Wooden parquet and its types, properties of wood and finished products, criteria for choosing a coating. All types of parquet are conventionally divided by color into 6 groups: light (bamboo, maple, oak), yellow (chestnut, teak, olive), brown (walnut, merbau, cougar), red (yarra, dussia, African paduk), pink (beech, cherry, alder) and dark (bog oak, wenge, ebony).
Parquet specifications
They are determined by the variety, quality, hardness and moisture content of the wood. Hardwood parquet flooring is more practical than softwood parquet flooring. Usually the hardness of the oak is used as a reference point for measurements.
The resistance of the parquet to moisture, its resistance to wear and the amount of deformation depend on the way the log is cut. There are three ways to cut it: along the center, along the off-center and along, as it turns out.
The most durable is the radial parquet, which is made by sawing a log in the first way. The parquet, obtained by sawing by the second method, is called tangential and is not particularly inferior in characteristics to the previous type of material. The third type is called mixed. Planks formed in this way are less durable, but cheaper. Externally, the method of cutting logs can be distinguished by annual lines: parallel ones prevail in wood with a radial cut, wavy ones - with a tangential cut.
The most stable and expensive is the radial sorted parquet. It has an even texture of the highest grade without defects and mechanical damage to wood.
To classify the material, many manufacturing companies use the German standard DIN 280. According to it, there are three classes of parquet:
- Select … This is the highest grade. It does not allow cracks, knots, differences in texture and color of products.
- Natur … Also the highest grade of parquet, small cracks, a small number of knots and slight color deviations are allowed.
- Rustic … The first category, knots from 5 mm in diameter, sapwood and color changes are allowed.
Usually, when cutting one log, 78% natural, 7% select, the rest is rustic. The most expensive type of parquet is select, the cheapest is rustic.
Parquet selection criteria
When buying a flooring material, you should be guided by the following criteria for choosing parquet:
- Appearance … It must be assessed visually by examining the parquet in the store at the stand. The planks should not have irregularities, cracks and other flaws at the joints.
- Availability of a certificate … You should ask the seller about this document before buying parquet. A quality product is always certified, and the corresponding document will be the guarantor of the quality and resistance of the coating to wear.
- Price … Before going to the store, you should provide a complete list of materials required for work, for which you will need to pay. Sometimes, at first glance, a fairly economical option of parquet is more expensive than the one that initially seemed very expensive. Therefore, in addition to planks, it is recommended to take into account the materials for the installation of the substrate, painting the parquet with varnish, etc. These are all additional costs during installation, and it may be worth buying a ready-made kit and saving on related materials.
- Humidity … For parquet, its value should be about 10%. To find out the moisture content of the selected material, you can ask the seller about it. If he mentions a higher value of this parameter, for example, 16%, you should not buy such parquet. It must be properly and efficiently dried by the manufacturer. The approximate drying quality can be checked by knocking on the bar. At the same time, a sonorous characteristic sound indicates the possibility of choosing this product.
- Environmental Safety … Recently, the largest number of consumers has been paying attention to it, especially if the installation of parquet on the floor is planned in a residential area, the inhabitants of which, in addition to adults, may also be small children. If you want to make the most environmentally friendly floor, you should choose bamboo parquet. The raw material for it grows very quickly and therefore does not have time to accumulate harmful substances in itself.
- Geometric shape … When choosing parquet, you should pay special attention to this criterion. To check the geometry of the planks, two of them must be folded with their ends at right angles. In this case, a square will turn out inside it, the side size of which should not exceed the length of the bar. At the end, its angle should also be 90 degrees.
- Finishing layer thickness … This value is assumed to be at least 4 mm. It can be determined with a ruler by placing the tool on the edge of the plank.
- Laying scheme … Parquet planks with a length of 0.5 m or more, laid in a small room, look somewhat ridiculous, moreover, such a floor visually reduces the space. A floor covering made of fine parquet looks more organic and attractive in a small room. Conversely, a floor made of large planks in a spacious hall will look very impressive.
- Colour … When choosing it, it should be remembered that almost all wood species acquire a deeper color over time. The color of the parquet flooring must be matched to the interior so that the overall design of the room in the complex looks stylish and up-to-date. Even a slight change in the color of the parquet floor towards pale or brighter tones can spoil the impression of the finished finish. Therefore, it is recommended to choose the material not by photographs, but by real samples of parquet manufacturers displayed in the store.
- Back side of parquet … It must be solid. Less quality and cheaper parquet has a base consisting of plywood scraps. This structure of the planks negatively affects the durability and stability of the floor covering.
- Smell … He can communicate a lot. Wood-smelling parquet is always environmentally friendly. If a mixture of foreign substances is felt in the aroma of wood, this means only one thing - the parquet has been treated with chemical solutions. It is likely that their vapors will subsequently enter the space of the room, poisoning the life of its inhabitants.
In addition, it is worth paying attention to the protective coating of the parquet. It is performed by applying layers of varnish or oil to its front surface. In both cases, there are advantages and disadvantages.
The lacquer coating protects the parquet from external damage and gives a shine to its surface, which will further emphasize all scratches that have arisen on the floor during its operation. In addition, dust is always visible on the varnished floor. But this is more about the disadvantages of the glitter effect. At the same time, such a coating perfectly reflects light, making the room spacious and bright. A lacquered floor with a family of 4 people will last about 10 years. After this period, it will need to be repaired in terms of grinding, followed by the application of new layers of varnish.
Coating the parquet with oil is, in our opinion, a more progressive way of protecting it. With this treatment, the surface of the floor retains its natural woody texture, becomes more moisture resistant, embossed and creates a feeling of comfort. True, this floor will require slightly more room lighting than varnished, since it does not have a reflective effect to such an extent. Oil impregnation of natural parquet will need to be renewed annually, but this procedure is not labor-consuming at all and does not require the presence of professionals.
How to choose parquet - watch the video:
That's all. We hope that our material will help you in choosing parquet for the installation of a warm and beautiful floor. Good luck!
