamfered, it can not be varnished after laying.
2. Parquet is stacked only by gluing to the base (the "floating" method is not suitable).
3. Parquet is not attached directly to the screed.
4. If the laying was carried out with dispersion glue or a solvent-based compound, grinding should be done immediately.

If the installation is incorrect, the wooden parquet floor will at least look unaesthetic, and as a maximum the lacquer layer will crack, crevices are formed, the integrity of the base structure will be violated.

After preparing the base, you can start laying the parquet:

1. The laying starts from a long wall: the first board is applied to the wall in the corner, between them is a wedge for a gap between the floor covering and the walls.
2. Folding next strips along the wall. Watch for the accuracy of joining the comb and grooves.
3. All subsequent boards are stacked similarly.

Parquet board

This flooring material corresponds to GOST 862.3-86 and is a multi-layer construction. The top layer is hardwood 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 together with a special waterproof glue, which ensures uniformity and strength of adhesion of all layers. Such parquet floors have received good reviews, since the surface is smooth, smooth and beautiful.

When using this version, it is necessary to carefully follow the installation steps. Parquet board can be laid in a "floating" way, while it is necessary to monitor the level of the moisture of the base and the gap with the wall.

Features of care and repair

The floor covering, which is based on natural wood, needs careful and thorough care. Most importantly - the room should be provided with the optimum temperature and humidity: 20-24 degrees at a humidity of 45-60%. The real enemies of the parquet are dust and sand, which lead to rapid abrasion of the lacquer or oil coating. You can clean such a floor with a damp cloth or a vacuum cleaner, just not washing it!

To avoid scratching, it is necessary to paste on the legs of furniture special lining of felt. Laying parquet should be performed in a well heated in winter rooms, as a sharp drop in temperature and humidity will lead to rapid destruction of the floor.

How to repair the parquet floor? If the problems are small, for example, there are scratches, they can be removed with a retouching pencil or covered with putty. Such areas will only need to be sanded after drying and treated with varnish. If water is spilled on the floor, the damaged area may become deformed. In such cases, often it is necessary to re-lay the parquet or lay a new one.

Another serious problem of the parquet floor is the creak. As it is used, it can become stronger. You can correct the situation in several ways:

1. Drill a hole in the center of the area where the creak is heard. As a rule, this is enough.
2. If the base of the floor is hard concrete, you can pour a special mixture of cement and water into the hole.
3. If the creaking area is too large, then the only way out is to get rid of the creaking - to shift the parquet again. This is costly and time-consuming, but reliable.

Another common problem is the drying of the parquet. This is due to the fact that the slats dry up and decrease in size as they are used up, so they start to stagger. These bars must be replaced, as these areas are not repaired. If this is observed in a small area, then individual bars are easier to replace with new ones.

Under the influence of moisture drops, the parquet is moistened, then dries, and as a result, crevices appear. It is impossible to exclude this process, you can only monitor the humidity in the room using an air humidifier. If the gap is very small, just clean it and then putty. If the gap is more than 5 mm, then the putty will not help. In this case, it is required to deepen, clean, cut the insert from a suitable tree and drive it into a slot. The surface is then sanded and varnished.

In some cases, the strips can peel off. This is caused by several reasons: poor quality glue or mastic, a violation of the installation technology or high humidity in the room. In this case, the problem is solved differently depending on the basis. If it is concrete, the nests of the slats are carefully processed, then ground and dried. Mastic straps are glued back. In the case of a wooden socket base, the strips are also cleaned and smeared with glue, then the loosened planks are inserted back and nailed.

Beautiful parquet flooring is an excellent solution for any interior. The main thing is to approach it properly.